Miss Bartlett Dragged From Bookshop (Press, 24 June 1971)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Miss Bartlett Dragged From Bookshop (Press, 24 June 1971)
On 23 June 1971, Wellington Magistrate's Court fined David Keen Mitchell, the proprietor of the Fantasy Card Shop, $200 for assaulting Patricia Bartlett and for using obscene language. The incident occurred on 16 April 1971, when Bartlett, known for her efforts to petition Parliament for stricter regulations on indecency in books and films, entered Mitchell's shop. She purchased two copies of the Victoria University paper "Salient" and two paperback books. Upon recognizing Bartlett, Mitchell publicly identified her in a loud voice, which she found inappropriate. According to Bartlett's testimony, when she attempted to pay, Mitchell forcefully pushed her backward toward the exit. After stumbling, she fell flat on her back, and while she was on the ground, he grabbed her by the heels and dragged her outside onto the pavement. As she tried to regain her footing, she realized her bag was missing, prompting Mitchell to return and shove it into her hands. Bartlett reported feeling dazed and sought help from a nearby shop to call the police. Witnesses corroborated Bartlett's account of the incident. One witness reported seeing her being pushed out of the shop while Mitchell used foul language and told her to stay out. After the confrontation, the police were called, and Constable P. Williams recounted that Mitchell claimed Bartlett had not entered his shop and accused her of lying about the incident. Mitchell, who is 39 years old, pleaded not guilty to the charges, insisting he had not assaulted anyone and did not use obscene language. However, Magistrate M. B. Scully found Mitchell's account inconsistent with the evidence presented and accepted Bartlett’s testimony along with that of the independent passer-by. Consequently, Mitchell was sentenced to a $175 fine for the assault and $25 for using obscene language, while the charge of behaving in an insulting manner was dismissed.
Important Information
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