MR. CHURCHILL

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 147, 19 December 1945, Page 8

MR. CHURCHILL

May Visit Dominion LONDON, December 18. Mr. Winston Churchill is to visit the United States. Beyond this fact very little is known, but a correspondent understands that he will be away from Britain for the whole of the Parliamentary recess which extends to January 22, and his absence may be prolonged a month or two after that. Mr. Churchill is making the journey partly for health reasons, and there are rumours of a proposed visit to Australia and New Zealand.

with his. fist. During the struggle the patient was not trying to defend himself. To counsel, witness said he had been present on several occasions when there had been trouble, and sometimes the attendants got hurt. It was well known that patients were not allowed to have boxes of matches in the ward. Another patient, describing the incident, said that when the patient concerned picked up the matches McGinty told him to put them down and then turned round in his chair and hit him on the mouth. McGinty then hopped up out of his chair and hit him six or seven times more up against the wall. Witness was of the opinion that the men fell to the floor accidentally. He could not say whether the patient endeavoured to protect himself. To Mr. Kent witness said that the attendants were not supposed to smoke, but occasionally they did. William Lingard. Mahony, senior attendant, said that he was in the same ward at the time, and saw the patient and McGinty falling to the floor together. They were trying to get holds on each other. He did not see blows being struck by either McGinty or the patient. When McGinty got up witness assisted the patient to his feet. He was conscious, but looked dazed. The patient concerned was a fairly big man, said witness to counsel. He personally had never had any trouble with him, and had always found him helpful. McGinty had not shown any signs of bad temper during the period he had been associated with him. SUITABILITY OF ATTENDANTS. The circumstances of the case, submitted Mr. Kent, after several more witnesses had given evidence for the prosecution, illustrated the folly of appointing men to act as attendants m these important institutions who, by reason of lack of experience or temperament, were not best fitted to that particular occupation. Incidents which might create alarm or panic in a man of little experience might not have the same effect on a more experienced attendant. . , The defendant, in evidence, said he had been at the hospital for three months, and had had no previous ex-, perience in that type of work. When he commenced he was told what .his duties were by one or two other attendants and he was warned that some of the patients might become violent or difficult, and that he had better be on his guard. He had had no trouble with the patients on any previous occasion. Giving his version of the incident, McGinty said that he had noticed the patient' standing behind him. The patient had taken the matches from the mantelpiece, and he had told him to put them down. He stood up. The patient must have got excited, because he threw the matches down on the mantelpiece again and took defendant by the shoulder of his coat. Defendant put his arms round him, not trying to harm him, and slipped on the polished floor, both falling down by the chair, the patient underneath. The patient's head hit the chair. Probably, said defendant, his head might have come in contact with the patient's face, but nobody struck any blows on the floor. At no stage did he hit the patient a blow with his fist, or with his open hand; nor did the patient strike him.

To Sub-Inspector J. Abel, who prosecuted, defendant said that he had been given a book of instructions to read, and had done so, but he did not know much about them.

"Giving due allowance for perhaps a little exaggeration here and there in the evidence, I am quite satisfied that in this particular instance there is no doubt at all that the accused struck the patient," said the Magistrate, "and he inflicted injuries which seem to me to indicate that there was more than one blow at least."

He must look upon the incident with some degree of seriousness, continued Mr. Stillwell, on- account of the duty which an attendant owed to his patients and the stress which was laid upon the question of the right attitude to adopt towards patients. In this particular instance there seemed to be very little provocation for the defendant's action, and force of that particular nature was quite unwarranted.