MURDER CHARGE

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27212, 2 December 1953, Page 12

MURDER CHARGE

Woman’s Death At Reefton

SUPREME COURT TRIAL BEGINS

(From. Out Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, December 1. The trial began in the Supreme Court today of Harry Whiteland, aged 56, single, a labourer, on a charge of murdering Dorothy Rose Haldane, aged 19, a station clerk, at Reefton on August 27. Whiteland pleaded not guilty.

Mr Justice McGregor presided. Twelve witnesses had been heard: .when the Court adjourned until to-' morrow. I The Crown was represented by Mr A. W. Brown <Christchurch) and Mr A. M. Jamieson <Greymouth). Mr E. ;B. E. Taylor ’Christchurch) and with him Mr C. R. McGinley (Greymouth) {appeared for Whiteland. His Honour ■instructed that the jury be kept to- ■ gether until the end of the trial. ‘'The facts in the case against the accused are beyond dispute and it is clear beyond all doubt that Miss Hal- ; tdane was killed bv Whiteland,” said Mr Brown, outlining the Crown case! to the jury. The only question to de- j cide would be that of intent, and intent; was to be judged by the conduct and statements of an accused person. William Newburn, acting-station-master at Reefton. told in evidence of ■ his discussions and conversations witn accused shortly before Miss Haldane • ■was killed. He said accused had started ; about 18 months previously on his job, about the same time as Miss j Haldane began work at Reef ton. i Accused told him about 10 a.m. on the day of the tragedy, “I’ve had it,” ana | safd something about “newspaper and 6d a week rise in rent” being a matter of principle. Newburn said the accused seemed a trifle upset and witness told accused: he would see him later on the suoject. Witness got out a departmental: file referring to the renting of a huti toy the accused and saw the rent was to be increased by 6d weekly. Accused’s reference to “newspaper” related to a suggestion previously made toy witness that it could be used in cleaning windows, but accused had replied that the department made a particular cleanser available and he saw no reason why he should not use this cleanser. The suggestion was made in the most friendly way to accused. On examination of a file he gained the impression that Whiteland should not have been charged the increase, said Newburn. Witness told accused this at his hut, when he seemed quite rational. In the course of conversation, accused referred to Miss Haldane, as “a little bitch.” Witness said he would get the girl into his office and have a talk with her. Accused said “not to bother Dorothy-.. I will fix her.”

Witness and accused walked back towards the station about 11.20 a.m. Whiteland was carrying his rifle. Witness went to inspect a truck in the yard. He heard a shot and a scream from the station office. Newburn detailed accused’s struggle with Park and McGuigan and his action in grabbing a knife from the sheath on accused's hip and throwing it out on to the platform. The rifle was later wrested from accused by McGuigan. Accused was soon after standing on the platform and he was throwing up his arms and exclaiming “Allah save me” and so on. To Mr Taylor, Newburn said accused only got irritable if he thought he was being unjustly served in any

way. To his Honour, witness said accused seemed quite quiet and sensible and answered any normal questions. He did not seem unduly agitated in any way in the course of the discussions that morning. Heard a Shot Hugh Stanley Park, a shift clerk, who was working alongside Miss Haldane, said he first heard a shot and then heard Miss Haldane say. “Oh, Darkie,” scream and collapse to the floor. Witness turned and saw accused with a rifle in his hand standing inside the office, and with the rifle pointing towards Miss Haldane. Witness grabbed the rifle and held on to it, and accused said, “Let me finish her off. Let me do myself in.” McGuigan later assisted in wresting the rifle from accused. Later witness heard calls by accused to “Allah.” One of accused’s duties was to light fires in the office, said Park. One cold morning Miss Haldane told accused he had not fixed her fire yet and he said he would do it shortly. There was no row as a result of this incident and he had never heard accused and Miss Haldane having words. Charles Bellamy, a shift clerk, said accused had once come into the office and called Miss Haldane “a little bitch.” When he heard the shot, witness said, he raced over to the goodsheds for assistance. He had previously heard Miss Haldane and accused wjeaking about cleaning windows, but did not think there were any arguments about this. To Mr Taylor, witness described the relationship of accused and Miss Haldane as being most friendly. " Leonard John McGuigan, a train examiner, gave evidence similar to Park’s. When accused was on the platform after the tragedy he was calling, “Allah be praised,” and “Have mercy on me.” Soon after accused ran out in front of a moving engine, lay across the rails and called several times, “Run over me.” Doris M. Whisker, matron of the Reefton Hospital, detailed her examination of Miss Haldane and the accused. At first, witness said, she had found some difficulty in detecting a pulse when accused was lying prone on the line. Because she considered something might be seriously wrong with him, she had put him in the ambulance and had him removed to hospitaL Witness saw nothing to suggest that accused had had an epileptic fit. On further examination at hospital, she noticed accused's pulse was strong and normal. Witness tested his eyes. Whiteland gave witness the impression he was not genuine, she said. Accused opened his eyes and closed them quickly, after looking from side to side. Accused appeared to witness to be a peculiar man and an exhibitionist. Medical Evidence Dr. C. A. Heaphy. superintendent of the Reefton Hospital, said that he had known the accused as ‘‘Darkie’’ Whiteland for some six and a half years. He had examined the accused at the hospital on August 27. about noon. He found accused's reactions normal and the pupils of his eyes normal. His breathing was long drawn out and slow. Witness learned accused was suspected of having taken drugs and he used a stomach pump. When this was completed, accused opened his eyes, moved his head around and said he had a pain in his head. Witness said he formed the impression that accused was not unconscious, but merely acting. He saw accuse d again about 1.30 p.m., when he asl.sd witness to get his tablets. With Sergeant Wilkes, witness went to accused's hut, where he found several bottles on a small table. On one of the boxes was written: “No more taking drugs. Darkie.” There were three lots of tablets. The drugs were an anti-convulsion, a sedative, and a mixture of both. Accused said he had got the tablets from Dr. Quentin Baxter, of Christchurch. Accused, in reply to witness question about 5 p.m. the same day, said he could remember some of the events of the day, but added that he was hazy. There was no suggestion that accused had had alcohol. Dr. Heaphy said he carried out a post-mortem examination on Miss Haldane on August 28, and in his view death was due to hemorrhage and shock as a result of a bullet wound and death would have been instantaneous. Witness said he recovered two portions of a bullet. William A. T. Maguire, arms and ballistics expert. Wellington, detailed his examination of a .44 repeating rifle and cartridges and shells. The trigger was light, but safe at 2£lb. Evidence was also given by Selwyn Burt a shift clerk at Reefton, Ernest Albert George Provis. a railways labourer, and Hugh Alfred Cairns Rollon, a traffic assistant at Reef ton. The Court then adjourned.