A BRUTAL HUSBAND

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1926, Page 3

A BRUTAL HUSBAND

DUNEDIN, April 12. Among wife-bcaters the name, of HohcMt Thom, of Green Island, will go down to story and legend as “The , Original.” He not only .believes in nu "old saw“A wife, a whelp and n walnut tree, the more they me whipped, the better they he,” hut lie managed recently to combine his corrective pleasures against wife and whelp by using the whelp as a whip for the wife. In'another of his escapades he used the conventional form of whip and at Christmas time he found time to present Mrs Thorn with a broken shoulder as a Noel gift, hilt in spite of those reports Thom, when lie appeared lieloro Mr *l. G. b. Hewitt, S.M.. to-day charged with assaulting his wife and with trespassing on lier premises during the currency of a maintenance order, replied that lie had been invited to the house. The wife’s account was that he had been living at the house very much against her will. bast. Christmas, she added, lie had broken lier shoulder and .later he flogged her with a whip until she was black and blue. On another occasion lie had picked up a live dog and hammered her with it. Constable Hamilton gave evidence that when defendant was ill link ho was not responsible for his actions. lie substantiated the account of I horn s brutal behaviour. “I saw the marks on the woman’s hack after the mini had flogged her.’’ said the constable in answer to Senior Sergeant Quartermain, who prosecuted. After breaking a jug over the woman’s shoulder, and breaking lier shoulder bone, the constable added. Thom jabbed the broken handle into her body. The woman would make no complaint. She was evidently afraid of the man. Asked what he had to say the “hero’ of these episodes stammered something about being able to get on fairly well with his wife except when he had drink. “It is a very bad record,” said the Magistrate. “What is ‘fairly well’ for you is not very nice for anyone else.” “I will have to teach you a lesson.” remarked the Magitrate after consideration. “I Dim going to make it heavy, but you will have to learn that yon can’t do things like this.” He sentenced Thom to fourteen days’ imprisonment on eaclr charge; the sentences to be concurrent.