HUSBAND’S BRUTAL ACT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 565, 18 January 1929, Page 1

HUSBAND’S BRUTAL ACT

KICKED WIFE WITH BABY IN HER ARMS GAOL FOR SIX WEEKS Striking and kicking his wife while she clasped her baby in her arms was the behaviour that resulted in Edward Scully being sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment at the Police Court this morning. Scully, a miner, aged 49, pleaded guilty under provocation to assaulting his wife, Maria Scully. According to Mrs. Scully, when she returned home after visiting town yesterday, she was struck twice by her husband. He kicked her and knocked her down with the baby in her arms. It was the third time witness had been attacked by her husband in eight days. A neighbour, who was attracted to the house by the disturbance, considered that had Scully not been interrupted by some workmen at a nearby garage, he would have done very grave harm. He was striking her on the head and she was bleeding. The man appeared to be quite sober. All the time that the husband was assaulting Mrs. Scully, she had her baby in her arms, and Scully was trying to wrest it from her. Sergeant Clist, who was called to the house, considered that, in one of his fits of temper Scully would kill his wife. When witness was taking a statement from the woman the man first said he would do 20 years for his wife, and then threatened to murder her. The police had been three times called to the house during the last week. Scully’s explanation was that his wife had started the fight while she was drunk.