SUPREME COURT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 276, 20 October 1938, Page 8

SUPREME COURT.

A DUNEDIN. CASE. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Oct. 19. The-trial commenced this morning, before Mr Justice Kennedy, of Robert Moffat Jordan, an attendant at the Scacliff Mental Hospital, on the charge of assaulting a patient. He pleaded not guilty. The Crown Prosecutor stated that the patient was not a person who could give evidence, so that the Crown case rested upon other evidence. The allegation was that accused went to the patient’s bedroom, striking him a blow which broke his jaw. The evidence would show that, on the afternoon of December 9, this patient, who was of an aggressive typo, struck Jordan a violent blow without provocation. This was an act a patient was always likely to commit, and Jordan should have regarded it as just an unfortunate incident in the course of his work. At that time Jordan had to exercise force to restrain the patient, hut there was no suggestion of improper force. The Crown ease was that, at 8 o’clock the same evening, Jordan was seen at the door of the patient’s room by another attendant, to whom he said, “I’m going in hero to fix this fellow up,” to .which the other attendant said, “Don’t bo silly.” Jordan replied, “Don’t say anything about it. Don’t mention my being up here.” The next morning the patient was observed to have a swollen face and it was discovered that a hone in his jaw was broken. Jordan denied having struck a blow.

Accused was found not guilty.