Solicitor and Witness.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1921, Page 3

Solicitor and Witness.

| AN A PPE ALTO TH E BEXCH. j AUCKLAND, April 19. 1 A claim to a Magistrate for protection from insult and threat while he was within the precincts of the Magistrate’s Court and concerned with the conduct of a case, was made by Mr J. J. Sullivan, solicitor, to Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., this morning. His Worship had just given reserved judgment in a case in which Mr Sullivan was appearing for the defendant and Mr J. F. Dickson lor the plaintiff, when Mr Sullivan said he wished to bring under the Magistrate’s notice the fact that while he was awaiting the decision, lie was met by a witness (Mr Forbes Eadie), who attacked him with threat and insult over his cross-examination of the witness during the case. He did not wish to make i: a personal matter, but, as an officer or the Court, he felt that be would be failing in bis duty if lie did not bring before the Bench tin* matter of a solicitor being molested during the hearing 5 of a case, and because of his conduct of ' the ease. “I met him in the corridor, } and he called me an Irish hound, and told me that I should go Home and join the Siim Feiners, and wanted me to I go out of the Court and fight him.” Mr Poynton : You had better put it in r writing, and we can fix a time for liear- • ing the complaint, w Mr Dickson: My frien* was so insulting in his cross-examination of the witness concerned, that your Worship l_ ordered the witness to leave the box e j until Mr Sullivan apologised to him. j His Worship: That may be considered II l at the proper time in mitigntion, bnt n i the matter is not before the Court just ,e ! now. ?s j Mr Dickson: Let Mr Sullivan bring TQ ; the ease in the ordinary way. n > j Mr Sullivan: T shall bring it as con--10 ' tempt of Court. P- —.ir r >”l ' ' _ ..