RAZOR SLASHING

Evening Star, Issue 20413, 19 February 1930, Page 14

RAZOR SLASHING

CONSTABLE ATTACKED IN TAXI JUDGE ORDERS CAT O' NINE TAILS In the Court of General Sessions, Melbourne, on February 4, beio%j Judge Woinarski,. Albert Hooker, 40 years of age, of no fixed place of abode, labourer, was charged with wounding' Constable Marshall Malone with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Hooker pleaded not guilty, and was undefended. P pening the Crown case, Mr Nolan said Constable Malone was on point duty at tho corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets on December 23 last, when he saw accused and a man named James Jenkins fighting. Malone arrested them, and was taking them to tho city watchhouse in a taxi when Hooker pulled a razor from his pocket and slashed tho constable across the Jett cheek. Jenkins witnessed the affair, and said; “ Constable, I don’t stand lor that sort of thing,” and in an effort to take the razor from accused Jenkins bad his hand cut. At the police station another constable spoke to accused, and he said ho “didn’t mean to do it.” Tho Crown • alleged that tho slashing was deliberate, as Hooker was sitting in such a position that he could not have-wounded tho constable had it not been intentional. Constable Malone said that after accused had slashed him he made an attempt to do it again, but as he was bringing his arm down witness grabbed it and prevented accused doing any further harm. Accused; What was my condition? Witness: You were sober. Well, why did you arrest me?—You were fighting in tho street. Hooker, in defence, said on tire day of the trouble he had been drinking since 9 in tho morning after being teetotal for eighteen months. Ho did not remember slashing tho constable.

The jury returned a verdict of unlawfully wounding, and Hooker admitted six prior convictions. Hooker said ho got into trouble only when he was drinking. He asked that His Honour deal leniently with him.

His Honour: Your victim, the police constable, in ‘the performance of his duty, arrested you for lighting, and gave you no provocation for you to treat him as you did. It is necessary that society should be protected against the abominable act of anyone attacking another with a razor. It is a cruel, wicked thing, and the court should show firmness and do its best to put it down. I don’t believe your story that you did not know what you were doing, and think it is all moonshine that you do not know what happened. 1 sentence you to imprisonment for twelve months, and order that you receive one whipping of ten strokes of the cat o’ nine tails. Hooker: 1 will appeal. His Honour: Very well.