GUILTY OF ASSAULT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1941, Page 9

GUILTY OF ASSAULT

AFFRAY AT OAMARU

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE FAILS.

ATTACK ON JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES.

Telegraph—Press Association.» DUNEDIN. February 5

At the conclusion of the trial of William Meehan in the Supreme Court to- ■ day on a charge of attempted murder.'■ the jury returned a verdict of guilty’ rn ihe eighth count only—that at Oamaru accused did assault George I Robert Edwards and Frederick Me- 1 Auley, the said assault being commit- i ted by threatening them will', a loaded • ride and fixed bayonet. Accused was j remanded for sentence. ‘■A NOTORIOUS BODY." i Addressing the jury. Mr Thomas, for j the defence, referred to the bewilder- ; ing number of charges against accused. ; an array which, he submitted, showed weakness on the part of the Crown, j “Before you can convict accused on < the charge of attempted murder" Mr' Thomas said, "you have to find that he j intended to kill. At the time of the • occurrence Jehovah's Witnesses were I a notorious body opposed to all organised religion and they caused a diver- • sion in this country. Accused knew !

that in the hall this Judge Rutherford, this Yankee spell-binder, was to speak and his lecture. I submit, was subversive and seditious. These Jehovah's Witnesses go their own sweet way whether their teaching results in the destruction of our Empire or not. We know what Fifth Columnists are and how they secured the fall of Norway Holland. Belgium and France, and if these Jehovah's Witnesses are not Fifth Columnists, tell me what they are? Most people prefer to call them traitors."

Mr Thomas reminded the jury that on October 13 Britain had lost her allies and the air blitz was on. Accused knew a seditious meeting was being held. Counsel submitted that it was accuscd's’duty to go and stop it. Intent had not been proved, and he suggested that the story of the Crown witnesses did not reveal the whole truth. He pointed out that it had been admitted by one of them that they talked the case over and discussed the question of cross-examination. COMMENT BY JUDGE. Mr Justice Kennedy, summing up, said that citizens of the country must obey its laws and were entitled to the protection of those laws. They were not there to try the Jehovah’s Witnesses for any alleged offence. The ouestion was whether accused had or had not been proved beyond reason-. able doubt guilty of the charges. His; Honour said that the doctrines and ' views of which they must strongly dis- i approve were those opposed to the in- I terests of the country. Mr Thomas hac j taken a view of the law in expressing ' what he said were the rights of ac- I cuscd in going to the meeting. Hi would say at once that this view wa. j not the correct one and was based on an erroneous view of what the law | really was.

His Honour traversed the evidenci at length and remarked that the bod> called Jehovah's Witnesses was a body which was carrying on propaganda about this time. This method of carrying on propaganda was disapuroved perhaps that was 100 mild a word to use —-strongly by good citizens of the

country. Accused, patriotic and highminded or otherwise as he might be had proceeded to the meeting with a rifle and bayonet, a dangerous thing unless care was taken