Inquest On Woman Who Fell From Building

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29829, 23 May 1962, Page 14

Inquest On Woman Who Fell From Building

(New Z‘aland Press Association)

AUCKLAND. May 22. There had been suspicion of suicide but on the evidence and inquiries made there was no evidence of that, the Coroner (Mr K. A Snedden' said in Auckland today at an inquest into the death of Virginia Hel'en Fairey. Miss Fairey. aged 25. dentist’s receptionist, died after a fall from a fifth floor window of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society’s building in Queen street on March 23 The Coroner found she died in Auckland Hospital on March 25 from multiple injuries received in the fall from the building Peter Barry Gower said he and Miss Fairey became engag d on March 21. On March 22 they spent an hour with a jeweller designing an engagement ring

He said Miss Fairey had tht background of a normal person During the last month to six weeks she had become rather moody He attributed some of these moods to a feeling of insecurity and anxiety “for us to get engaged”

Gower said he felt the feeling of insecurity was brought about by her life as a model, a broken engagement. and the death of her parents two years previously in a fire Gower said he spent an hour with Miss Fairey the day before the fall and she was "jubilant.” John Godwin Brown, who employed Miss Fairey, said he telephoned her between 9 a m and 9.30 a m on the morning of the fall and she seemed normal and happy

Anne Madeleine Perica Sutich, said she left her office m the fifth floor of the C.M.L building about 10 a.m to go for morning tea. On returning about 10.20 a m she found her office locked She went back to the office where she had had tea and was told a woman had fallen “I obtained a key to my office and on entering found the window open. It was then I realised the girl had fallen from my office window.’’ said the witness. “I do not think the window was open when I left it in the first instance." Miss Sutich said she noticed that a small table had been placed under the window

"There were a number of books on the table, one of them looked like it had been stood on as there were some marks on it which could have been made by a stiletto heel There were no signs of a struggle.”