MAN'S BESTIAL ACT.

NZ Truth, 15 March 1924, Page 6

MAN'S BESTIAL ACT.

Little Girl Lured. — Constable to the Rescue. Yet another Instance of a little child being lured away by a strange man to a lonely spot to be 111-used through her innocence was forthcoming at the Magistrate's Court at Auckland, -when William Thomas Edmondson was charged with having indecently assaulted a girl of between seven and eight years on Saturday, March 8, 1924. After hearing the evidence against him, Edmondson pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The little girl, tho .object of tho man's perverted deslrd, cut a diminutive figure m the Court and answered Senior-Sergeant Rawle's questions In a scarcely audible voice. She said that on Saturday . afternoon she came out! of the picture theatre, where she had been with her brother, when sho met a man whom she identified m Court as tho accused. Edmondson took her into a fruit shop and bought her a pear and an apple. The two then went along the road for some distance and went to a place among the trees near Carlaw Park. Hero they sat down. Edmondson said nothing but he pulled away the girl's underclothes, an Interfered with her until a man jumped over tho fence and closed with the the accused. Tho little girl then ran away. Tho new arrival was Constable Drummond who, m consequence of receiving a telephone message, went down towards Carlaw Park. Ho saw Edmondson tampering with the girl, and the constable Immediately jumped the fence and choked off the accused. In tho constable's opinion Edmondson knew perfectly well what he was doing, although he had had drink. The mother of the girl said that tho little one told her that when sho was accosted by the man she wanted to go home, but Edmondson asked her If there was not another way home. She said there was, and they went that way. When Edmondson took tho girl to tho trees she again protested that sho wanted to go home but the man still said that ho wanted her to stop. "I was under tho influonco of liquor," said Edmondson, when asked If ho had anything to say. "I remember nothing of the assault. I had been drinking brandy and stout from Friday until sometime on Saturday. 1 am very sorry for what happened." Accused waa then committed for sentence. On the charge that he had asaulted Constable Drummond, Edmondson, who pleaded guilty and again said that he knew nothing of the Incident. was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.