ALLEGED ACID THROWING: CASE NOT PROSECUTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 March 1950, Page 7

ALLEGED ACID THROWING: CASE NOT PROSECUTED

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day (P.A.).—For want of prosecution the charge against Harold Coulson, whose stage name is Ben Wrigley, of assuiting Sylvia Fletcher-Hayes, whose stage name is Sylvia Kellaway, at Christchurch on Tuesday was dismissed when Coulson appeared before Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M., in the Magistrate’s court today. Two of the witnesses for the prosecution left New Zealand yesterday afternoon by the Wanganella from Wellington for Sydney and therefore I can offer.no evidence,” said Seniorsergeant J. J. Kearns, when Coulson was called. / ' “Having regard to the publicity that this allegation has received and the position my client holds in his profession, I would like to say that we have ample evidence to prove that the allegation is wholly untrue, said Mr D. W. Russell, who appeared for Coulson. “It does not lie with the* court to make any comment on that,” said the Magistrate. “If no. evidence is offered for the prosecution, then the prosecution cannot stand. The charge is dismissed for want of prosecution. In a statement to a reporter after the case, Mr Russell said his client, who had played the role of “Mother Goose” in a pantomine that had been running in the city, the complainant being the principal “boy,” was concerned only to clear his name, as the complaint had been that he had thrown acid on the complainant.