GIRL'S MOTHER CONDEMNLD BY HER OWN STARTLING ADMISSIONS TO MAGISTRATE

NZ Truth, Issue 1078, 22 July 1926, Page 7

GIRL'S MOTHER CONDEMNLD BY HER OWN STARTLING ADMISSIONS TO MAGISTRATE

Astounding Revelations of Woral and Parental Laxity Follow Disappearance of Young Man and Ghild

MEDICAL LVIDENGE SAVES ALFRED JONES FROM GRAVE CHARGE

(From "Truth's" - Gisborne Representative.)

rjNE of the most, astounding stories ever unfolded m the Gisborne Magistrate's Court -was brought ■ to light last week during the hearing of an abduction charge; THE man m the case, who had persuaded a 13-year-old girlto ac- ( ; company him to Rotorua, contended that he had done so because the child was having a' hard life at home ; the medical evidence submitted showed that, although they had occupied the same room on, two different occasions,. no offence had been committed against the girl. " V THE mother of the girl may consider! * herself very fortunate m avoiding the light of publicity through the new Child Welfare Act, by means of which magistrates are given -the power to order the suppression of the names of any 'of the witnesses; V' ■ • • ' Mlllll ■■■« TTT> ™ ri the hearing BH^^SH the mother calmBhß^C I Iliß] )] on two occasions B^M^Jl lUW/ II — with the conigP^fll nivance of her 'V*V^-'(HMHM husband and her■'U"" sel^' — the unproV JBSS^a tected .child had R/tC^fltfH been allowed to ffx JtoßmH occu Py the same jgMBBHH room as the man I^ BHHi who later abducted her. As the publication of the name of the mother would have been detrimental to the child, the magistrate ordered that her name should be suppressed. . ; Certain details which had been gathered by the police to indicate the life led by some of the parties concerned m the case were . not brought out, the solicitor for the mother and father of the girl . admitting on their behalf that things were not all that they should have been., COURT CLEANED ' In his statement to the police, the accused suggested that he- had been actuated. by a feeling of chivalry when he took the girl away from home because of the life she was forced to lead; The startling admissions made by the mother seemed to indicate , that his statement was made m .V'goo'd faith. : . ' v Though the accusjed declared -that he had occupied the same room as the ;girl 'on, a number of occasions \at her liSme—ahdv. also a -night at Rotprua — \he^hadfna.de%o attempt to .commit an. offenOe- aiaihst her.. „..■"■' ..' . .. ■The girl's statement and the medical evidence supposed- this contention. .. ::

and 'he said he would ring her again later. The pair, it was alleged, stayed the night at an hotel m Gisborne and on the following day proceeded to Rotorua, wh^ere the accused was later arrested m the company of the girl. . The mother of the child, who appeared to be little upset by the proceedings, said the accused frequently visited her, house and had been very friendly with her daughter, who was thirteen and; a. half-years of age. < MISSED THE BUS On July 1 Jones asked her whether he could take ; her daughter to Gisborne and soon afterwards the two of them went cff. ' ' He later rang up from town ' to say [that he had missed the bus . and the mother then suggested ' that he had better, get a car. .«'■-. Jones promised to see what he could do and- ring her up later. She ;,hgd. . seen .neither .her daughter nor th.c accused .again .. until the police had brought them : back from Rotorua> • -•'■•* It was true that Jones had previously occupied the same room as the girl — with her own and her husband's consent. . When the girl had been "naughty" at different times she had said that she. would run away from home, but the

There was nothing of the .appearance of a roaming Romeo, m Alfred Harry Jones when he stepped into. the. dock to , answer charges of abduction and assault. . ! Small of stature and somewhat undeveloped physically, he looked the very antithesis of the cave-; man type. Mr. J. Brosnahan was present to watch the interest's of the parent's, but the accused was not represented by counsel; The Court, by order of the magistrate, was cleared. . ; . The police evidence, as outlined by Senior Sergeant Fitzpatrick, was to the effect that on July 1 the accused, who worked on a neighboring: farm, 'asked the parents if he could 'take the little girl, into Gisborne with himfor the.day. Permission was given, but about. . 4 p.m. he rang. up to say that they . had missed the bus and would have to stay the niqht- in town. The mother told the accused: to be sure and get the girl home that night

mother had no idea that the pair were going off to Rotorua. Mr. Brosnahan, on behalf of the parents, objected to questions that wei-e being put, by the police. * The ,mother and father were police witnesses,' but the police were endeavoring to show that conditions m the home were not all that they might have been. Evidence was being brought to light that -was : discrediting them, and as there was another application to be heard later it would prejudice the parents' • case. : ■' ..- SHE DIDN'T CARE The father of the girl said he had known the accused for three months or more., .< - > Hs knew that. Jones and the girl were going to Gisborne on July 1, but he ; never saw either of them again until . they t were brought back from Rotorua. • ' , < . Dr. Gunn stated that he had made a medical examination of the girl which showed that no offence had been committed against her.. Constable Brady, of Rotorua, who effected the arrest, gave evidence that the; accused m. a statement declared thati about a ago he haS arranged to take the girl away from home. ' ; She was • having a very hard life there and he intended to take her to his father's place at Dargaville, thinking that there would be no harm m doing that. ,•' On a number of occasions he had heard the child telling her mother that she would clear out and the mother had replied that' she didn't care if she went. ■ -„ The. father and mother both knew that he. had occupied the same room as the girl on a number of occasions. THE GIRL'S STORY ; The girl m the case, sobbing bitterly, then brought into Court to give evidence. . ..The magistrate, after hearing the story, of the child, suggested that 'the charge of assault should be /.withdrawn, as there was absolute- . ly no evidence on which a jury j would convict. . This charge 'was ' "therefore . withdrawn, the accused pleading guilty to the charge. ;qf ; abduction ; and being committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland: for .'sentence.