OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOUR

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 38

OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOUR

A REMARKABLE CASE. (From Oon Own Correspondent.* OAMARU, August 18

Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., resumed his seat on the bench to-day, and had before him a case of an extraordinary nature.

A man named John Harney was charged with offensive behaviour towards a single woman named Charlotte Edith Henry, ihe parties live at Glenavy, and the evidence showed that defendant had followed the complainant frequently, and used insulting language to her. On the night of July 4, when complainant’s brother, who lived with her and her mother, was away the defendant went to the house 1 with a gun and hammered on tho door. The complainant, fearing a disturbance, had called to the house another brother, and on being confronted by this brother and fully recognised by him, the defendant made off over the fence. He was pursued, and then turned and said “ If you don’t stop I’ll blow your heads off,” following this up by firing a shot over their heads. It was also shown that weekly, or oftener, for twelve months tho complainant had received letters in a scrawling handwriting and bearing _ false signatures. These letters were clearly in the same handwriting, and Hiough there was no direct evidence that the defendant was the writer, there was the suspicious circumstance that in one letter, written after the visit to the house had been reported to the police, tho writer spoke of Constable Hilliard having been “sent to me.” Evidence was also given that a farmer named Thomas Hanley had received letters in the same handwriting, which implied tiiat he was married to tho complainant, and that Jotters, also in the same handwriting, had been' received by Mr Hanley and Miss Henry purporting to be written by each other. Tho defendant positively denied having written -the letters or that he had any -knowledge of them. He also denied having gone to complainant's house on July 4, saying that ho was not out of his home that night. In support of that statement evidence. was by his father, but tho Magistrate said ho believed the witnesses for the prosecution. Ho bound the defendant over to keep the peace—himself in £IOO and one surety of £IOO, or two sureties of £SO each.