WOMEN MOLESTED

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 28, 1 August 1929, Page 18

WOMEN MOLESTED

ASSAULT AND ROBBERY

YOUTH ADMITS OFFENCES

Two more charges were read against William Edward Francis the yorug man who assaulted and robbed a young lady in the Technical School grounds on Saturday night, when he appeared before, Mr. E. Page, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Francis, who was described as a storeman, aged 18, was charged with assaulting Marion Gardiner on 30th June, assaulting Edith Vera Patori on 23rd July, and robbing Catherine Lyons of her purse containing 17s in money, a Post Office Savings Bank book, and other articles, at the same time using personal violence.

Mr. W. E. Leicester, who appeared for the accused, said that Francis intended to plead guilty to all the charges. The first witness was Catherine Lyons, who said that she was a dressmaker and lived in Wallace street. She was in the habit of using a,short cut through the Technical School grounds to Buckle street. . About 7.30 on Saturday night she was using this route, and when she was near Buckle street she heard footsteps from behind, and a person ran up and put his hand over her mouth. She got a view of a man about the accused's age and size, but in the half-light could not see him sufficiently well to swear that it was the accused. She was too surprised to struggle much, but she screamed. The nest thing she knew was that she was sitting on the ground, and the man said ■'Where is your purse?" He then ran uj> the hill and witness got up and hurried down to the Mount Cook Police Station.

To the Magistrate, witness said that so far as she could tell the man's sole mrpose was robbery. Sergeant Carmody said that ho went io the place where Miss Lyons said she had been assaulted and robbed The accused came along. Ho appeared as ir he had been running. In reply to witness the accused said that be had passed there some time previously but denied having accosted a girl ' Witness took the accused to the Mount Cook Police Station, where he was marched. He had money on him similar to that lost by Miss Lyons. He also had several other articles, which had been identified as belonging to Miss Lyons The^aceused, however, denied the offence, but the next day sent for fitness and made a statement admit-

Another dressmaker, Marion Gardiner, who lives in Hankey street, said ■ hat about 6.55 on 30th June she was Wa «g >?- W" rthe same <oad as ™s used by Miss Lyons, when she heard someone running behind her She I™?^^^ t0 lot this Perso» Pass> but;he put his arms around her and a hand over her mouth, and pulled her over on to tho grass. She struggled and screamed after she had got over the shock. Sho told the man she was going to Buckle street, and he said that ho would escort her to Tasman street. They walked along together, vvitb the accused holding witness around the. shoulders so that she could not sot away. When they canio to a stile witness caught hold of it and commenced fo scream again. , Her hat and bae dropped m the struggle, and the accused bent down as if to pick them up. Sho got her hat back, but had so tar not recovered the purse. The accused made off when witness began to scream the second time, as it seemed as if she 1 had roused some peoplo in a house below.

Miss Paton said she lived in Kolleston street, and was walking home about 10 p.m., on 23rd July, when,'at the intersection of Hankey and Wallace streets, a man came up to her and put his hand over her mouth and put his arms around her. Witness struggled to escape, and the man put her on the ground. She also screamed. Sho had a music book under one arm, and an umbrella under tho other. After a while the man let her go, and crossed over to the other pavement. Ho did not say anything to hor or take any of her belongings. Detective F. Hayhurst produced two statements made by the accused in respect to tho complaints mado by the last two witnesses; The accused admitted the offences, saying that he did not know what had made him do what he had done. Ho seemed to go clean out of his head. Ho had taken a number of peculiar turns lately when he had attacked women in the street.

This concluded the evidence, and iho, Magistrate committed the accused io tho Supremo Court for sontonco.