THE SIXTH DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 271, 15 November 1943, Page 4

THE SIXTH DAY

DR. ISDALE TRIAL

ALLEGED ILLEGAL CASES

The hearing of the case before Mr. Justice Callan and jury in which Dr. George Brownlee Isdale, of Ngaruawahia (Mr. J. Skelton and Mr. A. H. Skelton) was arraigned on eight counts alleging illegal operations and one. count alleging conspiracy to perform an illegal operation was continued to-day for the sixth day.

Mr. V. R. Meredith and Mr. Aekins conducted the case for the Crown.

A young unmarried woman of Auckland testified that she consulted accused in January and asked him to remove her pregnancy. He said he thought he could do it and mentioned a fee of 125, which she was to pay as she could. She was examined under an anaesthetic at a house in the country near Ngaruawahia, and her pregnancy symptoms did not recur. She had not paid any of the £25.

Another unmarried woman, from Wellington, who testified to having been examined by accused under an anaesthetic at a house in the country, was reluctant to explain what she asked the doctor and was told by him. Leave was given to crossexamine her. Under cross-examina-tion she said she did not think she actually, did ask accused to remove her pregnancy. She thought he was just going to find out if she were pregnant. The fee was to be £25. The witness said she went to accused in the hope of having her pregnancy removed, but he did not say he would do that. She got no further word from him after the examination, and paid £25 in instalments. Respecting her statement to a detective, much of it was put into her mouth by him, and she filled in some of the details. Examined on the statement, she said she did not think it was correct that accused told her he would relieve her pregnancy. She signed the statement because she was told she could not leave till she signed the statement. To his Honor, the witness replied she could not see she had really been pregnant at the time. A Witness Warned A young unmarried woman of Auckland save evidence of having made arrangements with accused for an examination to determine if she was pregnant. She could not remember asking him to do something about it. The fee was to be £18. Later she cancelled the arrangement, not liking the idea of chloroform.

After further questions. Mr. Meredith asked and was given leave to cross-examine the witness as hostile. An objection by Mr. G. Skelton that the witness had shown no animosity evoked a reply from his Honor that he was satisfied the witness had no wish to give the prosecution all the information in her power. Winess was interrogated on her evidence in the Magistrate's. Court, and admitted that she said she asked accused if he could do anything about her pregnancy, and he replied that he thought he could. When she was proceeding to complain about questions being ambiguous, she was warned by his Honor that if her manner became disrespectful she could be dealt with for contempt of Court. I (Proceeding.) I