The Court: You are charged on this 21st of March you did use indecent language in a public place, namely Albert Park, to which you pleaded not guilty. Is that correct?

The Defendant: Yes.

The Court: You may sit down and you probably know the form.

In our very fine system of justice one of the major principles of law is that your previous court appearances can't be revealed until you are found guilty. Every man is innocent until proven guilty. So when (Blip) said 'You probably know the form' he was saying — Shadbolt, you have appeared in court before. You're a guilty man. I had been judged a criminal before I sat down.

A good magistrate is one who doesn't get too deeply involved in the battle between defence and prosecution. (Blip) my case on about eighty different occasions. It was like playing a game of rugby and getting penalised eighty times, when the other side doesn't get penalised at all. That sort of thing doesn't happen too often in rugby but it happens every day in court.

The Prosecutor Calls Helen Claire Bowsfield (Sworn)

The Prosecutor: I believe your full name It Helen Claire Bowsfield and you reside at Flat 9, Ash ton Road, Mount Eden?... Yes. And your occupation?... Nurse aid. These words when they were used, did they have any effect on you?... Yes.

What effect?... They offended me.

Thank you.

Transcript of Trial

9 July 1971

They've fined me a hundred dollars and now they don't want to put me in jail and every-time I get a press report I say "And I'm just on the verge of going into jail" and I haven't heard a Word from them. Y'know, when I was in court they said you've got two weeks to pay this or we'll take Immediate and Prompt and Instant Action, and that was about four months ago and I've been standing around yelling ever since "I'm On the Verge" and 'They'll Put me in Jail Soon", but I think it's the last thing they want to do because the last time I was in Mt. Eden there was a riot two weeks later and they all thought it was my fault -they're so horrified about lefties - I think all they do is moan about the food but they see it as a real deep seated political rebellion inspired by left-wing commies.

Tim Shadbolt

- Earwig No.6 -

"I know not whether laws be right,
or whethers laws be wrong;
All that we know who be in gao!
Is that the wall is strong."

Oscar Wilde

Ballad of Beading Gaol