ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 235, 9 February 1911, Page 5

ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULT

COMMERCIAL MAN ON HIS TRIAL. By Telegraph.—Press Association, hristchureh, Last Night. The case in which Win. Pitcaithly was charged with having indecently assaulted a domestic servant in his employ was before the Supreme Court to-day, ana evidence was concluded when the Court adjourned till to-morrow. The accused is a prominent business man, and the charge ig that on Wednesday last he indecently assaulted a housemaid, aged 18 years. Mrs. Pitcaithly happened to be away from home for * few hours when, according to the complainant's story, Pitcaithly followed her from room to room while she was cleaning windows. She ran out once and asked Pitcaithly'a son and some boy friends who were on the lawn to keen within reach, and the alleged assault is said to have taken place when she was cleaning windows in another room later. According to the story told in Court Pitcaithly seized her by the shoulders and threw h"er on the bed. She struck him in the face, and screamed to the boys on the lawn, and ran out with her hair and blouse dishevelled and some of her clothing torn. One of the boys had run for his mother, a neighbor, and she came in and questioned Pitcaithly, who had followed the crying girl to a shed and who denied that he had done anything to her. It wav said that his son contradicted him, and that he and other boys had seen through the open window. He, Pitcaithly, according to evidence, said "What have I done that even my own "'son turns against me," adding that the boy's auntie had similarly tried to make a fuss without reason. Pitcaithly said the girl slapped him in the face, the neighbor lady saying it served him right In Court a boy who had freely told his story to the police and had subsequently been seen by accused's solicitor (Mr. T. G. Russell), refused to utter a word.

Pitcaithly said the girl told him she wbb going to leave to get £1 per week and when he called her a liar and said she (mustn't leave, fche slapped him, whereupon he seised her to prevent her hitting him and she fell on the bed. The hearing came before two Justices, Messrs. Thos. Wallace and Wm. Barrett (the first-named said to nave been a former partner of accused), and after hearing the various witnesses, they dismissed the case on the ground of Insufficient evidence. *

The charge was retried on the application of the police, when Pitcaithly was accused of indecent assault, before Mr. Bailey, S.M., and accused was committed for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court, bail being allowed accused in £l5O and another surety of the same amount. The evidence was the same as that of Wednesday with the addition, of that of another boy of twelve.

Pitcaithly has been married sixteen years, and has fire children.