RUAWARO MURDER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 92, 29 January 1934, Page 7

RUAWARO MURDER

CROWN’S CASE ENDED. EVIDENCE AT BAYLY TRIAL. MORE EXAMINED. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, January 27. The Crown’s case against William Alfred Bayly, charged with the double murder of Samuel Pender Lakey and Mrs Christoble Lakey, at Ruawaro, on or about October 16, was concluded in the Magistrate’s Court this afternoon. v

Mi- E. H. Northeroft, counsel for the defence, had no comment to make, and Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., committed Bayly to the Supreme Court at. Auckland for trial at the next session.

Harry Miller, a textile designer for 11 years of the Onehunga Woollen Mills, said that the first exhibit produced to him was three-ply knitting yarn. Its condition • was very tender, as though it had been submitted to heat. The next was jute or flax string. The next was coarse hessian, usually used for sacking, and the next coarse all-wool, flannel, very coarse and very heavy. Mr Meredith: Have you any idea as to the original colour?—lt would bo very dark, but I would not like to say what colour. ' What would that material be used for?—Usually for men’s shirts or underpants. The next is a seed fibre and the next a fine lightweight cotton material used in handkerchiefs.

Other exhibits identified by witness were a piece of i fine, good quality men’s worsted suiting, a piece of lightweight tweed, a piece of fibre used usually used for packing the shoulders t of coats, a piece of fine cotton lining and a piece of lightweight fibre, commonly called hair-cloth, for stiffening the lapels of coats. Frederick Winston Craddock a registered dentist and Lecturer in Dental Mechanics at Auckland University College, identified several teeth shown to him and described each. The first was an upper right tooth, a flat-backed one with long pins. The pins were for attaching the tooth to a vulcanite denture. The edges of the tooth had been ground and polished by use in mastication. The tooth had recently been used. 'He then described the other exhibits.

Mr Meredith: Have teeth you have examined any common features?—Yes. They have many common features. All have been in use and have been attached to a vulcanite denture. Thgy are of a type which has not been in common use for many years. There are no duplicates and they are similar in shade and several are similar in type and relative size. The pins are all bent in the same direction. -Would all the teeth be used in the one set?—l can find nothing inconsistent with their use in one set. Inquiries for Mr Lakey. Inspector J. W. Hollis, recalled, said that he had charge of all the records kept of the inquiry for Samuel Pender Lakey. Inquiries were made for him in every district in the Dominion. Inquiries were made from shipping offices, all ships were watched, all general mental and private hospitals were inquired at, vehicular traffic, both rail and motor, was watched and a reward of £IOO was offered for the discovery of his body. Within a radius of 15 miles of Ruawaro inquiries were made and swamps were searched, by spear and spade. The Waikato River fiom Taupiri to Waikato Heads had been searched. Everything possible had been done in the search for Mr Lakey, but no trace of him could be found alive. Upon the completion of Inspector Hollis’s eviderice Mr Meredith announced that that completed the Lower Court case for the Crown. Immediately after Mr Merediths announcement the Magistrate asked Mr Nortcote if he desired to be heard. Mr Northcote: Having regard to the volume of the evidence it is not possible to make any comment at this stage, sir. i - ™ Mr Wyvern Wilson: Accused is committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for trial at the next session.

SIXTY-FOUR WITNESSES. EXHIBITS SPECIALLY GUARDED. AUCKLAND, January 28. When Inspector J. W. Hollis told of the extensive search throughout New Zealand for Samuel Pender Lakey, dead or alive, and said that it had failed the evidence in the lower Court hearing of the charges of murder against William Alfred Bayly, a farmer aged 28, of Ruawaro, was completed. It was 'precisely 4.30 p.m. when the Crown’s case was concluded in one of the longest lower Court hearings in the history of New Zealand criminal jurisdiction. The total number of witnesses heard was 64. The wide variety of exhibits produced totalled the surprising number of 251. The number of foolscap typewntten pages used for evidence was 245. One of the features of the prolonged hearing was the efficient manner in which Constable J. B. McLean handled the numerous exhibits. -.Hb was specially selected to direct the presentation of the exhibits and, with a brief in front of him and a special file containing the index to the exhibits, he handed one after another to witnesses as they were called for. Without the excellent system which Constable McLean controlled there could have been considerable confusion with so many exhibits. • As soon as Bayly had been committed for trial to the Supreme Court ho left the dock and the crowd at the rear of the Court, which had thinned during the afternoon, went its way. The Court was quickly cleared even of officials, and a special police guard was again placed on the exhibits.