A Brutal Father.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 7024, 12 November 1906, Page 3

A Brutal Father.

United Press Association—Per Electric Telegraph Auckland, Not 11 William F. Clauses, labourer, was put npon bis trial at the Otahuhu Folios Court, charged with having caused the death of his child, Ronald Frank Clausen, under the age of three months, by using physical violence. Constable Foreman eaid that the child appeared to have disturbed its father at night. On those occasions the father took the child np, shook it and on one occasion slapped it across the back, causing a black bruise. One nigbt be ordered his wife out of bed because the baby was crying, and, as ehe would not go, he carried, the child out of the room, laid it down m the kitchen, and forced his wife out by assaulting her and blackening her eye. Even after the child was dead he refused to attend the funeral, because he had to go to work, Dr Rowley said that on Saturday, October 27, he saw the body of the infant, after death, and found it m a very dirty, uncared for condition. The body was that of a poor]y-noarished 3 unhealthy child. At the bottom of the back was a bruise, where the 6kin had been broken. He made a post-mortem examination of the body, and found no internal evidence of injury. He believed the cause of death was convulsions due to an enormously dilated stomach m a weak, unhealthy child. His Worship : Do you think the violence indicated by external bruises had any effect m causing death P Witness : It would cause a certain amount of shook, and reduce the child's vitality and power of resisting disease, and so hasten death, His Worship: Do yon think it was a direct cause of death ? Witneßß : No, not directly. His Worship : If, instead of illusage, the child had received kind treatment, would its life have been saved 1 Witness: I think if it had received proper treatment its life would have been prolonged, and it possibly would have recovered. This concluded the doctor's evidence. His Worship expressed an opinion that the doctor's evidence was insufficient to sustain a charge of manslaughter, and it would, therefore, be his duty to dismiss the charge. It was, however, open for the police to amfend the charge to one of assault. The information was amended accordingly, and accused was charged with having committed a common assault upon the child about October 21, by slapping it on the back and shaking it. Accused pleaded guilty, and, m reply to his Worship, admitted that the constable's opening statement was true. His Worship, m passing sentence, said to the prisoner: " Ton are a very lucky man to escape the major charge. I think that a man like you, you know, is a great brute. A man who will shake and slap a little infant three months' old is nnworthy of the name of man. Tour conduct was simply brutal, and I cannot condemn it too severely. I shall give you, for the aggravated assault, the full penalty that the law allows me to give you. I convict you on your own confession, and I sentence you to aix months' imprisonment with hard labour."