A STRANGE AFFAIR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 44, 15 November 1919, Page 6

A STRANGE AFFAIR

CORPORAL D'ORIDANT'S CONVICTION DEFENCE DEPARTMENT WITHDRAWS During September of last year Corporal W. A. D'Oridant, of the New Zealand Military Police, was tried by court-mar-tial in Wellington oil a charge of haying "knowingly made a false accusal iuu" against Captain Charles Gray, Assistant Provost-Marshal for the Wellington District, The .u'cusalion wa>j that Captain Gray had been drunk on August I, 1918, while on duly. The corporal was found guilty, sentenced to 2K days' detention, and disniisfcd from the forces in disgrace. Ho has now 'been reinstated, granted aii| honourable discharge, and given a year's pay by the Defence Department. lie has received a promise that the. record of his conviction ehall be expunged from his personal file. The case, which attracted attention at the time, has remarkabie features. Corporal D'Oridant, who is fifty years of age, was engaged as a fisherman at Oamaru early in 1918, when the Defence authorities required a motor launch for patrol work in Wellington ITar'bour. lie owned a launch. The Defence authorities hired the boat and employed its owner as master. D'Oridant was,' attested for liomo service, and given the rank of corporal. Captair. Gray was Assistant-Provost Marshal for Wellington, and his duties included tho patrolling of the harbour. Ho went out on the launch with D'Oridant on the night of Aueusf 1, and in conseouence of certain incidents the corporal charged tho captain with-drunkenness. A few- days later D'Oridant vns arn«W and consigned to a cell at Mount Cook Urm-neks. When the courf-niarti.it sat in SenlemW. Captain Orny wao' the most important witness. The pmAlent of the court wns -Colonel P. Neave, who had with him Major E. V. Bevan and Major A. TT. HoPis, New Zealand (>Tri?ni! Artilfery. Captain Gray denied llvit he bad taken any liquor at all on (lie day in question. Hp admitted that Corporal D'Oridant had Veil placed under closo arrest on August IG, and held in a cell at Mount Cook Barracks for seventeen days without being allowed to see a lawyer. The prisoner was not ailowed to seo his wife for the first ten days. Ho wus confined in a bare cell without furniture. He had to sit on the concrete floor, and frequently private solders charged witli drunkenness wore locked up with litm. He made application to see his wife and a solicitor. Captain Gray stated m evidence that bo sent the application on to Captain Hill, Assistant-Provost Marshal at Defence Headquarters. Captain HiM refused permission, and said "there would lie plenty of time later." The court-martial I'ound D'Oridant guilty, and sentenced him.to twenty-eight dayf/ detent'on.. The corporal had been .in detention for more than twenty-eight days' already,. and _ under military law his period of detention should have dated from liis arrest. But. he was held for .another four weeks, most of'the time in the eel! at Mount Cook Barracks, boforo lie was released and discliarged'from the forces. During that tilile, although he was a non-comniiss'ifiied officer, private soldiers wero again placed in the same cell. Since liis release Corpora! D'Oridant has pressed for a rehearing of his case, j This rehearing lias not been granted, but the Defence Department has now sgreedt - (1) To remove the conviction, from liis personal file; < (2) To grant him an honourable discharge dating from August 6,1919 (tho date of ordinary demobilisation); and to band him arrears of pay amounting to JEI96, covering the period from ' the date of liis dismissal to.tlio.dato of the new dsicharge. Captain Gray left the service of the Defence Department last year, and is stated to lift out of New Zealand at the present time. Mr. A. H. L. Treadwell, who has represou ted' Corporal 'D'Oridant- in connection with this affair, declined' yesterday to make anv statement on the subject. Corporal D'Oridant himself confirmed tho | statements made above.