POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 25633, 6 November 1945, Page 2

POLICE COURT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6. (Before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) SMALL GIRL ASSAULTED. John Joseph Doak, a Hospital porter, living at 222 King Edward street, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault on a female, and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. Chief-detective T. Y. Hall, prosecuting, said that yesterday afternoon, at 4.20, the accused stopped to speak to a six-year-old. girl who was playing in a doorway in Lower Stuart street, and offered to give her money if she would kiss him. He took her to a lane nearby and was kissing and hugging the child when he was seen by another woman, who called out. He then made off. In the meantime the child’s mother, who was frantic, had contacted the police, and at 5.20 Detective-sergeant M. Brown saw the accused at the Grand Hotel corner, where he was apprehended. The accused was a married man, and had been in trouble belfore, at Oamaru, for assaulting a female. “This was rotten interference with a little girl,” commented the Magistrate. “Although it is said that no harm was done her, she must have suffered considerable shock.”, . V DESERTED A SHIP. Francis John Delany pleaded guilty to a charge of deserting from the ship British Restraint. , . Mr A. Jeavons represented the ship’s agents. For Delany, who was not represented, he pointed out that the accused, who was 19 years old, had been three years at eea. He was a good, worker, and claimed that he was foregoing £3O by leaving the ship. His reason for deserting was that he had met a girl here and liked the country, jj The accused was convicted and orJ dered to forgo £5 from the wages due i to him.