KNIFE WOUNDS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1945, Page 6

KNIFE WOUNDS

FARMER CHARGED

ALLEGED MURDER ATTEMPT

O C DARGAVILLE, this day. Evidence of a sharemilker having received eight knife wounds necessitating his removal to hospital, when attacked in the house in which he was livine was given by witnesses m a We Taf Court vMterdav. when Leslie Dun ««»"» Ser of Ruawai, was charged w£h attempting to murder Richard mc Cread? at Parahi, near on Mnv 24 Neill, for whom Mr. M.. U Hey appe% pleaded not gudty and reserved his defence. He was SmiSSv the magisteafe Mr W rarrol Harley, to the AucKianu Supreme"cou/t for trial on Jidy 24 Detective-Sergeant J. B E}" Whanearei appeared for the police. Dr C M Mules, of Dargaville, said that on . examining McCready he found eight separate wound* some hpine five inches long. Some ot tne wounds were deep and he thought S one had entered the chestxavfiy Thp iniuries were such as to nave b?en clused by a pocket knife or a knife He said the accused ffi C cOmplamed of'havmg headaches rm this and the previous day, and said that he hacf been treated in Auckland for epilepsy, although Witness could find no trace of this.

Complainant's Story Richard McCready, the Principal witness for the Crown, described doubles between accused and himself prfor to May 24 R£«™gto the day on which the alleged, attempted murder took McCready said he did not know the accused was in the.house until he faw "him come out of witness' bedroom and enter the room of the housekeeper, Mrs. Slater. J.ne accused was carry ng a wrench On being asked by witness what he was doing to Mrs. Slater's room Neill replied that it was his house and he could do as he liked. ~ ^-..:. "As I was walking down the passage I was stabbed in the lower part Of the back," continued witness. I turned round and saw the accused with a pocket knife raised above his head. I tried to grab the accuseds wrist, but I cannot remember where I did catch him." Witness stated that a struggle followed and the accused and witness went from the passage into the dining room, where the struggle continued. Witness received other injuries, but they were so quick he could not say when and where they were inflicted. He did remember, however, that there was a wound extending from his right shoulder, on his arm, one across the right armpit and a third across the right diaphragm. The Accused Tied Up

McCready said he called Mrs. Slater for assistance, telling her to hit Neill on the head with a broom. This she did. The accused then brought his knee up into witness' stomach, and broke away from him and made a dive at Mrs. Slater, with the knife. While the accused had his back to witness, McCready said he caught him round the body, holding his arms to his side. Witness forced Neill into a bedroom at the back of the house, where he got him down on the floor in a corner. Witness kept him in that position by applying a boot to the middle of his back, and tied him up with a.rope.... Mrs. Slater 'phoned for assistance, and witness stayed with the accused until Mr. A. V. Page arrived. Another neighbour, Mrs. Murray, also came and they took witness to the kitchen and attended to his wounds. Mrs. Murray then called out, "Look out Mac," and he looked up and saw Neill coming towards him with a butcher's knife raised above his head. He jumped between Mr. Page and witness, and they both caught him and got the knife from him. During this struggle another wound on the hand was received by witness. Mr. Page and witness then securely tied the accused up.

"I gave Neill no provocation to attack me," said witness, "and he made no threats prior to his stabbing me."

McCready said he himself was not armed during the struggle, but after the accused had been tied up witness armed himself with a piece of wood for his own protection. The accused was released on bail on his own recognisance of £200, with one surety of £100, on the special conditions that he forthwith returned to the home of his mother in Auckland, accompanied there by the police, and that while awaiting trial he. refrained from using a motor cycle.

Mr. Astley, in asking that the accused be released on bail, said that Neill was at present receiving treatment in Auckland, and while out on bail previously his conduct had been exemplary.