TERRIBLE SCENE IN COURT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 971, 26 November 1880, Page 3

TERRIBLE SCENE IN COURT.

A scene, the likis of which we never heard of lief ire, to..k place in the iffyde Court House on Friday last, ami hut for the tact of some powerful men being presell', there is no saying wh it would have been the r.ault. The facts surrounding the cine are as follows: A man n-imed H.illautyne was charged wi’h having exposed his person to a ciiiM of tender years, a girl some ten years of ago. The charge having heeo heard anil proved on the evidence of the girl, though the prisoner strongly denied it, ho was sentenced to six calendar mouths’ imprisonment in Dunedin Gaol with hard labour. After th ■ sentence the prisoner was 1e ng rein ore I from the body of tbe Court, when with a spring he rushed at the p or girl, and s. iz ng hj. r said, •' f have been pun islied innocently ; [ will nnw do something to bo pmii-hed for.” insp-ctor Hickson, S u-geant M‘Neal, Constable M‘Leo-1, ano tbe father of the girl at once seized the prisoner, but th-ir united efforts for a time failed to make him leave go bis bold. The giil, moie deal than alive from friglc, was at length released and remov-d to the • Clerk's room, where sho was attended to. The prisoner was again placed in the dock on the charge of assault, and received a further sentence of six m uiths. We wore not in Court, but wo are informed the .scene I• ■O3 *a all description—live strong powerful men struggling over a mere child, four of them trying to piot'-ct he-, the other a lunatic for the time h.-ing, endeavouring to inflict injuries—and was siu-h a One our informant would not like to see repeated.