INFATUATION FOR A GIRL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 11, 6 October 1937, Page 4

INFATUATION FOR A GIRL

Young Man Ckarged With Assault IGNORED WARNING

What was described by the police aa a young man's infatuation for a young girl resulted in the appearance in the Hastings Magistrate's Court this morning of a youth, Robert Stanley Desmond Cowley, on a charge of assa'ulting a girl in Hastings. "This young man was at one time working ior the girl's father and then became iriendly with her," said Senior Sergeant G. Bivyer. "For some months she had beeli tryingto keep away from him, but he persists in going to her home in the eveniiigs wiien she is • alone. O11 the night in question he w.ent round to her house. She went outside on hearing sounds and he at once pushed past her and went into the house to see if there was anyojie else there. "Finding there was not he came out again and ordejred the girl to follow him. She at once ran round the side of the house and he went after her. A scuffle ensued in which he knocked her down. The girl called out, after which Cowley rJn away. The police have had several previous complaints and we have warned him about this before. There is no doubt whatever that he has been infatuated with the girl. "The girl suffered no more serious injury than bruises in the scuffle. The girl says he caught her by the throat, hut accused himself said it was his arrn that caught her. This action is being brought to prevent anything more serious happening. "Does he realise the position?" inquired the Magistrate, Mr J. Miller. "Well, we thought he did after we had warned him before, but he has gone back and annoyed her again. The girl assures me she has 'given him no encouragement. He is at the present time on probation for the theft of abicycle." "I hope his being brought before the Court will make him realise the seriousness of the position," remarked Mr Miller. "It is a serious matter. I should send you to prison, but I intend to warn you that if you pay any more attention to this girl you'll at once be arrested and sent to prison. You must ignore her alto^ether." Accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months, "Would it be too much to ask that the young lady's name should be suppressed from the newspapers?" asked Cowley when asked if he had anything to say. The Magistrate gave him an assurance that that .would be done.