Jail for contempt
A youth who declined, on Thursday, to give evidence for the prosecution in a charge against his father of wilfully setting fire to his house last December, was jailed for two months in the District Court yesterday on a contempt of court charge arising from this refusal.
The defendant, Noel Henry George Frew, aged 18, is currently serving a prison sentence in Invercargill. The ■ prison sentence imposed by Justices of the Peace, Messrs R. M. Naysmith and J. B. Andersen, yesterday is cumulative upon this term.
Frew had been called as a prosecution witness at the preliminary hearing on Thursday of a charge against Raymond Clive Frew, aged 37, of wilfully setting fire to his house at
167 Huxley Street, Sydenham, on December 26. Frew was declared a hostile witness on the application of the prosecutor, Sergeant M. P. Caldwell, after refusing to answer a series of questions, relating to a statement, which he allegedly made to police after the fire in his father’s house. He was detained in custody overnight, to appear before the Justices yesterday for sentence. Imposing the sentence yesterday, Mr Naysmith said that the law required, and placed an obligation on citizens, to give evidence under oath or affirmation. The defendant had at first refused to take the oath or affirmation when called to give evidence on Thursday and the Justices had ordered him stood down while the provisions of the
laws applying to refusal to give evidence, and contempt of court, were explained to him. He had then agreed to take the oath but had failed to co-operate with the court and denied certain statements which allegedly had been made by him, Mr Naysmith said. The defendant had then replied, “No comment,” to every question, and on the application of the prosecutor he was declared a hostile witness. Further questions were put to him and he again adopted the same truculent attitude. The Court had no option but to detain the defendant in custody for contempt of court. The defendant is to be kept apart from adult prisoners.
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Press, 23 April 1983, Page 4
Word Count
346Jail for contempt Press, 23 April 1983, Page 4
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