MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1920, Page 7

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

THE JENSEN CASE. „ The following is tile concluding portion of the evidence given in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, in which Reuben Jensen, a Greyinouth taxidriver, was charged before Mr. T. E. Maunsell with alleged indecent assault on a girl, Annie Hunt, on Saturday evening last. Elsie Owen Johnson, wife of Dr.

Johnson, Cowpor Street, said that Annie ; Hunt was a servant employed by her. She remembered her servant coming in on the Saturday evening. She was in bed when the girl came to her bedroom crying. She said : “Oh, Mrs. Johnson I’ve had a terrible fright!” Witness said: “Sit down Annie and tell me all about it.” She was crying, and witness said, “What is it Annie?” She replied; “I should have been homo‘an hour ago but the taxi man took me a long, way past Hie place.” The Dr. thou came in and witness kaid to him “Annie has had a fright, you had belter listen to this.” The girl said , also “When he passed one corner I told him he had

~ gone past, the place, but he replied that he could not turn and went on.” The girl then went on to say that the driver gbt out of the car to fix the lights, and after getting water lie got into the back seat with her and said “We will have to wait about five minutes.” He then caught her tightly and kissed her. She screamed and he .

put his hand over her mouth. He then caught hold of her leg. Witness asked her “Are you sure he did nothing more.” She said “No; I was crying and asked him to take me home.” To Mr. Joyce : The girl went out every Saturday afternoon. She usually returned about half-past nine, unless her young man stayed down, when she was out until about 10 p.m. She was considerably later than usual last Saturday night, and was of a nervous temperament, never going out alone. The girl was fully dressed when she came to witness’s room. She did not say the taxi-driver’s name, and said that lie had never driven her before. Detective Sergt. Ward said that the accused was a licensed car driver at Greymouth, and usually plied for hire opposite Wade’s shop. On Sunday, Bth inst., lie asked him if he had been engaged the previous night by a young girl to drive to Dr. Johnson’s house, and ho said “No.” He then void accused that a girl had complained that she engaged a car at 9.15 p.m. on the stand to drive her to Dr; Johnson’s house in Cowper Street, and that the driver took her out past the Australasian Hotel and kissed and assaulted her. He then said “I was on ihe taxi stand last night about 8.45 and went of about 9.15 p.m. I was not out again after that. I was not engaged by any girl or woman to drive her to

Dr. Johnson’s house. T did not drive any female out past the Australasian last night.” Witness then said: “The girl knows the man by sight, and that she could identify him again, and as you deny being the’ man, you will have to come to the Police Station and face the identification.” (Statement of accused handed in.) lie then took the accused to the station, and he said “I think the girl ought to identify me, as I drove a girl before 9 o’clock and T might he speaking about the other girl.” Out of six men at the Police Station the girl identified the accused*. On Monday, the 9th August, ho accompanied the girl Hunt out past the Australasian Hotel, and about three-quarters of a mile past the hotel there was a quantity of earhide on the road. It was a lonely spot, the nearest house being about 200 yards away. Between the hotel and Ih-'* carbide a car could have turned at half a dozen places. It is- very dark out past the Australasian Hotel. Mrs. Hunt, married woman and mother of Annie Hunt, said that hey daughter was in her company from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from 6.30 to 9.10 p.m. on last Saturday. She was in no ear between 8 and 9 on Saturday evening. The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.