MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1920, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

. YESTERDAY'S SITTING. A sitting of the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth was held yesterday, Mr. T. A. B, Bailey, S.M., presiding, when the following cases were dealt with:— On a charge of committing a grossly indecent act in Devon Street on May »th, to which she. pleaded guilty, Elizabeth Ireland was convicted and fined £2 and costs (7s).' Mary Sweeney, who pleaded guilty to using indecent language in Pukekura fark, was sentencd to two months' imprisonment, George Moorehead, for failing to send a child to school was lined 2a without costs. The prosecution was brought bv the Education Board's truancy officer (Mr. G. Pascoe).

ABUSIVE, LANGUAGE. ■ECHO OF PRINCE'S VISIT. The over-eagerness of three young men to get a good view of the proceedings in Pukekura Park on the occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales to New Plymouth resulted in one of the men concerned having to explain in the Court his use of some abusive language to some of those engaged with the arrangements in the park. Owen Lewis, a young man who gave his age as 19 years, was charged, on the information of Mr. Hugh Baily, with using abusive language in a public place, to wit, Fillis Street. Mr. Ronald H. Quilliam, who appeared for the informant, said that on the day of the Prince's visit Mr. and Mrs Baily were inside the iron fence along the Fulis Street, frontage of the park, in charge of some small children: Just as the Prince was about to make his reply to the address presented to him, a disturbance was caused by a numoer of young men trying to clamber up on to the top of the fence to see the proceedings, and in doing so their boots made a great deal of noise against the iron, which prevented the people from hearing what was being said. Mr. Baily remonstrated with the young men and urged them to get down, and defendant who was amongst the number, refused to get dow.n, and threatened to "smash »» Baily ' B fac6 " or " knock llis h«id on. Mr. Day, the borough inspector, who had charge of the arrangements in the park, came over to the place and was met by the same abusive remarks from defendant, and so he called up one of the visiting policemen and had defendant removed. Defendant's obstinacy in the matter caused some of the other men who had got down when asked, to get up on the fence again. Evidence to this effect was given by the informant and Mr. Day, the latter deposing that he had found no difficulty in getting in and out of the park by the gates during the time the Prince was in the grounds. Mr. A. A. Bennett, who represented defendant, said the case was an exceedingly trivial one and had really arisen out of the provocation by Mr. Baily, who had rapped Lewis over the knuckles as soon as his hands appeared on the top rail of the fence. He suggested that no provision was made for warning people against getting up on the fence and Mr. Baily had no right to hit: anyone over the knuckles. |

The Magistrate remarked that defendwit had no right on the fence and had no right to use offensive language to Mr. Baily, notwithstanding the fact that he had been irritated. As for wanting to see the Prince, there was plenty of room in the park and he doubted if there was any better place to have seen the Prince than in Pukekura Park.

Defendant was convicted and ordered to pay Court costs and solicitor's fees.