MANSLAUGHTER VERDICT

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28217, 4 March 1957, Page 11

MANSLAUGHTER VERDICT

Jury’s Finding In Dunedin Trial (New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, March 3. Lillian Clark, aged 20, was yesterday found guilty by a jury in the Dunedin Supreme Court of the manslaughter of her eight-months-old son. Phillip Geoffrey Skilton. Clark had been charged with the murder of the child at Ngapara on the night of October 10-11. Clark, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by Mr J. E. Farrell and Mr D. L. Wood. Mr H. S. Adams and Mr J. B. Deaker appeared for the Crown. The Chief Justice (Sir Harold Barrowclough) in his summing up, told the jury that primarily, it had to determine from the evidence whether the child Skilton met his death in an accidental fall from his mother’s arms, or whether his injuries resulted from violence applied by the mother in some unlawful act. His Honour said that if an unlawful act cauged the death of the child, the jury was required to decide if the act was designed to cause the death of the child or was an act of recklessness in which the mother did not care if the child lived or died. If the jury found the former, Clark was guilty of murder. If, however, the unlawful act was not designed to cause the death or serious injury of the child, the jury could bring in a verdict of manslaughter. If the jury found, however, that the child’s death resulted from an accidental fall, Clark must be acquitted of either murder or manslaughter. The jury reached its verdict after a 45-minute retirement.