Assault. (Press, 23 April 1903)

On 23 April 1903, a case involving a serious assault occurred in which a youth named Edmund Barnard was charged with violently attacking William James Edgar, a middle-aged man. The defendant was represented by Mr. Cravenwell, while Mr. Mailer appeared for the prosecution. Edgar testified that Barnard entered his paddock and struck him multiple times with a broom, causing severe bruising and breaking three of his ribs. He maintained that he had not provoked Barnard in any way. Edgar’s witnesses corroborated his account, confirming that the assault was unprovoked. Dr. Downs examined Edgar and confirmed the injuries, which included two broken ribs and other injuries that caused significant pain. He stated that Edgar would likely be unfit for work for at least six weeks following the incident. In Barnard's defence, it was claimed that he had entered Edgar's paddock to separate a fight between their respective dogs and that Edgar had ordered him to leave. Barnard contended that he struck Edgar in self-defence after being attacked first with a broom. This was supported by evidence from defence witnesses. The Bench ultimately decided to impose a fine of £3 and costs on Barnard, with half of the fine going to the informant, Edgar. In other judicial matters that day, four first-time offenders charged with drunkenness were fined 5 shillings each, while Andrew Silvester White, requiring medical treatment, was remanded for seven days. William Pearson, who had a history of drunkenness, was fined £40 and costs. Several by-law breaches were also addressed. Individuals including S. Harvey, P. Chillman, C. Watson, W. Everett, L. Simpson, J. Gregory, and O. Moller received fines of 10 shillings each for riding bicycles on footpaths. J. Sadler, who had provided incorrect details, was fined 20 shillings. A charge against P. Auguarde was dismissed. Alfred Burns and Stanley Lanchbury were fined 10 shillings each for riding bicycles after sunset without lights. Charles Wilson, W. Hiller, and J. Slattery were fined 5 shillings and costs for leaving vehicles unattended, while A. and C. Schow were fined 10 shillings and costs for a similar offence. W. F. Burns, G. Carson, and J. Duncan were fined 10 shillings and costs for allowing their horses to roam at large. Lastly, Annie Hunt was fined 20 shillings and costs for importuning, and Amy Bock, also known as Shannon, faced charges of bicycle theft and was remanded until 28 April.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand