EAR BITTEN IN GAOL

Opunake Times, 19 January 1934, Page 1

EAR BITTEN IN GAOL

SEQUEL TOASSAULT IK PRISON YARD AT PENTONVILLE

Having bitten off part of the tar of a fellow prisoner while taey were at exercise in Pentonville, William Davies, 40, was sentenoad at the Old Bailey to thro* months' hard labour

Ho was found guilty of a -jomnuj'.i assault on the man, George C.'&ike. The jmy recommends liim to mercy on the ground that lie was mentally unstable.

Mr. L. A. Bynie, for the pros-c-i'tion, stated that the two men or:( v.pied cells on the same landing ;.'i Pentonville Prison, hut there was no evidence prior to the ini ident of any : 11-ieeling between tJ'Vai. Th« system of exercise at Pan to iville was th li pisoners «v<;re taken to the drill ground and some walked backwards and forwards along a wall. Those who could not walk well formed an inner circle, while others were in an outer circle.

On September 9. according to a number of witnesses, continued Mr Byrne, Clarke left the outer circle and rushed towards Davies exercising at the wall. They came to grips and in a struggle Davies bit off about two inches from the side of Clarke's left ear.

Mr Byrne mentioned that the portion of the ear bitten off was an exhibit in the case.

Giving evidence, Clarke declared that Davies was standing over an old man he had pushed down, and, following words on the subject, thev sparred up to fight. "Davies," added Clarke, "then put his arms round me and bit off a part of my ear." Suffered from Insomnia.

"Of course, mv lord," he continued, "If hasn't turned out so bad as I thought it would." _ Recorder, Sir Ernest Wild, K.C. : You don't bear Davies any malice.—No; not the slightest. Clarke stated that Davies had finished his time, and he (Clarke) was due to come out of prison on Christmas Eve. James Kellaway, the senior officer in charge of the exercise, and other officers expressed the view that Clarke was the aggressor in the fight. Davies told the Recorder that on September 9 he was in the mental observation ward. "I suffer from insomnia," he continued. "It is the curse of my life." "While I was at exercise Clarke left his circle and went for me. 1 can't conceive any logical reason why he should. He struck me lii the face, and in the struggle wft fell to the ground.

“He put his thumb into my eyeball. A second later I £eir .somethin" in my mouth. I did not knowingly or willingly bite tlie man. Hr. Grierson, medical officer of Ip- on, described Davies as of f type, excitable and definiteunstable mentality, [he Recorder told'Davies there I nothing to justifyJiis Ike as he had done.