CONSTABLE KNOCKED OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 96, 24 April 1922, Page 5

CONSTABLE KNOCKED OUT.

WHILE MAKING ARREST. ASSAILANT SENT FOR TRIAL. The circumstances under which (o«» stable Jas. McKay was injured while endeavouring to arrest two men in Victoria Street on March 4 were investigated before Mr. J. W. Poynton. S.M., to-day, when William Nathaniel Pamplin (30) was charged that he had assaulted a constable in the execution of his duty, and that he had caused Constable McKay grievous bodily harm. The constable in question, who was still weak and obviously suffering the after-effects of a severe concussion, stated that he had started duty in Auckland only on Mareß 3. and was injured the following day. He bad no recollection, he said, of the _Xcumstances surrounding his injury.

Lilian Makovina, wife of a restaurantkeeper in Victoria 'Street, said that about 3.10 p.m. on March -1 she noticed * crowd near the Aurora Hotel, and then saw two men come from the direction of the hotel. These two men, a big man and a small man, started fighting, and Constable McKay came up and tried U» arrest tiie two of them. The small man broke away, and tbe other man and the constable kept struggling. They fell down on the pavement, with the constable underneath, and as he was attempting to rise the other man forced his head back till it struck the pavement, and the constable became unconscious. She then wept and rang up the police station.

Tony Katavicb, confectioner, of Victoria Street, gave a somewhat similar narrative of the affair, but said he did not see the actual injury inflicted, because of the crowd getting round the constable and the other man. Both witnesses agreed that accused was the man who was engaged in struggling with the policeman.

Alfred G. Brewer stated that when the constable caught hold of accused the latter threw the constable to the ground and then seemed to catch the constable somewhere about the throat and force his head back against the pavement, at which stAge witness interfered and pulled accused off. The constable was then unconscious. Accused appeared to be fairly well under the influence of drink, and before the constable came along a friend had been trying to get him to go home. To Mr. Cnhill (for accused) : The constable seemed to fall on bis bead when he came to the ground, and did not struggle after that, apparently having been knocked unconscious by the fall. Accused pleaded '"Not guilty." and wa* committed to the Supreme Court fitr trial.