POLICE OBSTRUCTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20982, 19 September 1931, Page 14

POLICE OBSTRUCTED.

OFFENDERS PUNISHED. SCENE OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT. ONE MAN SENT TO GAOL. [ 15Y TELEGRAPH. — PRESS ASSOCIATION. ] WELLINGTON. Friday. Wilful obstruction of (lie police was held to have been proved against four of the demonstrators who took part in the fracas which occurred outside Parliament, Buildings on Wednesday, when the hearing of the charges against them was concluded in the Polite Court to-day before Mr. E. Page, S..M. The charges ranged from assault to obstruction of policemen in the execution of their duty. The accused were:—Bernard Reginald j Eric Boston, Henry James Russell, Vini cent Robinson, and William Benjamin I Arthur Wilkinson. " The Poflce Department has a general order that no speech-making and no demonstrations are to be permitted in the grounds of Parliament," said the magistrate in giving judgment. "When a man named Sandford got up to speak Inspector Lander, in pursuance of his duty, called upon to him to desist and when Sandford failed to desist the officer went over toward him to tell him to his face that ho must desist. Some of the speaker's supporters closed round him with the view, apparently, of preventing the inj spector from approaching him. Russell, j without tlie slightest provocation, at.i tacked Inspector Lander and also Con- ! stable Williams, felling him to the ground. | A general melee followed." Mr. J. D. Willis, on behalf of Russell, j said he was satisfied there had been no | deliberate attempt to interfere with the police. Russell, he said, was not a member of the Communist Party. Wilkinson, counsel said, was a married man with five children and his imprisonment would go hard with his family. There -was not a great deal in any of the charges against the accused with the exception oi those against Russell. " The police are charged with the duty j of maintaining order aud they do not look i lightly on anything in the way of organI ised opposition to their authority," the magistrate said. " Russell committed an unwarranted and unprovoked attack on Inspector Lander and Constable Williams and on each of the charges against him he will be convicted and sentenced to two months' imprisonment, the sentences to bo concurrent. Robinson and Wilkinson will each be convicted and fined £5 and ordered to make restitution for the damage they caused. Boston will be fined £3 on the charge of obstructing and ordered to make good the mischief he caused." The magistrate allowed one month for the fines to be paid.