KEY POINTS:
Depositions for a Christchurch man charged under the anti-smacking legislation have been delayed for seven weeks because prosecution witnesses were not available.
The hearing scheduled for Christchurch District Court today was put off until August 21, after prosecutor Trudi Aickin said police were recently told that two witnesses were out of New Zealand.
James Louis Mason, a 49-year-old professional musician, has elected trial on charges of assaulting his two young sons, aged two and four.
- NZPA
