From Our Files: Parrot killer...pedestrian crossing loiterer...club’s ‘obscene’ acts
50 YEARS AGO
A HOSTILE crowd followed a man out of the snug bar of the Rose and Crown hotel in Brockenhurst after he bit the head off the pub’s pet parrot.
The African Grey was in a cage and witness Mrs Moria Tredwell said she saw the man come in.
She said he had taken the parrot out of the cage saying: “I thought he was going to play with it.”
But she then saw that he had dropped two parts of the parrot onto the floor and was “wiping feathers from his mouth.”
Adding: “He was happy and smiling.”
Challenged by bar staff the man claimed the parrot had bitten him and he got hold of it to stop him saying: “I got hold of him and the head came off and it surprised me. It was like pulling the stem off a tomato.”
He was later arrested by police.
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CHRISTCHURCH councillors who have been paid attendance allowances for going to meetings of committees to which they did not belong will have to pay the money back.
The council’s policy and resources committee were told that such attendances were not approved duty for which allowances could be paid.
Committee chairman Councillor I Lennox said: “I feel very strongly that to make payments in the face of this opinion would be ill-advised.”
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“I mean no disrespect to the law but this office is lying,“ a defendant told Christchurch magistrates.
He was pleading not guilty to being a pedestrian remaining on a Zebra crossing longer than was necessary to cross.
Pc Richard Martin said he had been on duty at the junction of Burton Lane and Purewell when he saw a line up of seven cars.
He saw a man “laughing and skipping” on the crossing. When he asked his name the man said: “Alan. What’s yours ducky?”
He was then arrested. The 40-year-old man claimed the officer had mistaken him for someone else saying: “There were other people there with long fair hair.”
He said he had been to the fish and chip shop with his wife and was returning on the crossing “normally.” He was fined £5.
25 YEARS AGO
A STONE garden wall that has recently been built in Ashley has caused quite a stir, not only because of its traditional design but because it was built by a woman in eight days.
Janine Richardson was asked by mother of two Gay Williamson to transform her garden. Janine designed an authentic Purbeck stone wall which she built herself. Not only was the work so hard as to put any man to shame but the sheer number of materials required included four tonnes of stone from a quarry near Swanage, twenty bags of sand and ten bags of cement.
During construction Janine has attracted stares and comments from passersby including male builders but it has all been in good humour and highly complementary.
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RINGWOOD nightclub Route 42 has kept its entertainment licence despite strong objections including allegations of obscene sexual acts within the club.
The District Council’s licensing panel granted the renewal last week despite “broadly accepting” the evidence of a Damerham woman that sex acts, bondage and topless dancing took place at a private party held at the club in May.
Panel members also considered fines totalling £550 against the proprietors of the members-only club following a string of convictions for under-age drinking and late-night disturbances outside the club. Peter Savill representing the police said numerous disturbances in the Market Place including a brawl involving 60 partygoers was linked to the club.
But the panel decided to grant the licence.
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LOCAL councillors worried that an extension of Tesco’s store in New Milton for the sale of non-food commodities could further hit high street shops have deferred consideration of the supermarket chain’s latest application.
They want to study an economic impact report, a noise survey and a traffic and highway assessment before expressing their views to the New Forest District planners.
At the council meeting Cllr Ben Rule said: “Our shopkeepers must be protected. It will rip the heart out of our town centre.”
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A SWAY man has been fined after he continued to allow his collection of tropical birds to make a noise which disturbed his neighbours at all hours of the day and night.
The man of Middle Road was charged by NFDC with three allegations of noise nuisance.
Nathalie Heaselden, of NFDC, told New Forest magistrates that the man had been issued a noise abatement notice.
Visits found the birds were still noisy and in a statement a neighbour of the man told how there was a “car alarm” bird and the “screecher.” To blot out the noise he put his radio on all day and night but would still be woken by “screeching squalling chattering and warbling” noises.
In defence Ian Davies said the man suffered from ill health and has now removed all his aviaries and only had one left which was in his shed. He was fined £150.
