CARNAL KNOWLEDGE CHARGE

Taranaki Daily News, 9 February 1928, Page 6

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE CHARGE

ALLEGATION AGAINST YOUNG MAN. - 1 " ■ 1 i GIRL FIFTEEN YEARS GIF AGE. ! Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl 15 years of age, at New Plymouth on or about April 1 and June 8, 1927, was alleged in two counts against Richard William Lawson, 29 years of age, 'before Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M., yesterday. At the conclusion of the police evidence, Mr. A. A. Bennett submitted there was want of corroboration of the girl’s story, and in view of this he would ask for the dismissal of the charges 'before they went to the Supreme Court. He would put Lawson in the box. At this stage the hearing was adjourned till Friday afternoon. Detective Meiklejohn appeared for the police. The court was cleared. Dr. D. E. Brown said he had examined the girl on November 20, when she was found to be pregnant. The girl said she was 16 years of' age on. July 13. She used to live at Opunake where she met Lawson, who was driving a service car. He went to her place a’bout three times. She was going to school then. About four years ago the family moved away from Opunake and she obtained domestic work. After her trouble she stayed with her mother until she was sent to Wellington, where a girl was born to her on January 17, 1928. While she was working in town her hours were up till 1 p.m. She met Lawson the first time in New Plymouth by his employer’s garage. This would be about November, 1926. Since then she had seen him 25 or 30 times. On the first occasion she went to the White Hart 'Stables in the afternoon, as arranged, wher© she met Law-son. She described what happened in the stables. He told her not to tell anyone or she would get into a “ of a row.” Sometimes he met her near the garage, and if he was not ready he would tell her to go to the stables to wait for him. She never walked through the streets with Lawson. She ceased going with him last year as a result of advice from her mother. She had been out with no other man. ■She had made three: signed statements to the police, said the witness to Mr. Bennett. She denied that in the first statement she had made complaint of intercourse with Lawson in June, 1927, only. She never at any time went to the stables except between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. She seldom came to town more than once a week. When she waited in the waiting room of the stables she often saw the stableman and other people. Before her mother saw Lawson witness saw him about the matter herself. He spoke sharply to her about blaming hkn for the affair. She denied she told Lawson she had had relations with two other men. The girl’s mother also gave evidence. Detective Meiklejohn said he had known Lawson for two years. He drove a bus between New Plymouth and Opu- 1 nake. It arrived in New Plymouth about 10.30 a.in. and left at 4 p.m. He was arrested on November 30 and was charged with th© offence during June, but later, as a result of information from Dr. Brown, he laid the information concerning April. . When interviewed, Lawson said he had known the girl for years, and that he had seen her and her mother one day that week. He had not admitted paternity, and he did not know how old the girl was at the time of the alleged offences. He admitted speaking to the girl a few times in front of the garage. He gave no reason for his interviews with the girl, and said he did not see why he should tell witness any more. At Opunake, he added, he had "opened his mouth too wide and had paternity shoved on to him. It was through a lying solicitor.” He refused to make a statement. It was then four or five months, he said, since he had seen the girl. To Mr. Bennett, the detective said he had interviewed the girl first on November 18 and again, with her mother, after they had seen Lawson,