Hired Film Said To Be Indecent

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31006, 11 March 1966, Page 15

Hired Film Said To Be Indecent

When a church group held a film evening at the home of one of its members the projector had to be stopped because the film was found to be indecent, Mr E. A. Lee, S.M., was told in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. William John Daniel Hugh McFaull, aged 47, a workman, was charged with having hired an indecent film “The Truants” to Garth Antony Stevenson on November 27, and having possessed three indecent Smm films for sale or hire on November 29. McFaull pleaded not guilty to both charges and was represented by Mr D. H. Stringer. Detective-Sergeant B. 1. S Kimber prosecuted. After the evidence had been given the Magistrate adjourned the case for the defence and prosecution to make written submissions on a matter of law. He viewed the films concerned in chambers. Stevenson said he had known McFaull for about four years and every six months or so had hired comedy films from him to show at church groups. On November 27 last year he had hired four films from McFaull who had held one of them up to the light, found it was back to front, and rewound it with a hand machine. Stevenson said there was a group of about 30 young people. 18 to 20 years of age. at his parents’ place. He started the film which showed two girls walking along a beach. Then they started undressing. He decided the film was not suitable, stopped the projector. and apologised tor not having previewed the film. Later when everyone had gone home Stevenson and his parents looked at a bit more of the film and then took it to the police. Detective - Sergeant David

Porteoiis said he viewed the film, which concerned sexual acts between two girls and a man. Next day he executed a search warrant on McFaull’s place and McFaull said he had no indecent films. On a bench near the back door a tin containing three indecent films was found. Two of them were in colour and one was black and white. The witness described them as “appalling.” McFaull said he had given up hiring films as a full-time business some time ago. On the night in question he had arrived home from a wedding and found seven people waiting for him. He was in a hurry and told most of them to return another time. He got four films for Stevenson but said he did not look at what was on the films. He only checked the perforations. Earlier that day a man had gone to McFaull’s back door and asked him if he was interested in buying four sec-ond-hand Bmm comedy films, said McFaull. He told him he was not interested but the man left the films, three of which were in a tin and one was on top. McFaull said he had not looked at any of the films and that films were often returned to him in the wrong containers or on the wrong spools. McFaull said he knew Stevenson intended showing the films at a church or charitable group. CHATHAMS SHEEP— The Holm Shipping Company's pUssenger-cargo freighter Holmburn arrived at Lyttelton from the Chatham Islands on Wednesday evening with 12 passengers, 2540 sheep and 650 lambs. She will make four more Chathams voyages this season, three for sheep and one for cattle. j