ASSAULT ON WOMAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20251, 10 May 1929, Page 14

ASSAULT ON WOMAN.

STRUCK WITH IRON PIPE.

INCIDENT IN THE STREET

SUSPECTED MAN ON TRIAL

A charge of assaulting a woman 20 years of age on the evening of March 28 with intent to do her grievous bodily harm was preferred against Bertram A. O'Con nor (Mr. Noble) in the Supreme Court yesterday. Mr. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, said the accused was charged with striking a young woman on the head with a length of gas pipe so as to render her practically unconscious. There could be no question that (he young woman had sustained the injury, and the only possible question for investigation was whether tho accused was tl.e man who did it. Most fortunately it, was anticipated that the girl would make n complete recovery. Ihe victim had a g.-jd look at her assailant under a lamp 20ft. away, and she identified O'Connor without any difficulty at a police parade.

Mr. Meredith said that when taxed with the offence by the police O'Connor said: "Oh, yes, I ki\ow all about that; I saw it in ihe newspapers." It was sig nificant that up to that time there had been no reference to tho matter in the newspapers. Another young woman would state that a few nights after this assault, sho was followed by a man near the same place. Mr. Noble raised objection to the admission of this evidence.

Mr. Meredith said he justified it on the question of identity, and quoted authorities in support. r lho matter was further argued with Mr. Justice Herdman in private and was not again referred to on the resumption of the Court. The victim of the assault said she had been going homo along Western Springs Road, Morningside, about nine o'clock on the evening of March 28, when sho found she was being followed by a man. She definitely identified the accused as the man. She stopped, pretending to take a stone out of her shoe, to let him pass, but lie did not pass. She stood up and immediately was struck on the head with something that gave a ringing sound like a bar of iron, and the wound bled. She screamed for help and the man ran back the way he had come. She was taken into the house of a Mr. Graham. She was in lied for a week afterwards. No attempt had been made to take any of her parcels.

Mr. Noble was cross-examining on the question of identification when the Court rose until this morning.

GUILTY ON OTHER CHARGES. OFFENCES IN PUBLIC PLACE. On two charges of wilful obscene exposure in the Morningside reserve and one of using obscene language on February 20 last Bertram A. O'Connor (Mr. Noble) appeared before Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court ves'.erday. Mr. Meredith, outlining the case for the Crown, said the honorary warden of the reserve had been summoned to deal with O'Connor, who promised never to go back to the reserve. After the warden had let him go O'Connor shouted after him a torrent of abominable abuse. The warden chased him and in an attempt, to escape O'Connor threw himself on the ground and shouted, "Murder, murder! This man :s robbing me!" When a crowd collected the warden explained what had happened. The jury found the accused guilty on all counts. Sentence was postponed.