Submissions By Defence In Manslaughter Case

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29748, 15 February 1962, Page 14

Submissions By Defence In Manslaughter Case

(New Zealana Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Feb 14.

The defence evidence showed that even if Mauretania Patricia Rene Crompton. aged 22, married, was resoonsible for injuries to her baby, nothing she did resulted in its death, her counsel. Mr N R Taylor, submitted in the Supreme Court at Wellington today Crompton is charged with the manslaughter »f her baby. Elsie Elaine Crompton, and. alternatively, with ill- • resting the child so as to cause it actual bodily harm and with wilfully ill-treating it She is also charged with wilfully ill-treating ano’her child. Moana Doreen Crompton

W iliam Stewart Alexander, a pathologist, said that from •he post-mortem findings and his inspection of hospital records relating to Elsie Crompton be had concluded that the immediate cause of death was meningitis and the condition leading immediately to that was otitis media He considered there was no connexion between the results of the injury and the develooment of otitis media Asked b’ the Crown oros“cu’or iMr J D Murray' whether it was “iu 4 pure eoinc’dence" that ths child had a fracture and otitis media developed to cause death Alexander said he “supposed ’het would be correct ” He was not “really prepared to go further than to say that

the fracture had no direct causative relationship to the otitis media ” Child’s Health

Lester Wycherley Suckling a medical practitioner, sail the accused formerly was a patient of his The child Moana had suffered from sicknesses common to infants He had not been anxious about Moana’s physical condition.

The last occasion he visited Moana was in August. 1960 said Suckling She then appeared to be healthy and in relatively good condition On one occasion he had not been satisfied svith the accused’s exolanation that the child had fallen from a chair. Suckling said he had visited •he accused's home in Milne terrace. Island Bay. about 18 times during a period of three months Cleanliness in the home was somewhat less ’han average and the general environment was appalling Suckling said he treated the accused for an anxiety state He thought she was unduly anxious about the babv’s condition and was in a state of tension. At that ■ime Moana had heen clean ar'’ T-oDeriv cared for. David Fung, a medical practitioner, said that on April 29. 1961. when he was a senior house surgeon at Wellington Hospital, the child Moana was admitted to the children’s ward and was thought to have had an epi-

leptic fit. There was bruising on a third of her abdomen and on her legs. Bernard Treister, a junior house surgeon at Wellington Hospital, said Moana was pale and dirty id there was evidence of bruising on her mouth. She was restless and vomiting An X-ray showed no evidence of fractures or any gross abnormally Margaret Neave, a medical practitioner, said that on November 8 last she examined Moana, then aged one year and five months, at the Child Welfare receiving home at Miramar. The child had reasonable muscular development and was in “a fair state of nutrition.” She had bruises on her forehead, on both sides of her cheeks and on the bridge of her nose There were scratches on her face and bruises on her thighs. Neighbour's Evidence Hine Ryland, a housewife, said she had resided in the downstairs portion of the flat occupied by the accused and had known her for two years She had seen the accused beat the child Moana “very badly " When in a bad temper the accused would thrash the baby and throw it down The accused asked the witness tor her advice about the care of the baby and then disregarded it When the accused threw the baby down she remonstrated with her and they “both had words.” Mr Justice Hutchison heard final addresses *rom counsel today and said he would sum up tomorrow.