DRUNKEN BRAWL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 206, 1 September 1941, Page 8

DRUNKEN BRAWL

COFFEE STALL SCENE

ASSAULT AND DAMAGE

Trouble which occurred at a coffee stall in Wellesley Street on Saturday night ended in the arrest of two men, Herbert Andrew Melrose (28), fitter, and John Fay (30), a marine engineer, and their appearance before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Police Court this morning.

Each was charged with drunkenness in Wellesley Street, assaulting Samuel Elliott, and wilfully damag-. ing bottles of sauce, crockery and pies to the value of £2 15/, thereby causing mischief. They pleaded guilty.

Senior-Sergeant Joyce said the two men were having a meal at the coffee stall about 10.15 p.m. when Melrose objected to an assistant in the stall allegedly talking about him. The assistant was not talking about Melrose and told him so, but Melrose grabbed him by the collar and tried to pull him over the counter into the street. "Fay then commenced to throw bottles of sauce and crockery about, while he also upset a couple of dozen pies which were on the counter," added Mr. Joyce. "Elliott was struck by a piece of flying crockery and suffered a bad cut which necessitated the insertion of three stitches at the hospital. After both accused had left the coffee stall it had to close up. Neither Melrose nor Fay has been in trouble before."

Mr. Lind Mitchell, who appeared for Fay, said Fay was neither a brawler nor a drunkard, although he was drunk on Saturday night. Fay did not start the trouble, and out of mistaken loyalty to Melrose he took his companion's part. The whole thing was a foolish prank carried out while Fay was under the influence of liquor.

Asked by the magistrate if he had anything to say, Melrose, whose left eye was blackened, said he did not remember what happened, except that he got a knock on the eye which dazed him.

Fined 10/ on the drunkenness charge, Melrose and Fay were also fined £5 for assault. On the mischief charge they were ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months. Each was ordered to pay £1 7/6 for damage done.