MURDER CHARGE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27670, 28 May 1955, Page 8

MURDER CHARGE

Death Of Southland Man

ACCUSED REMANDED TILL JUNE 2

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, May 27. Harvey Eric Allwood, aged 34, a labourer, of Makarewa, and formerly of Auckland, appeared before Mr J. D. Willis, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court this afternoon on a charge of murdering John Joseph Hughes at Te Anau on or about March 15. Allwood was not asked to plead, as a police request for a remand until June ’2 was granted by the Magistrate after the accused had consented.

Allwood has been in custody in Dunedin for a week on a charge of false pretences, on which he was arrested at Wanaka. ‘During that time, he has been’questioned several times about the disappearance of Hughes, who was last seen alive at Dunedin on March 14. Hughes’s body was found in the Eglinton Valley, 44 miles from Te Anau, on Thursday. Allwood was with the police party when the body was found.

On the three occasions that he has appeared in Court—once at Cromwell and twice at Dunedin—Allwood has not been represented by r . counsel. A further remand is expected to be sought by the police on June 2, and the preliminary hearing of the charge will be held at Invercargill. A rifle belonging to Mr Hughes has not yet been recovered and the officer in charge of the investigations (Detec-tive-Inspector F. N. Aplin) said tonight that its recovery was still under consideration. It was possible that it could not be recovered.

Just before 1 p.m. today, DetectiveInspector Aplin and Senior-Detective Macdonald Brown, of Christchurch, formally charged Allwood with murder.

When the case was -called in the Magistrate’s Court, Allwood was escorted from the cells by Detective J. W. Sawyers. Although it was generally expected that a charge of murder would be laid today, there was no public interest in‘the sitting. Detective-Sergeant G. W. Alty, who is in charge of the Criminal Investigation Branch at Dunedin, appeared for the police, and sought a remand until June 2. Allwood wjll also appear on that date on the false pretences charge.

Inquest Opened An inquest into Hughes’s death was opened and adjourned by Mr Willis as Coroner.

Alan Hughes, of Dimedin, gave evidence that he last saw his brother alive on March 14, when the latter left Dunedin with anothen man with the intention of returning to Makarewa. He was able to identify dentures and boots as the property of his brother. Detective-Inspector Aplin and SeniorDetective Brown left for Invercargill to make further inquiries. They will remain there for about a week before Senior-Detective Brown returns to Christchurch. DetectiveInspector Aplin will return to Dunedin before leaving to take over his normal administrative duties in the Criminal Investigation Branch at Auckland.

Today, Detective-Inspector Aplin said that, on behalf of the Police Department, he wished to thank the public for the co-operation and assistance given to the police during their inquiries.

He particularly mentioned the manager and employees of the Makarewa freezing works, who, he said, had given their time and assistance cheerfully. He also paid a special tribute to the police who had worked on the investigations, for their excellent teamwork.

Early this afternoon there was no report available on bloodstains found in Hughes’s car, nor on a post-mortem examination conducted this morning on his body.