JURY RETURNS VERDICT OF GUILTY

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22768, 21 July 1939, Page 9

JURY RETURNS VERDICT OF GUILTY

MAN CHARGED WITH BREAK- * ING AND ENTERING (TRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM ) WELLINGTON, July 20. A verdict of guilty was returned by the jury in the Supreme Court at Wellington to-day at the trial of Geoffrey Spicer. Kean, aged 22, tc clerk, for breaking and entering the house of Miss K. M. Reston at Napier on Easter Monday with intent to commit a crime- He was remanded for sentence. Answering Mr Justice Reed after the jury had brought in its verdict, Kean said that he had been convicted of six charges of theft in Nelson and was on probation. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr W. H. Cunningham) conducted the prosecution. Mr H. F. O’Leary, K.C., with him Mr W. P. Rollings, appeared for the accused. Mr O’Leary said that people who could prove that Kean was in Paekakarikj might have their reasons for not wishing, to reveal that they had been there. On the other hand, the police had failed to prove that Kean was the third man in Napier, even though the man was seen at close quarters by neighbours. Everything he bad said that Could be verified had been verified and there was no reason for rejecting the rest. The jury should be careful in accepting the uncorroborated evidence of accomplices and Courlander and Mattergon, who had said that Kean was with them at the house had been shown to have lied at times. Mr Cunningham said that either Kean or Courlander and Mattersbn had committed perjury. Those who saw the third man at Miss Reston’s house did so for only a moment and were not asked to identify him till six weeks later. The Crown witnesses had no interest in implicating Kean.