$4750 PAID IN FINES

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33422, 2 January 1974, Page 1

$4750 PAID IN FINES

(from Our Own Reporter)

NELSON, January 1. Sixtv-five New Year’s Eve revellers

who ended the night locked in the Nelson police cells, this morning paid $4570 in fines and court costs when they appeared in the Nelson Magistrate’s Court before Mr J. W. P. Watts, S.M.. on 68 charges.

In addition, seven young people appeared in the Children’s Court on seven charges. One of these was dismissed as was a charge of depositing dangerous litter heard in the Magistrate’s Court.

All charges and arrests arose out of the disorderly behaviour of a large section of the crowd which gathered in Trafalgar Street from about 11 p.m.

About 25 minutes before the turn of the year the first

bottles were thrown and the first arrests because of this were made.

Before this the police had arrested others for disorderly behaviour and fighting close to the Church Steps. The main crowd gathered in a small area between Bridge and Hardy streets, and it became obvious from their demeanour that most of them were not there to celebrate the change of years.

There was no singing, or dancing. The majority contented themselves with drinking from bottles, baiting the police and using obscenities.

The hostilities began with a bang when a young man let off a thunderflash below Hardy Street. Hail of bottles This appeared to be the overture to the main act which comprised the throwing of strings of crackers towards the police and an ever increasing hail of bottles. The Nelson police, reinforced by contingents from Auckland and Wellington —there were more than 50 police on duty—began to identify the throwers and arrests mounted.

Some struggled violently and there were a number of tense moments as the crowd, swollen to about 2000 by midnight, followed the police into disturbance areas and in some cases attempted to obstruct the police.

The New Year came with only a handful of people (one New Zealander. Canadians, Americans, Australians and Englishmen in one group) standing up to dance and sing Auld Lang Syne. About 12.25 a.m., Inspector L. F. O’Shea, of Auckland, who was in command in the field, began using the police to clear the street. The crowd was broken into groups and cleared group by group. By 1 p.m. they were behind barricades at the Bridge and Hardy Streets intersections, but many were still there just before 2 a.m. when the police began to move them on.

Of the 72 arrested, two were females. One of these appeared in the Children’s Court.

The Magistrates imposed fines ranging from $lO for drunkenness, to $lOO for smashing bottles and obstructing the police. Those who appeared before the Children’s Court were remanded to January 15 for reports from child welfare officers.