SHUT IN WASHOUSE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 717, 18 December 1933, Page 2

SHUT IN WASHOUSE

c officiaL makes -ESCAPE THROUGH A WINDOW. TARANAKI INCIDENT. New Plymouth, Wednesday. A case Which' had some Serio'uS aspects cam.e before Mr. W. Wbodward, S.M., in the police court this morning in which a eharge was. made against a resident of M'aturoa of as- : saulting the court bailtiff, Wm. F. j •Southam. A good deal of the sting ! ' was taken out of the matter by the j ' generous attitude of the complainant, who explained to the court that the i defendant would find it very difficult j to pay a fine, and that he was really ! "not a bad sort of fellow." • j The defendant was Robert John- j ' stone, of Moturoa, and .the charge j ' was of ,a:ssaulting the coiirt bailiff (Mr. W. F. Southam) in the course of • the execution of his duty. ' iMr. V. Qregpry appgared for the f defendant, wh'o pleaded guilty. ! iSergeant Olist said it was a serious thing to assault a court bailiff- — (Just as serious as assaulting a; police officer. The circumstances were that on the mo-rning of December 2 Mr. Sou- ; tham went to Johnstone's house to serve a warrant upon him. Mrs. Johnstone answered the door first, hut Johnstone came after her and asked if the bailiff had a jiotice for him. He refused to a.ccept service, and Mr. Southam dropped the warrant at his feet. Johnstone demanded that he should pick it up, and when he refused he caught hold of himl and tried to force him down to pick up the paper. 'Wlhen this failed he dragged the bailiff into the Washhouse and shut him in there, but Mr. Sou- ' tham escaped through the window. There had been absolutely no provocation on the part of the bailiff. A Relief Workier. ' Mr. Gregory said the defendant was ■ a relief worker, and he had been in trouble through his wife's illness, and also in connection with a visit by a bailiff on behalf of his landlord, when there had been some molestation of him on that occasion. When Mr. Southam called the defendant lost .his h'ead. He did nd.t strike Mr. Southam, but grappled with him. He realjsed the seriousness of his conduct, expressed his regret, and undertook that there would be no recurrence of such conduct. Counsel asked, therefore, that such leniency as could he extended to th'e defendant. Sergeant Clist said it was suggest- ' ed that Mr. Southam might have to go back to Johnnstone's place, and it might he wise to bind him over to keep the peace. iThe magistrate said it was a very serious matter to interfere with an officer of the law. In matters of this kind cfficers of the law acted quite impiersonally . They had a- duty to j perform. "You may have been wor- j ried by your landlord, but you will never be worried by an officer of the law," said the magistrate. "Wthat- ' ever they have .to do they endeavour to do with as much tact and kindness as possihle. Ther-e is no doubt you lost your head on account of your wife's illness, but that does not fully excuse you. I will take that into account. If it were not so, and I thought you had done this out of malice, you would certadnly go to gaol," Fine of £2. The magistrate then entered a conviction and imposed a fine of £2 costs 13s). Mr. Southam interposed to say that it would be impos-sible for defendant to pay a fine. "I have known- him all my life and he is not a bad sort of fellow," added the bailiff. The magistrate: It is rather exceptional for the man assaulted to come and plead to have the other man let off. To Defendant: How many children .have you? — Defendant: Three. What do you earn as a relief worker? — About 30s. Gan you find someone to go surety for you that you will keep the peace ? I suppose you will ask Mr. Southam to do that? — -Defendant: I can hardly do that. The magistrate then changed the penalty, cancelling the fine and orderdng the defendant to enter into a surety of £5 that he would keep the peace for a period of six months, and to pay 17's costs and expenses.