GIRL MOTHER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 212, 7 September 1922, Page 4

GIRL MOTHER.

■'■ — m • — MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE DISMISSED. WAS CHILD BORN ALIVE? FATHER COMMITTED FOR TRIAL * As the aftermath o4the Avondale case 'O in which a young girl gave birth to a c baby in a motor launch, about a month >- ago, Cecil Nathaniel Williams (22) was ■■ . to-day committed for trial to the Supreme i- I Court on a charge of having unlawfully '- carnally known Daisy Christina Williams '- ! aged 15 years 7 months. !- j Mr. Singer (for accused) admitted as y ' evidence statements by the accused tha& i. he was the father of the child. n > Accused, who pleaded not guilty, was c released on his own recognisance to d appear at the Supreme Court. , r CASE AGAINST MOTHER. 11 The girl concerned (who recently mar- >. ' ricd the male accused) was then charged, g ! under the name of Daisy Christina Wil- ,. Hams with having, by failure to perform c! or observe a legal duty, caused the -. I death of her infant female child. L I After Dr. Closs had given evidence of 1, having attended the girl after her [. | maternity, and also described the result .- : of a post-mortem on the infant, the Chief t | Detective asked whether the child had I I been born alive. n | '•! would not definitely cay," replied ;. i the doctor. r\ > The Chief Detective then asked for an I adjournment to secure the evidence of ~ I the second doctor at the post-mortem. c ) "It is not necessary," said Mr. Poynf ; ton, S.M. "I do not think any jury . would, under the circumstances, convict t ; this girl, and it would be useless comj mitting her for trial. Sljc is only a child, j ; and the whole circumstances show a comr ! plete absence of suspicion or expectation lon the part of anyone concerned that .. there was going to be a birth. The party . I went on a Sunday picnic, and the whole 8 thing was apparently a surprise to every- , one, including the girl-mother. The girl r did not even know she was pregnant, s it seems, and much to her surprise she _ suddenly had a child, which iB discovered s. to be dead. The}- are all simple people 3 concerned, and I would not expect any jury to convict the girl, and it would be . , wrong of mc to send her to the Supreme. £ | Court. , '• Mr. Singer: There is no evidence tha . ■ child was born alive. . I Mr. Poynton, S.M.: Apart from that, . no jury would convict. It is a case in , which the police had to prosecute, but I \ am going to take the responsibility of . disposing of it. The case is dismissed II