ASSAULT CHARGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 15

ASSAULT CHARGES

TROUBLE ON A SHIP FIREMAN BEFORE COURT TWO WITNESSES IN HOSPITAL Two charges of. assault were preferred against James Gibbons, a ship's fireman, aged 32, a member of the crew of the ship Port, Brisbane, in the Police Court before Sir. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., yesterday. Accused was charged with assaulting William McLeod, seaman, aged 38, and Charles Hunter, bush man, nged 23, so as to cause theni actual bodily.harm.

Detective-Sergeant McHugh conducted the case for the police. Accused was not represented by counsel. Frederick Shaw, a seaman, said that on the evening of October 9 he was in a room on the ship with McLeod and Hunter. As McLeod went to go out accused came in with a file in his hand. Nothing was said, but accused struck McLeod on the left side of the face with the file, and hit Hunter twice on the head. Both men bled from the wounds. Accused then went out. Charles Henry, a fireman, said that he saw accused on the ship. He was the worse for liquor, and was bleeding as tho result of a fight in a hotel. He did not see accused fighting on the ship. The other two men were not so badly affected by liquor. Willism Henry Roth well, seaman, said in evidenje that he saw McLeod on the deck, with accused standing over him. Both were using bad language. Later be saw accused and Hunter fighting on the ship. Gibbons warned Hunter to get off tho ship, otherwise "thcro would be murder in the forecastle that night." The fight was stopped, and Hunter went into a room with Joseph Adair, an ordinary seaman, also gave evidence. Detective-Sergeant McHugh then asked for an adjournment, as tho witnesses Hunter and McLeod were still in hospital. Accused was remanded until next Thursday.