ATTACKED JEWELLER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 206, 13 June 1931, Page 3

ATTACKED JEWELLER

A DUNEDIN SENSATION.

TWO MEN ACCUSED OF ASSAULT.

(Per Press Association). DUNEDIN, June 12. A sensational story of assaults and attempted robbery at his jewellery and 1 pawn shop in George Street on the night of May 11, was related by Walter Gabriel Rossiter, in the Police Court to-day. Thomas William Wilson and Rupert Saunders were jointly charged with assaulting Rossiter, and that with intent to do grievous bodily harm they wounded or did actual bodily harm to -Jane Rossiter. Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M., was on the Bench, and Inspector Cummings conducted the prosecution. Air C. J. L. White appeared for Saunders, and Air H. Baron represented Wilson. Dr. Speight told the Court that he was called to Rossiter’s shop at 11.45 p.m., and found Rossiter suffering from a wound in the tongue and abrasions and bruises to the mouth. His wife was suffering from shock, and the left side of her face had swollen three times its normal size. The left eye was tightly closed. Dr. Speight applied a tempoi-ary dressing and sent her to the hospital. He was of opinion that the injury was in all probability caused by a blow. Sensed Danger. “I shall be 73 years of age in December, and my wife is 65,” said Rossiter. His shop was on the ground floor. The top half of the door was glass and the lower half wood. His wife and daughter resided with him upstairs, above the shop. He was in the shop about 11.20 p.m. on May 11 when the large window blind was disturbed. He opened) the front door, but could at first see nobody. There was a recess in the doorway, and there, when lie turned about, he saw a man stooping and saying, “I am very bad, I am very bad.” He was fully dressed and his hat was pulled well down over his face. AVitness said, “Aly good man, if you go home you’ll be all right.” He had no sooner repeated this than the taller of the two accused came and stoodl beside him. He sensed danger and attempted to draw back into the shop. One of the men put his foot in the door. AVitness was then inside and tried to close the door, but tlie two forced him inside and shut the door. The two men caught hold of him, with their hands across his mouth, but he managed to free his mouth and cry for help.

Thrust Fingers Down His Throat. The taller man held' him down while the shorter went behind the counter. Witness was still calling for help. The big man did not use any brutal force to keep him down. The small man then came back while witness was calling out, and jammed his fingers down his throat and worked them round like a corkscrew. AA’itness was nearly done. The small man said: “I’ve fixed them! They won’t bother us.” He then went to the window, and within a minute the front door was smashed. AA’hen the door was broken in the tall man got up and witness was released. AVitness immediately rushed through the door and found his wife lying senseless in a pool of blood between the fcot of the staircase and the door. He spoke to her, but slie could not answer. Rushing upstairs, be tried to find the short man, but could not find him. “If I’d- found him I’d have killed him or he would have killed me,” said witness. His attention was then drawn to the fact that the bathroom window was smashed. He went downstairs and found the tall men with Air Arennall and Constable AlcGrail. Before the two accused visited the shop it was in perfect order. There would he about £3OOO or £4OOO worth of stock.

Held Up With Screwdriver.

Charles Vennall, watchmaker, whose premises are on the opposite side of the road to Rossiter’s, said a man in the street told him that murder was being done in Rossiter’s shop. He ran, across the road and broke the glass in the door with a screwdriver and then unfastened the door. Saunders was holding Rossiter down on the floor. Witness presented the screwdriver at Saunders and commanded him to hold up his hands, which he did. Witness threatened to blow out Saunders's brains if be moved. The police arrived shortly and handcuffed Saunders. Constable Gibson said he was standing in front of Rossiter’s about 1.10 a.m. cn May 12. Several people were standing about and among them was the accused Wilson, who was arrested. Later in the day Wilson made a statement that he and Saunders entered Rossiter’s. Wilson grabbed Rossiter by the throat and Saunders knocked out Mrs Rossiter. Wilson bolted upstairs with a tray of rings, but lost them on the way up. Wilson kicked out the glass window and got on to the verandah roof facing the Octagon and climbed down a pole to- the street. He went back to the door of the shop, blit was pushed away by a constable. Both accused were remanded till Monday.