ALLEGATION OF PERJURY

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21020, 23 November 1933, Page 6

ALLEGATION OF PERJURY

SOLICITOR'S AGENT IN COURT Charged with committing perjury in the Supreme Court at Christchurch, John Black Batchelor, a solicitor's agent, aged 32, of 96 Idris road, appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., and was remanded until December 5 on bail.

The charge against Batchelor was that on August 24, 1933, at Christchurch, he committed perjury in a certain judicial proceeding—on the hearing in the Supreme Court before Mr Justice MacGregor, of a petition for dissolution of marriage brought by Cyril Dixon against Isobel Dixon by falsely swearing that, "she refused to name the co-respondent and I was unable to identify him," whereas in truth and in fact the alleged corespondent was personally known to Batchelor, who was, in fact, able to identify him. , „ Mr A. W. Brown, who appeared for the Crown, asked that the accused be remanded. The case was particularly serious, Mr Brown said, and further charges were pending. He opposed allowing the accused bail, because certain enquiries would have to be made, and he was quite satisfied that if the accused was at large the enquiries would be hindered. There bad been deliberate chicanery and wrong-doing on the part of the accused all through. On a previous occasion considerable expense had been incurred in bringing the accused before the court, although at the time he left he had not been charged, counsel said.

Mr Lawry indicated that the conditions of bail would have something to do with the point raised by Mr Brown. Mr R. A. Young, counsel for Batchelor, asked for bail for his client, who, he said, had a complete answer to the charges. Batchelor would say that the charges were the outcome of personal feeling. The accused was in a business in the city which needed his attention, and could find bail. If bailed he could report twice daily to the police. The accused was remanded until December 5. Bail of £250 with two sureties of £125 was allowed and the accused was ordered to report daily to the police.