NEIGHBOUR WOUNDED

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1932, Page 9

NEIGHBOUR WOUNDED

LETTER-BOX SWORD THRUST. A German officer’s sword nearly 30in long was produced at East Ham Police-Court recently, when Colin Herbert Burton (49), a secretary, of Manor Park, was charged with maliciously causing grievous bodily harm to his next-door neighbour, a second officer in the mercantile marine, by stabbing him in the left thigh. The charge was afterwards reduced to on© of common assault. The prosecutor, Cecil Spark, said there was trouble between the two households three years ago, as a result of which, after consulting a solicitor, a letter of apology followed. On Thursday afternoon he heard a lot of offensive remarks about himself by someone next door. After an hour he knocked, and complained to Burton’s sister.

The B woman picked up a dogwhip and slashed him. Her brother ran downstairs and took up something which Spark thought was a stick, but which afterwards turned out to be a sword.

There was a scuffle in the doorway. The door was slammed in his face, and while he was standing on the step the sword came through the letter-box and hit him on the left thigh. On going to a doctor it was found there was a wound IJin deep.

Burton admitted taking the sword from the wall and pushing it through the sin of the lettei* box. He did not think he had inflicted any injury. He only meant to frighten the man. The Chairman said the Bench took the matter seriously. “You might have killed the man,” he said, “by jabbing the sword through the letter-box and striking him in the abdomen. You might have been here on a more serious charge.” Burton was fined £5, and ordered to pay 5s doctor’s fee.