The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-22 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

A middle-aged man, named John Lacy, was placed at
he bar, before Mr. Broughton, charged with brutally
assaulting his wife Ann Lacy, and also seriously injuring
police-constable Townshend, of the K division, with a
poker, whilst assisting in his apprehension.
Townshend, who bore manifest marks of severe treat-
ment, stated that whilst on duty in Bethnal-green-road,
about ten o'clock at night, the prisoner's wife ran up,
bleeding profusely from a dreadful wound in her head,
which she stated had been inflicted by her husband with
a poker, and claimed his protection. The woman was in
a fainting condition, and witness assisted her to the house
of a neighbouring surgeon, who pronounced the injury
to be of a very serious description, and directed her
removal to the hospital. Witness then procured the
assistance of two other officers, and with them proceeded
to the house, and was making his way up the stairs, when
he was met by the prisoner on the landing, brandishing
a poker, and threatening to destroy the first person who
approached him. Witness and the other constables
made a simultaneous rush upon him; but the witness,
who was in advance of the others, was instantly struck
by him a tremendous blow of the poker on the crown of
his head, which sent the blood pouring down over his
eyes, and brought him to the ground, and the prisoner
still continued beating him with the weapon until he was
dragged away by the other officers and carried to the
street door. The witness added, that so desperately did
the priscner lay about him with the poker, that the con-
stables were twice forced down the stairs by him, and
that it was not until he had himself been injured and
disabled with their truncheons in defending themselves,
that he was at length overpowered, and conveyed to the
station. The witness was positive that the prisoner was
perfectly sober.
Police-constable Riley, 304 K, generally corroborated
the last witness, and stated that he had also been struck
by the prisoner with the poker, and that on afterwards
entering the man's room he found a large quantity of
blood upon the floor, which had issued from the wound
in the wife's head previous to her escape into the street.
The prisoner admitted striking his
.wife, but not in the
desperate
a moment m a norfi e rdep
excitement,osed produced to, and sa ld
byhe
aquarrel
hadu a donerrel
so
in be-
tween them. He expressed his regret, also, for his at-
tack upon the police, and acknowledged that he merited
any punishment he might receive for it.
The wife, a decent-looking woman, but evidently very
ill and in a state of exhaustion, when called upon for her
testimony, commenced an apology for her husband's ill-
usage, declaring that he had previously been a very good
husband to her, and notwithstanding she was reminded
Iby the Magistrate of the brutal treatment she had re-
ceived at the prisoner's hands, which she admitted, said
she freely forgave him for it, and positively refused to
give evidence against him.
Mr. BROUGHTON told her that, however forgiving and
commendable her feelings might be towards her hus-
bind, her refusal would hot have the effect of shielding
him wholly from punishment, as the attack upon the
police had been proved to be of a most outrageous de-
scription, and totally indefensible, and he would cer-
tainly be punished for that offence, even if he escaped
from the other ; but as the case, in its present stage,
could not be concluded that day, he should order hi:n to
be brought up again in a week, for the completion of the
evidence against him.