GIRL'S DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 166, 16 July 1931, Page 8

GIRL'S DEATH.

CHARGE OF MURDER.

LABOURER ARRESTED.

another, charge DROPPED

STATEMENT BY POLICE.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. A further step towards the solution of the fate of Phyllis Avis Symons, whose body was unearthed y P searchers in Wellington, was taken to day when George Enrol Coatsa ■ (29), labourer, was charged c -^y e iiingPage, S.M., with her murder at Welling ton on or about June 26. - g The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. Macassey, appeared for t ]y[ r . Mr. C. A. L. Treadwell, with Ham. H J. V. James, for accused. After the *«. Ml Macassey applied for a rem* ne Mr. '"Treadwell said he had no tion He understood mis was the n of several remands which would be asked fo" and could not object^ tliem so long as there was no delay, and he had no reason to antici j clerk then proceeded to charge Coats with alleged attempts procur abortion, when Mr. Treadwell saying that in view of the char e of murder, there could be no possibility of the police going on with these C ' and the reading of them could only have a bad effect on Coats at his trial on the major offence. . Mr. Macassey: I was proposing to ask your Worship to allow us to withdraw these charges. We are satisfied, on the evidence, that the girl's death was not caused by any act of abortion, and the proper charge is that of murder. The magistrate granted a remand on the murder charge and allowed the other charges to be withdrawn. Some such development as that which has taken place has been daily expected by many people, and a crowd has daily been hanging around the precincts of the Court. When it became known that a charge was to be preferred to-day, a crowd numbering several hundreds assembled, and the public gallery was paeked at a quarter to ten. A considerable number were unable to get in, and were turned away.