SERIOUS CHARGE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 416, 28 December 1932, Page 2

SERIOUS CHARGE

OFFICIAL CLEARED MAGISTRATE PREFERS , DISCRETTON TO c ' CIIIVALRY A LATE » RIDE HOME A charge arising from a complaint by a girl that she wass as-. saulted by a Post Office official while he was driving h!er home in a mail van aftei- she had missed the last car, was dismissed by Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today. William Leonard Field pleaded not guilty on a charge of assaulting Hilda Croton on December 7. Complainant gave evidence that she was employed as a domestic in Deans Avenue Riccarton. On December 6 she went to a dance in the city, leaving it at 10.30 or 10.45 o'clock. It has raining very hard, and she took shelter under a veranda. Then she found she had missed the last car. She spoke to a constable, and with him went acr'oss to a mail vah. and asked the driver if he were going out to Riccarton. He said he would take her out there. When they got along Oxford Terrace the driver started putting his arm around her. She told him to leave her alone. He stop>ped the van just past the h'ospital and they got out of it. Te tried to kiss her, and she slapped his faee. After they had been struggling for a while a taxi came along and- accused jumped into his car and drove off. James Daniel Farrel, locomotive engineer, who was on his way home past the hospital at 10.15 a.m., saw the tail-light of a car disappearing and saw the girl standing by the roadside. She was very upset and was trembling and sbe said something about a man in; a car. Detective's Evidence. Detective J. B. Finlay produced a statement by accused tbat he drove the girl out toward Riccarton during his supper time because he thought she was a friend of the constable. He did not annoy her or assault her, and gave her no cause to comp'lain ahout his conduct. Accused gave evidence that he was not collecting mail at Riccarton that evening, hut, thinking the constable had approached him on .behalf of a friend, he agreed to drive her out to Riccarton. On the way he told her to the partition in the van. She said sit closer to him to get the shelter of her nose was bleeding aud he stopped the car. She got out and would not get in again. Henry Holland M.P., said that he he had known Field for 30 years,. and had a very high opinion of his character, Edward William Hall, who had known accused ' since he was a boy, said that he had the highest moral character. The Magistrate said that the girl, in her own interests should have caught the last tram. Whil'e he was somewhat dissatisfied with the conduct of defendant, he could not be convicted on the evidence. It was all very well to be chivalrous and that sort of thing, but one had to use some discretion with it. The case would be dismissed. An application for suppression of accused's name was refused.