IMACISTRATE INSULTED

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11224, 1 June 1922, Page 5

IMACISTRATE INSULTED

APOLOGY GIVEN AND ACCEPTED. ASSAULT ON A CONSTABLE. PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. TIMARU, May 31. The Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr E. O. Moseley, ihad brought before him to-day George Smith, a wharf labourer, for contempt of court, for a breach of the Magistrate’s Court Act, by insulting the magistrate. When returning from a sitting of the oourt, accused assaulted a constable when serving a summons in the case. On this charge he vvas dealt with first, and was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labour.

In dealing with the insult, the magistrate said he bad been insulted by tho accused three times before, but, as accused seemed to bo a man of violent temper, illiterate and ignorant, he might not have known that he was doing a very wrong thing. On Monday, however, ho went too far, and a- stop must be put to such conduct. He was prepared to accept an apology with a promise that such conduct would not lio repeated. Accused mumbled an apology, and said, “There will be no more of this.” His Worship accepted this as an apology and a promise, and allowed the charge to ho withdrawn.