Charge of Assault.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 65, 21 March 1904, Page 4

Charge of Assault.

On Saturday morning, before Mr R. L. Stanford. S.M., James Bennett, who had been arrested by Detective Quirk the previous afternoon, was charged with having used grossly insulting language and assaulting James IVeskm in Barrett-street. Accused pleaded guilty to both charges, but pleaded provocat ion. Mr Quilliam said thai despite Jhe plea of guilty, the Bench ought to hear the evidence, as ihe language had been vile and the assault unprovoked.

The informant, James Preston, ganger 011 .a contract in Barrettstreet, said that the accused came to him to work under instructions from Mr Kemp, contractor, lie told a young man to take away a full cart and bring back an empty one. Accused interfered, used vile language and threatened informant with a shovel. He complained to Mr Kemp, who discharged the man.' In tho afternoon Bennett came back to get a whip, and again used shocking language in the street, and threatened to knock informant's head off. Kemp then struck him across the I head with a whip. Informant then knocked accused down and held him down until help arrived. Accused threatened to take tiie complainant's life. Accused commenced a statement, admitting that he had hit Preston with a whip—the butt end of it, and would have hit him again had he had another butt.

Tho Bench sentenced accused to fourteen days' imprisonment for obscene language, and lined him £1 and costs for assault. He was also bound over to keep the peace for six months in two sureties of £lO each, and himself in £2O. This concluded the business, and the Court adjourned.