It seems that Andrew lost his temper and hit the boy’s back and shoulder about 21 tunes with, a cane. The boy’s father got medical advice about his son’s bruises, and legal advice about his rights. A few days later Andrew had to appear in the Prahran Court on a charge of unlawful assault, a charge which could lead to imprisonment.

The contentious issue was not whether Andrew had flogged the boy but whether he had done so with undue severity. Andrew took the case seriously enough to engage the brilliant advocate, J.L. Purves.