Farmer Fined For Assault

Chronicle (Levin), 14 June 1948, Page 4

Farmer Fined For Assault

Charged with assaulfjrig Robert Henry Bryant at Manakau on May 26, Atholbert Francis Mather, a farmer, of Manakau, pleaded guilty and was fined £3 by Mr. H. J. Thompson, S.M-, in the Magistrate's Court, Levin, on Friday. Sergeant W. Grainger ,to!d the court that Bryant had been seated in a car in front of his house when defendant - drove up iri a truck, which he parked irnmediately behind 'the -vehicie in which Bryant wa's seated. ■ Getting out o'f'the car, he approaehed Bryant ahd asked him; why he had "poked his nose" finto^his1 Mather Ss) -business, and mefitioned a business deal he had been making with a local farmer ■regarding some heifers, 'but as the result of Bryant's alleged interference the deal' had' been cancelled. Defendant had gone on to state that it was "about time Bryant kept his nose out of other people's business," and had then proeeede'd to- pull Bryant's nose. Defendant got. ■Bryant qitfn of the car and -strucki him ' tw blows. Bryant had then gone towards his home, and as he did so, called out to Mather that he was just a "Maori mongrel," whereupon Mather had rushed across and struck him two blows on the- back. Bryant had received a cut under the left eye as the result of the dispute. Entering a plea of guilty on behalf of his clierit, Mr. J. P. Bertram, for defendant, said that Mather was a quarter-caste Maori and proud of his Maori blood. He had probably been incensed by the remark of complainant. Bryant had also interfered with several of Mather's business deals, and Mather felt very strongly about it. "Mather is. much'the smaller man of the two," said Mr. Bertram. It was perhaps another case of David and Goliath only Goliath had not stood his ground, but turned and fled. His client now realised that he could not take the law into his own hands, even if the person was bigger than himself, continued Mr. Bertram. There was apparently quite some hjstory behind this matter, said Mr. Thompson, when imposing the fine and conviction on defendant.