FOREMAN ASSAULTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22687, 27 March 1937, Page 15

FOREMAN ASSAULTED

OFFENCE BY WATERSIDER TWO MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT As a sequel to an altercation in which an elderly waterside foreman was injured during loading operations on board the Port Townsville at Queen's Wharf on February 5, a waterside worker, James Francis Loftus, aged 39 (Mr. Robinson), appeared in the Police Court on Thursday, before Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Il*dward Curtis.^ Seven watersiders gave evidence of the incident, and the medical evidence was that Curtis suffered a severe head injuries, requiring hospital attention until March 17. After hearing the case for the prosecution, the magistrate said the evidence justified a conviction for common assault, but did not disclose any intent by accused to cause grievous bodily The charge was amended to one of common assault, and accused pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant J. Walsh said that accused had 19 previous convictions, including six lor assault, the last committed in 1929, and another for resisting a constable. The assault with which lie was now charged was a cowardly one on a man 20 years his senior, and tho circumstances did not •call for behaviour such as accused exhibited. "His record tells mo that accused is a man of violence," said tho magistrate. "The circumstances of this case are not that the old man fell down the hold, but Hi at accused disobeyed a superior oflicer, left his work, and used foul language when ho struck his superior." Accused was sentenced to two months' imprisonment.