STRANGE CASE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 314, 30 August 1932, Page 5

STRANGE CASE

(Special to "Post")

DAMAGES SOUGHT WELLINGTON WOMAN CLAIMS WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN SHOP ASSAULT ALLEGED

Wellington, Monday. An action for £150 damages was brought by Mrs. Doris N. Paris at the Magistrate's Gourt against James Smith, Ltd., as the result of an incident in the firm's shop on Deeember 23, when a shopwalker suspected her of shoplifting. Mrs. Paris alleged that the shopwalker, Mr King, had assulted her by holding her arm as she walked through the shop to his office, and that she had been wrongfully detained after investigation had shown that none of the articles found in her possession belonged to James Smith, Ltd. She also alleged that the defendant had refused to hand back certain articles that had been taken from her. Plaintiff's Case Opening the case for the plaintiff, counsel said that the claim was based on three grounds, assault, false imprisonment, and convel'sion of Mrs. Paris's goods. In her evidence Mrs Paris said that when Mr. King spoke to her outside the shop she opened her shopping bag, in which were some articles she had purchased at George and Doughty's. They were unwrapped, as she had had occasion to use the paper for something else. When Mr. King saw what was in the bag he said: "Come along, I thought so," and took her by the arm and walked her to his office. When he had ascertained that sho had nothing belonging to James Smith's in her possession, she asked him if she could leave, but he told her she would have to wait and see the general manager. She refused to tell Mr. King where she had obtained the goods, and said she might have got them from a Mr. Simpson