ROBBERY OF CHINESE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17844, 29 July 1932, Page 9

ROBBERY OF CHINESE

TWO MSN ON TRIAL ■ ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DETECTIVE ••• • ~ J • (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Mat denials that they visited the premises of a Chinese with motives oi robbery andi allegations that they had been induced to make written statements to Detective Hayhurst in which the# allegedly admitted their guilt on a promise that the girl would not be brought into the case were made bj Albert Ernest Clifton, 22, and Leonard Humphreys, 23, on trial in the Supreme Court to-day before Mr. Justice Reed and a jury on a charge of assaulting and robbing Ah Lai at his premises, Pine street, on July 15. They further alleged in the witness box that their purpose in going to the shop was to warn the Chinese from associating with white ginf. ■ Icf cross-examination, tlio girl, who had-been referred to as Peggy Johnstone and who gave her name as Margaret Johnstone, after first denying it, admitted that she had been living with Humphreys as man and wife. Sho was at Ah Lai’s place that night. . In summing up, His Honor criticised thall defence and the allegations made agaiinst the detective. The case assumed a serious aspect because of the very gross charge that had been made against Detective Hayhurst. Tse jury is out.