MAREO RETRIAL CONTINUED

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21806, 11 June 1936, Page 11

MAREO RETRIAL CONTINUED

Further Medical Evidence ACCUSED’S STATEMENTS TO POLICE (PH«SS ASSOCIATIOH TELEGttAM.) AUCKLAND. June 10. The retrial of Eric Mareo, aged 45, a musician, on a charge of murdering his wife, Thelma Clarice Mareo, aged 29, at Auckland last year, by administering a narcotic drug, was continued in the Supreme Court this morning before Mr Justice Callan. The Crown case is being conducted by Mr V. R. Meredith and Mr F. McCarthy, and the defence is again being conducted by Mr H. F. O’Leary, K.C. (Wellington), and Messrs Trevor Henry and K. 0 Ackins Dr. S, L. Ludbrook gave evidence corroborating the evidence given by Dr. W. Gilmour and Dr. E. B. Gunson. Dr. Ludbrook said that from the evidence given he had come to the conclusion that Mrs Mareo died from veronal poisoning and that she probably had about 100 grains of veronal taken at different times. Witness considered'that a dose was taken on the Saturday morning. Her reported symptoms throughout the Sunday and Monday were consistent with the effects of a further dose. He considered that from the time she fell asleep after going to the lavatory until the arrival of Dr. Dreadon she was in a continuous coma. Possibly she had three doses. There may have been one on Friday night, one on Saturday morning, and one early on Sunday morning, probably just before the lavatory incident. Possibly she had only two doses and none on Friday night. , From the evidence, Dr. Ludbrook did not think it possible that she could have taken veronal herself between the time she awoke and the time she called Freda Stark on Saturday evening. A further dose would have produced sleep very rapidly, for she already had some veronal in her system. Witness Cross-examined Replying to Mr O’Leary, the witness said he had hot listened to Mr O’Leary’s cross-examination of Freda Stark. Mr O’Leary: Why did you not listen to it? Witness: I formed my opinions on Ihe evidence-in-chief of Miss Stark and listened to your cross-examination of her at the last trial Mr O’Leary: And have you not done me the courtesy of listening to my cross-examination on this occasion? The witness: I have read part of it, but I cannot give you any particular answer that Freda Stark gave you. The witness agreed that, whereas he had said diming his evidence that Mrs Mareo was awake for from four to four and a half hours on the Saturday night, his estimate at the previous trial was two hours Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn described in detail his adlvities in the Mareo home when he arrived there about 8 o’clock on thi night of Mrs Mareo’s death. Ren l :'mg to his questions, Mareo said he had bought three lots of veronal from chemists within the previous three weeks. Witness asked him if he had given his wife any, and Mareo replied, “Do you think 1 am a murderer?” The accused said he had bought the veronal for sleeplessness, and remarked to the detective, “Do I look like a drug addict?” Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn told how Mareo had made comments while he was reading the statement he had made. He said: “I feel like a cad, saying all this about my wife; but I have to protect myself.” He also said: “Is there anything in this to hang me? I feel like going and hanging myself, bringing all this veronal into the house.” Another statement Mareo made verbally was: “I do not want this to go down; but between us my wife was fonder of women than of men. You know what I mean.” Accused’s Statement Read Statements made by Mareo to the police dealing with the purchase of veronal were next read by DetectiveSergeant Meiklejohn. Recounting further investigations, the witness said that on May 20 he found on an ash heap at the back of the house in Tenderden avenue the burnt portion of an insurance policy, with the name “Thelma,” and the policy number. Visits made to Mareo at various times were described and statements made by him read by the witness. He described the arrest of Mareo at Eleanor Brownlee’s room in Wynyard street on September 2 by himself and Detective Hamilton. When the witness read the warrant to him, charging him with the murder of his wife, Mareo said: “Really? On what evidence? This is ridiculous? What evidence have you got?” The hearing was adjourned.