FIGHT IN CELL

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 March 1935, Page 8

FIGHT IN CELL

WARDERS AND PRISONER. SYDNEY, March 19. Edward Kelly, 30, ironworker, had only a few hours to serve of a sentence in Long Bay Gaol when he became involved in a fight with two warders which resulted in his being sentenced at the Central Police Court yesterday to another eleven, weeks’ imprisonment. Kelly was charged with assaulting two warders, Victor Stafford Horder and Cornelius Cecil James Ryan. Ryan stated that at. 6.50 a.m. on March 5 he was on duty at the cells at Long Bay, and saw Kelly interfere with the electric light switch as he was going into his cell. Kelly denied having done that, and, when spoken to by witness, said, “I am going out this morning; what are you goipg to do about it?” Witness said Kelly had bread and a knife in his hands, and retreated to the rear wall of his cell.

“I went in to bring him out/’ said witness, “and put my hand on his shoulder. He immediately made a punch at me, which I evaded, and then I grappled with him. In the struggle I received a kick on my right knee. Warder Horder came, grappled with Kelly, and was struck twice with the knife. The knife was taken from Kelly, who then picked up a stool, tore out the legs, and, with one stool leg in each hand, struck both of us.” Horder said that when he went to Ryan’s assistance he was struck \vi.th a knife on the left side of hi?, teniple and underneath his chin. Both he and Ryan were struck by the stool legs.

Kelly, in evidence, said that, when ho entered his cell, he looked at the electric light to see if it was broken, as he had complained about it the previous day. Warder Ryan followed him into the cell and insulted him. “Horder came in and pounced straight at me,” said Kelly, “and we fell over a three-legged stool. 1 cannot in any way account for the wounds on Warder Horder.”

In reply to the magistrate, Mr. A. W. Barry, of the Crown Law Office, said the assult took place on the day on which a sentence Kelly was serving expired.

On the charge of assaulting Ryan, Kelly was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment with hard labour, and for assaulting Horder he was sentenced to 11 wqeks r imprisonment with hard labour, concurrent. ' Mr. Williams, S.M., remarked that it was a serious matter for a prisoner to assault an officer in a gaol, as it might lead to a riot.