THREW ACID AT GIRL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 191, 30 August 1937, Page 2

THREW ACID AT GIRL

Manchester Labourer "Desperate" with Hunger. PRISON AND THE "CAT" Sentence of nine months' imprisonmeut with hard .laboury and ■12-strokes • of the 4catA" was passetl at Manchester . Assizcs recently; on. Albert Henry Simons, aged 25, a native of Hull, who pleaded guilty to chargcs of robbery with violencey assaulfc with in- ' bodily harm. * According to the prosecution, Miss ; Ethel Riding, s 25-year-old shop assis- . tant, was alone in a phop in.Corporation street,; Manchester, on the eyening of April 18, Simons entered the. shop and asked for half a pound of sweets, which Miss Riding proceeded to obtain from' a bottle. As sho was handing them over the counter, Simons, wlio had emptied a quantity oF ' hydrocliloric acid from a bottle into a tin can, threw it into her face. Miss Riding although partly blinded^ screamed, and managed to make her way into the street. « Simons ran away, but was caught by ■ a tram-driver, who had notieed the girl I -coming out of the shop. At the police I station Simons stated: "I was des- I perate. I thought I could get somer thing to eat. " Detective-Inspector Airey told the Court that, apart from superficial marks on her face, Miss Riding had reeovered. Had it not been for the fact that she was wearing glasses her eyes would have been damaged. For the defenee it was submitted that depth of hunger and desperation might be pleaded in extenuation of Simon's conduct, and that his mind was unbalanced at the time he committed the act. ' . *' ' Passing sentence as stated, .Mr Justice Lewis remarkcd that ,the , offence could not be passed over lightly.