ALLEGED ASSAULT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 161, 25 November 1912, Page 8

ALLEGED ASSAULT.

ON MENTAL HOSPITAL PATIENT. EX-WARDER CHARGED. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. : Dunedin, Saturday.' At tlie Police Court yesterday Edward Goadall, an ex-attendant at Seacliff Mental Hospital, was charged with having unlawfully struck ami ill-treated a patient. The case for the prosecution was that accused struck a patient with his hands and a stick, and also kicked him, inflicting tolerably severe but not dangerous injuries. The defence was that the patient refused to work, and accused gave liim a shake. Accused reserved his defence, and was committed for trial. Bail was allowed in his own recognisance of £IOO and two sureties of £3O each.

According to information furnished to the Otago Daily Times, five patients under the charge of two attendants were, on October 24th, detailed to do some work on one of the outside farms. On arrival there, however, one of the patients refused to work, and it is alleged that an attendant struck him on the jaw, knocking him down, and otherwise assaulting him. On the following morning, it is said, the assaulted man refused to proceed to the farm, and on being asked by the officer in charge as to the cause, of his refusal laid a complaint against the attendant. A junior attendant was then asked to give his version of what had taken place, but said that his status might be affected with the other attendants, and declined to say anything, and was thereupon dismissed. Further investigation was made, and it was decided to dismiss the senior attendant also. The junior attendant then went to the asylum authorities and complained of his summary dismissal, and gave full particulars as to what had actually taken place. As a result of this information the authorities decided to take, action against the senior attendant.