The Newcastle Sun, Sat 13 Sep 1930 1
LABORER REMANDED
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ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULT
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Donald Cameron (68), laborer, was charged, before Mr Chiplin, JP, at Newcastle Police Court to-day, with having, at Cardiff, between July and August, indecently assaulted James Alfred Tucker.
On the application of the police, Cameron was remanded to Wednesday. When bail was applied for the police prosecutor (Sergeant Phillipson) mentioned that other charges were pending against Cameron.
“I can’t allow light bail in a case like this,” said Mr Chiplin, in fixing bail at £80.
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The Newcastle Sun, Wed 17 Sep 1930 2
OLD MAN FOR TRIAL
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Donald Cameron, 68, of Cardiff, was committed for trial at the Newcastle Quarter Sessions on November 10 by Mr Stevenson, SM, at Newcastle Children’s Court to-day on a charge of having committed a serious offence at Cardiff. Bail of £40 was allowed.
Mr James appeared for Cameron.
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Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, Thu 18 Sep 1930 3
POLICE COURT
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Wednesday, September 17.
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(Before Mr GA Stevenson, SM.)
…
CHILDREN’S COURT
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COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.
On a charge of having indecently assaulted a male person at Cardiff, between the months of July and August, Donald Cameron, 68, labourer, was committed for trial at Newcastle Quarter Sessions on November 10. Bail was fixed at £40.
Mr AH James (Messrs James and James) represented defendant.
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The Newcastle Sun, Sat 20 Sep 1930 4
CASE REMANDED
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Donald Cameron (68), laborer, was remanded until Thursday, by Mr Chiplin, JP, at Newcastle Police Court to-day, on a charge of having, at Cardiff, between the months of January and February, indecently assaulted Kenneth James Lewis, aged 10. Ball was fixed at £30.
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The Newcastle Sun, Tue 11 Nov 1930 5
MORALS OF
SOME BOY
WITNESSES
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ATTACKED BY JUDGE
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INDECENCY CASES
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A slashing attack on the morals of boy witnesses giving evidence in charges of indecent assault was made by Judge Sheridan during his summing-up at Newcastle Quarter Sessions to-day.
Lithgow Mercury, (NSW), Thu 6 Sep 1928, p. 4.
Reproduction: Peter de Waal
THE Judge directed his attack on some of the boys of what he described as the lake district. Three cases from that district, he said, had come before the present sessions.
The Judge gave the jury a warning not to convict unless it was absolutely certain of the guilt of the man. “Unfortunately,” said the judge, “we have had three of these cases before this court. All of them have come from the locality about the lake.
“It is certainly very obvious that there is amongst the young lads of the neighborhood or some of them, an utter absence of any sense of decency.
“COMMON DECENCY”
“In these cases,” he added, “the person on whom the offence is supposed to have been committed is very often a person without any regard for common decencies or the ordinary standards of human life and conduct.”
“There are some people,” said the judge, “whoso desires are so much astray that they are aroused by something quite contrary to all accepted forms.”
The judge referred to the “lack of moral and physical decency of the people who give evidence and whose minds are so alive to the disgusting practices that they often go to the extent of inventing stories that are untrue.”
As far as the youths were concerned the judge said that it was to be regretted that boys of this country could act in the manner which according to the Crown case they did.
“With witnesses of the kind, the jury should exercise the greatest care,” said the judge.
The judge made caustic comment on the action of one of the boy witnesses, who, according to evidence, although he saw a disgusting act performed on one of his mates, left without saying anything.
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OLD MAN NOT GUILTY
OF SERIOUS CHARGE
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After a retirement of two hours and a half, the jury in the case at Newcastle Quarter Sessions to-day, in which Donald Cameron (68) appeared on two charges of indecent assault on a boy at Cardiff, returned with verdict of nor guilty.
Cameron was discharged.
Mr RJ Browning was Crown Prosecutor. Cameron was not represented by counsel.
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Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, Wed 12 Nov 1930 6
QUARTER SESSIONS.
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Tuesday, November 11.
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(Before Judge Sheridan.)
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JUDGE'S STRONG COMMENT.
Donald Cameron, 68, was acquitted on two charges of indecent assault [on Alfred James—or James Alfred Tucker and Kenneth James Lewis —aka Kenneth James Ellevsen], alleged to have been committed at Cardiff in January and February last. It was the third case in two days in which a man had been acquitted on such a charge, and in each instance the principal Crown witnesses were young boys.
In his summing up yesterday, Judge Sheridan made pointed reference to the evidence in the three cases. “This disgusting case,” he told the jury, “is unfortunately the third to come before this Court. All of the cases have come from the locality about Lake Macquarie. It is certainly very obvious that there is among the young lads of this neighbourhood—or some of the lads—an utter absence of any sense of decency. You will bear in mind that in many of these cases the person upon whom the offence is supposed to have been committed is very often without any regard for common decency or the ordinary standards of human life and conduct.”
His Honor added a warning that the jury would have to be very careful in accepting the uncorroborated evidence of this class of witnesses.
After a retirement of two and a half hours a verdict of “Not guilty” was returned, and Cameron was discharged.
1 The Newcastle Sun, (NSW), Sat 13 Sep 1930, p. 4.
2 The Newcastle Sun, (NSW), Wed 17 Sep 1930, p. 9.
3 Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, Thu 18 Sep 1930, p. 3.
4 The Newcastle Sun, (NSW), Sat 20 Sep 1930, p. 4.
5 The Newcastle Sun, (NSW), Tue 11 Nov 1930, pp. 1, 7. Emphasis in original.
6 Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, Wed 12 Nov 1930, p. 2.