MURPHY CASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26543, 19 August 1947, Page 6

MURPHY CASE

SENSATIONAL ftOTE SUBORNING EFFORT ALLEGED BOXER CLAIMS DEFAMATION P-A. WELLINGTON, Aug. 18. A sensational note was struck at the opening of the latest stage of what has become known as the Murphy case to-day when Mr C. A. L. Treadwell sought permission to appear before the court in 'the interest of Willie Jones, “ owing to the fact that last Saturday night, both by threat and bribes, it was attempted to suborn him.” Before Mr .A. M. Goulding, S.M., Murphy claimed £25 from William Matthew Brosnan, a former member of the committee of the Hutt Valley Boxing Association, James Russell Simpson, chairman of the Council of the New Zealand Boxing Association, and Alan Stanley Parker, a member of the council of the association, for defamation of character. The magistrate ruled that, as Willie Jones was not a party to the case, Mr Treadwell could not represent him officially at the hearing. Magistrate’s Ruling Mr Treadwell did not enlarge on his opening assertion that an attempt had been made to suborn Willie Jones, and he made no suggestion as to which side had attempted to do so. Mr R. E. Harding, who appeared for Murphy, said the whole matter was grossly untrue. “ I would like to know how he knows," said Mi- Treadwell. Mr Harding, said he knew nothing more grossly improper than the suggestion of Mr Treadwell, and Mr Treadwell rose again to say the question of suborning was no doubt a matter for police action. The magistrate said he did not think it proper for Mr Treadwell to make such a statement as he had made, and he could not be allowed to take any official part in the hearing. If the court became aware that a witness had been approached it 'was the court’s duty to put the matter into the proper quarters—that was police hands. AH the morning was taken up with Mr Harding’s review of the details of the activities and incidents involving the Hutt Valley Boxing Association, the New Zealand Boxing 'Council, Brosnan, Murphy, Jones and others since even before the Murphy-Patrick fight in 1946. Opening the case for Murphy, Mr Harding said the action arose out of certain libels and slanders by Brosnan against Murphy—probably the best professional boxer in New Zealand. The action was brought as a last resort because the continued discussion by the public and in the press was doing boxing no good. It had been made clear from the outset that Murphy was prepared to have the case heard by a judicial tribunal but the Boxing Council consistently refused to do this. He continued that the New Zealand Boxing Council worked like any commercial monopoly. In law, it was not necessary to have a licence from the association to box but in fact it was necessary as the council monopolised all boxing. The association appeared concerned with the rising of a rival—the Hutt Valley Boxing Association—which had defied it.

Limit on Purses Mr Harding contended that one of the things which had caused dissention between the New Zealand Boxing Council and the Hutt Valley Association had been the Hutt Association’s action in offering purses above the “beggarly” £3OO stipulated by the council. The Hutt Association had made its own arrangements regardless of the council, knowing that in the case of the Murphy-Jones fight it would not get the men for the purse sanctioned by the council. Murphy had a contract for £IOOO for the fight, win, lose or draw. The Boxing Council had insisted on the £3OO limit to stop Jones coming into the country and the Hutt Valley Association from going ahead with its plans. Counsel, later in his submissions, referred to the Boxing Council’s announcement on March 5 about stopping the Stevens-Jones fight. A published statement purported to be an announcement by the council, said Mr Harding. It was not an announcement by the council at all, but was published without authority by three persons purporting to act as a committee of the council. Another matter to which Mr Harding referred was the arranging of a welter-weight title fight when Murphy had not signified his intention of relinquishing the title. Knowing that Murphy was in hospital at the time, Mr Aldridge, a former secretary of the New Zealand Boxing Association, had got Mr L. Stewart, chairman of the Hutt Association, to go to Murphy’s home to collect the championship belt. Mr Aldridge must have known then that Murphy was going to be disqualified, otherwise he could not have arranged a title fight for a title which had not and did not become vacant. The inference from this, Mr Harding said, was that an attempt was being made to end Murphy’s career. Mr Harding dealt at length with an affidavit made by Brosnan which, he said, had provided means for the Boxing Council to act against Murphy and the Hutt Valley Association. “It drips with malice against Mr Stewart, and in spite of that the- Boxing Council swallowed it whole,” he said. The court adjourned till to-morrow.