ASSAULT IN HOTEL

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 September 1946, Page 4

ASSAULT IN HOTEL

NGAHERE CROWD HOSTILE TO OFFENDER TWO MONTHS’ IMPRISONMENT “The crowd was so hostile to ' him that I took the precaution of getting him away in my car as quickly as I could. I feared that if I did not get him away quickly something would have happened. There was a big crowd around the car and I think they had seen what had happened to Mrs. O’Regan’s face.” This indication of the indignation felt by the large crowd present at the Ngahere Returned Services’ Association ball on Saturday night at an assault committed in the Ngahere hotel, was given by Constable A. W. Honey, of Ahaura, in the Police Court at Greymouth to-day, when Francis Thomas Marson, aged ■ 21, single, a trucker, of Dobson, was charged with assaulting the licensee, of the Ngahere hotel, James" Josepn. O’Regan, and his wife, Honorah. Matilda O’Regan, at Ngahere on September 15. Messrs F. W. Shallcrass and J. M. Bunt, J.P’s, were on the Bench and Senior Sergeant R. C. Mcßobie conducted the prosecution. The accused pleaded guilty to the charge of assaulting O’Regan but, when asked to plead on the charge relating to Mrs. O’Regan, said, “I am not sure about that. ’ This remark was accepted as a plea of not guilty.

Refusal of Liquor. Senior Sergeant Mcßobie said that the accused attended the R.S.A. ball at Ngahere on Saturday night. He left the hall about 0.15 a.m. and went to the Ngahere hotel. When refused liquor, he assaulted the licensee and his wife. Later, he walked back to the hall, where he was arrested. James Joseph O’Regan said that the accused came to the door about 0.15 a.m. and asked for a drink. Witness refused and also a further request for a bottle. The accused persisted in his demand and attacked him (the witness). His wife came to his assistance and the accused struck her twice. The accused was not given any drink. The accused had had drink, but was not drunk at the time. He was a stranger to witness. Honorah Matilda O’Regan, wife of the previous witness, said she was sitting in the parlour when the accused came to the door. She heard her husband refuse to supply a drink and then the accused burst in the door, got her husband down and was thumping at his face and head. She went to assist her husband and the accused punched her a couple of times in the face and head, knocking her against the wall and blackening an eye. In reply to questions.by the Bench, witness identified the accused and stated that she had never seen him before the incident. He was in the hotel for about five minutes before she sent for the police. When he heard her calling for the police he went away. Asked if he had any questions for the witness, the accused replied: “I don’t remember any of that.” Covered in Blood. Constable Honey said that, when called to the hotel, he saw Mr. and Mrs. O’Regan in? the/passage. Their faces were covered in blood, and O’Regan said, “Look what the scoundrel has done to my wife.” The witness obtained a description of the man and went back to the hall, where he made the arrest. On the way back to the hotel, for identification purposes, the accused said: “I knocked the old man down, but I don’t remember hitting the woman.”

In reply to Mr. Shallcrass, witness said that the accused was slightly under the influence of drink, but was not so bad as pot to know what he was doing. He requested that his coat should be secured from the dance hall. The constable then related the reason why he had got the accused away as quickly as possible..

The accused intimated that he did not desire to give evidence on his own behalf, adding, “I was very drunk and I don’t remember what I was doing. I had been drinking for a week.”

Mr. Shallcrass; Have ;.ou anything to say at all in defence of your actions? The accused: No.

After the Bench had announced that the accused would be convicted on each charge, the Senior Sergeant said that he had a list. Unfortunately, during the short time he had been on the West Coast he had gained a rather unenviable reputation for assault. He was in the court very recently and apparently he could not keep his hands to himself when he bad a drink or two. The accused was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment m Paparua prison on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent.