RUGBY QUEUE ASSAULT

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29021, 9 October 1959, Page 6

RUGBY QUEUE ASSAULT

Young Man Fined £6 He had been walking along Lichfield street about midnight on August 22, looking at the queue for Rugby tickets, when two men, who had been in sleeping bags, attacked him for no reason at all and he had run off when he saw the police approaching, John Michael Richard Murphy, aged 21, a kiln operator, told Mr N. M. Izard, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when he was cross-examined by Sergeant M. J. Ryan.

Murphy, who pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting David Michael Earl and Tony Frank Manning, was convicted on both charges and fined £3 on each. He was represented by Mr H. S. Thomas.

David Michael Earl, aged 23, a farmer, of Waikari, said he was in a sleeping bag in the Rugby queue when about midnight the accused came up to him and put his hand in front of his face and said: “You can't see past that.” The witness said he pushed the accused's hand away. Accused had said “You don’t touch me,” and started hitting and kicking him. Accused did the same to his companion, Manning, who got out of - his sleeping bag and the accused shaped up to him and a fight started. The fight broke up just before the police arrived. To Mr Thomas, Earl admitted he had remarked “Look at those stove pipe trousers” when a group of three youths had walked past just before the incident. Murphy could have heard the remark he had made aljout the trousers, but witness did not regard it as insulting. Tony Frank Manning, aged 17, a farm hand, of Waikari, gave corroborative evidence. To Mr Thomas he said that Earl was his boss. He denied that when he got out of his sleeping bag he was “going to show this city dweller what a country boy was -worth.” The evidence of Earl and Manning showed that they were really the instigators of the incident by the foolish remark passed, Mr Thomas said. Murphy said he had tripped over one of the sleeping bags. It was just an accident and he was abused and told to get back to Cathedral square. He did not hear any remarks about clothing. He did not strike anybody but Earl swung a punch at him and he blocked it. Manning made towards him and struck him.