ALLEGED CRIMINAL ASSAULT AT OHINEMURI-COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2457, 30 October 1876, Page 3

ALLEGED CRIMINAL ASSAULT AT OHINEMURI-COMMITTAL FOR TRIAL.

Our Ohinemuri correspondent, writing on Saturday, says> Some surprise was felt this morning by the residents in this district when it became known that Mr John Murphy had been arrested.by the police at Paeroa last night on a charge of having unlawfully assaulted Mary Nolan, with intent, etc. He was brought up before A. J. .Allom, Esq., J.P., at Mackaytown this morning, when Captain Newall conducted Ithe prosecution, and called Mary Nolan and Constables Gordon and McOonnell, A.C., as witnesses, The prisoner reserved his defence, and was committed to take his trial at the next sessions of the Supreme Court in Auckland. Bail was allowed. It transpired that Mary. Nolan (who is servant at Mr Lipsoy's, Paeroa Hotel) was standing on the verandah talking to Murphy, when, at his request, they went as far as the gate, and, it being a moonlight night, they continued their walk in the direction of the native cultivations on ithe Puke road. It was then nearly 11 o'clock, and Miss Nolan suggested that it was time to go home. They, however, continued their walk a short distance further, when Murphy took her by the wrist and, after somo struggling, threw her down. Sho called out for assistance, and her cries were heard by Constables Gordon and McConnell, who happened to be standing outside tho police camp, They immediately ran in tho direction from which tho cries proceeded, and met Murphy and Miss Nolan. Tho latter was re-arranging her dress, which appeared to bo very much disordered, and both' seemed to be in an excited state. The constables. asked Miss Nolan if she had cried out for help, and sho said ■that she had not, neither had sho heard any cries. Murphy said the same, and was proceeding to make somo further remarks when one of the constables cautioned him, saying that ho believed that he had _ assaulted Miss Nolan, and that ho intended to arrest him. on that charge. During tho hearing of tho case to-day, Miss Nolan admitted haying called out once, but strongly asserted that Murphy had not injured her in any way, and said that, so far as she could recollect, ho had not oven lifted up her clothes.—Mr Allom said that he was not sure that a caso had boon fully made out, but as the charge had been mado ho could only commit the prisoner to take his trial at tho next criminal sessions of tho Supreme Court, Bail was accepted, in two sureties of £50, for his appearance at the Supreme Court,