MURDER CHARGE AT NELSON

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26394, 12 April 1951, Page 5

MURDER CHARGE AT NELSON

32-YEAR OLD MAN ON TRIAL EVIDENCE FOR CROWN (New Zealand Press Association) NELSON, April 11. The trial of Edward Charles Metcalf, aged 32, a drainlayer, who is charged with the murder of Isobel Harper, of 16 Beachville street. Nelson, on December 2, 1950, was continued in the Supreme Court at Nelson to-day. Mr Justice Cooke is on the Bench. Mr W. A. Cunningham, with him Mr H. G. Brodie, is appearing for the Crown, and Mr W. X Stacey for the accused. Kathleen Bamfield, a widow, sister of Isobel Harper, said in evidence that her sister lived with Metcalf and the two had got on well together. Cross-examined, the witness said that she thought they were in love with each other. Mrs Harper had been separated from her husband for four years. • Olga Rose Taylor, said that Dot and Ted, as they were known, seemed happy enough. On the afternoon of the tragedy Dot and Ted visited her home. Ted left at 3.50 p.m. and Dot a quarter of an hour later. At 5 p.m. Ted came to her house again in different clothe* and said: “I’ve killed a woman.” He said, added the witness, that he was going to the police. Metcalfe returned later with another man and said: “I tell you I’ve killed Dot.” He said he had i nit Dot with an iron. It seemed when they came to her home that they had had a quarrel. ' Charles John Holsey, licensee of the Globe Hotel, said he had employed Mrs Harper in the hotel At 5.15 p.m. on Saturday the accused called at the hotel and seemed excitable. About 6 p.m. when the bar had been cleared the accused stayed behind with a man named Lennie. The accused put 7* 6d on the counter and mid: “Take the drinks out of that. I won’t be requiring money any more.”

CbnverHktittm with Aceuted Donald Raymond Patton, a motormechanic, said that on the afternoon of December 2, about 5.40 pm., he met the accused in the backyard of the Globe Hotel. The accused said: “Tve done it.” Witness asked him what he had done, and the accused said: ‘Tve dnished her.”

The accused was excited, and his syes were rather bright. He spoke distinctly. Cross-examined, the witness said the accused was a quiet, inoffensive type of man, not one from whom he would expect violence. Stanley Herbert Lennie, a motormechanic, said that, on December 2. at the Globe Hotel, the accused told him: "I have just lulled a woman. I hit her over the head with an iron.” Metcalf was excited and seemed to have had quite a few drinks. Witness said to him: “You’re mad; come and have a drink.” They went inside, and the accused repeated his statement. Witness later accompanied Metcalf to the police station. Constable W. S. Bacon said he was acting sergeant at the Nelson Police Station on the evening Of December 2. He was there when a taxi arrived with Metcalf. The accused said: ‘Tve killed a woman. I hit her over the head with an iron.” The accused also said he had done the wrong thing, and that she had done the wrong thing by him. The accused was in a fairly advanced stage of intoxication. Medical Evidence

Dr. J. P. S. Jamieson,' a medical practitioner, of Nelson, said he was called to the police station at 6.50 p.m. on December 2. There was a man in the watchhouse. He was smoking a cigarette. He was somewhat excitable and talkative. He had the appearance of a man who had had too much liquor, but one could not say that he was very drunk. His speech was perfectly clear. Witness accompanied police officers to No. 16 Beachville street, where the body of Mrs Harper was found. Witness saw an electric iron in the kitchen that could have caused some of the injuries. Some of the blows could have been made with a hammer which was found at the house. Witness said he had seen the accused’s medical report from the Army in Australia, and had read a psychologist’s report which showed the mental age of the accused in 1945 as 11 years. He agreed that the accused was suffering from anxiety symptoms at the time of the Army report He also agreed that Metcalf had a neurosis at that time, and had recovered. He knew that the accused had been half-buried by a bomb explosion, and that two soldiers had been killed in the incident. Witness said he had read in the accused’s report that he was a borderline mental defective. Having regard to that, witness said he might afterwards tend to be highly confused in emotional circumstances.

Counsel for the accused suggested that a subject who was in a slate of mental confusion and who was also drunk would have every chance of suffering a loss of memory. Witness replied: “No, I see nothing to lead to the hypothesis of amnesia, which is complete loss of memory.” Witness said that if to these factors one added the emotional quality of passion, a person might be lea to act irrationally, but he did not think amnesia would be caused.

Re-examined by Mr Cunningham, Dr. Jamieson said that, from what he saw of the accused and what he saw at No. 16 Beachville street, he would not say that Metcalf was suffering from loss of memory.

The Court adjourned until to-mor-row.