MAGISTRATE ABUSED

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 17, 15 October 1926, Page 8

MAGISTRATE ABUSED

♦ —_ AN ANGRY MAN’S MISTAKE Dominion Special.. Dunedin, October 14,. “This sort ol thing will have to stop, and the next offender who comes before the Court will be dealt with in a more rigorous manner.” This remark was addressed to Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., to Isaac Buchanan, a Waitati resident, who pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court this morning to having behaved in an offensive manner in a railway carriage. Sergeant Dunlop, who prosecuted, stated that Mr. 11. W. Bundle, S.M., was a passenger by a train for Waitati on Monday. Shortly after the train had left the railway platform Buchanan put in an appearance and addressed several remarks to Mr. Bundle, which the Magistrate ignored as they were couched in offensive terms. Defendant became incensed at this and broke into a torrent of abuse, and in his rage smashed his walking stick on the scat. He continued to make himself objectionable until near Port Chalmers. Defendant in a long rambling statement to tlie Court said that lie was very “easily upset.” Me had been particularly annoyed at the loss of his hat.

Mr. Bartholomew said that those who travelled by slow afternoon trains were particularly liable to be annoyed in the same manner as Mr. Bundle had been, and he considered that this kind of offence was too prevalent. As the defendant had agreed to take out a prohibition order against himself, he would inflict a nominal penalty of £2 and 7s. costs.