ASSAULTING A POLICEMAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 62, 31 July 1912, Page 5

ASSAULTING A POLICEMAN.

TWO BROTHERS SENTENCED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Monday. Warnings recently issued by Mr. Cutten. S.M., that in future any "ease of assaulting a policeman in the course of his duty would be severely dealt with, were not taken to heart by Thomas Henry Parker, who in consequence was this morning sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labor. The circumstances preceding Parker's arrest arose shortly before ten o'clock on Saturday night' at Newmarket. T. IT. Parker and his brother William went into the Newmarket Hotel, and on account of previous misconduct, together with their then unsobcr condition, the licensee requested them to leave. They created a disturbance, and a constable was sent for. ITe took Wm. Parker out of the hotel, while friends were prevailing' upon "Tom"- to go quietly away. They were given a chance to get home, but "Tom" persisted in calling- out obscene language. Then Const aide Goddard went to arrest him, and he intimated that he would give the policeman a "go" for it. lie, made some efforts to do so, but was himself thrown to the ground with his captor on top. Here William came to the rescue by dealing the constable some heavy blows from the rear, and endeavoring to choke him off his brother. Other policemen came up, whereon William retired to the crowd, hut kept inciting his brother to continue resistance till he was searched out and taken in hand also. Both men pleaded guilty this morning to charges of resistance and assault. The record against Thos. Parker contained three previous convictions for assaulting policemen, while his brother's record contained nothing previously of the kind. Mr. Cutten stated that T. If. Parker's record was one of assaulting policemen, using obscene language, and other like offences, and he would be sentenced to 12 months' hard labor. Though. Wm. Parker's conduct on this occasion was probably worse than his brother's, he had not previously been convicted for that kind of offence, and he would be treated leniently by being sentenced to two months' hard labor.