MURDER CHARGE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26198, 23 August 1950, Page 8

MURDER CHARGE

DEATH OF BOY OF FIVE

FATHER COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

(New Zealand Press Association) WHANGAREI, August 22.

The remaining witnesses for the prosecution against Leslie Ronald Shortcliffe, aged 30, a labourer, charged with the murder at Helena Bay in January, 1949, of his son, Leslie Ronald Shortcliffe. aged five and a half, were heard in the Whangarei Magistrate’s Court to-day. At the conclusion of evidence the accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.

Mr W. Carrol Harley, S.M., was on the Bench, with the District Coroner (Mr G. H. Lloyd). The inquest proceedings are being taken in conjunction with the Lower Court hearing. Mr G. Speight appeared for the Crown, and Mr L. Brown appeared for Shortcliffe.

William Luke, jun., said that Shortcliffe had told him at Helena Bay that he wished to get his son there away from some people. Shortcliffe had not seemed friendly towards his wife. After Christmas he had seen both Shortcliffe and the boy at Helena Bay. The boy had not seemed happy with his fathei and had asked the witness to lake him away. Shortcliffe had been there at the time and had told the boy to stop there. “The boy was crying,’’ said Luke. “He wasn’t very happy.’’ Mereana Whaterau, a married woman, of Akerama* said she had known the boy ever since his birth and had never known him to be ill. Just before Mrs Shortcliffe’s death she had met Shortcliffe in Hikurangi and he had told her he had just returned from taking his little boy, Les, to a home. Asked what home, Shortcliffe had said it was a Roman Catholic home.

Haroka Rawini, or Rutene, a widow, of Akerama, said Shortcliffe had married her grand-daughter, Lily Matanga, who had had three other children by a former husband. One had died previously and the others had lived with Shortcliffe and his wife at her home until she had allotted them another house. There had been a child, Leslie, of this marriage, born on October 14, 1943. Edward William Mahood, a detec-tive-sefgeant, of Whangarei, said that on May 21 he had been instructed to inquire into the whereabouts of the boy, Leslie Ronald Shortcliffe, last heard of at Helena Hay in 1949. Inquiries were made throughout the district without success, and on June 9 he had been in charge of a search started in the Helena Bay area. On June 21 the search had been moved to an area above the Miniwhangata road, and Constable H. B. Allsopp had called him. Digging was started where a puriri log had been removed, although there was no outward sign that a grave had been dug there. As the earth was dug, it fell away leaving a clearly defined hole. At a depth of 3ft 3in, the skeleton of a child was found.