SOLDIER SENT TO GAOL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23616, 28 March 1940, Page 7

SOLDIER SENT TO GAOL

CHARGES OF ASSAULT "DISGRACE TO UNIFORM" [in* TKI.KGItArH —rR KSS association"] DUXEDIK, Wednesday "These assaults were unprovoked and df a cowardly nature; accused is a disgrace to the uniform he is wearing." said >T. R. Bartholomew. S.M.. in the Police Court to-day. when sentencing .James William Gordon Bennett, a member of the second echelon of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, to seven days' imprisonment on each of two charges of assault. Bennett appeared before the Court on a charge of drunkenness and of assaulting two Chinese, J elf Foo and Woo Long Foo. He was further charged with damaging a police cell to the extent of IM 10s. Co (Ist able Jarman said that yesterday he saw accused under the influence of liquor. Two Chinese members ol a ship's erew wore walking along in a peaceable manner, hi'it as soon as one of them, .leff Foo, came up to accused, the latter struck him in the face, inflicting a severe cut on his lower lip. Before the constable could reach accused he had also struck the second Chinese, who fell against a taxi standing near by. There was no provocation for the assault. When asked by the Bench for an explanation of his conduct accused said that he had been given short weight in a Chinese fruiterer's shop some time previously and had boon struck with a hammer or some .such instrument, ■receiving injuries which necessitated several stitches. He thought the Chinese whom he struck were the same as those in the shop. Senior. Sergeant Clausen said that no complaint had been received by the police concerning the alleged assault to which Bennett referred and he suggeslcd that it was a figment of imagination. Accused was particularly violent when in drink and had 2S previous convictions in \vhieh assault figured prominently. He was a inmeber of the second echelon and was due to return to cam)) that day. The magistrate said that accused bad :i h.'id record for assault. On the charge of drunkenness accused was fined 12s Gd. in default 21 hours' imprisonment., 'ami on each of the assault charges he was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment, the terms to be concurrent. On the fourth count he was convicted and ordered to make good the da mage.