Coroner's Court Old Woman’s Assailant Not Found After Wide Inquiries

Press, Volume CI, Issue 30004, 13 December 1962, Page 12

Coroner's Court Old Woman’s Assailant Not Found After Wide Inquiries

Comprehensive inquiries by a large number of detectives had failed to locate the person seen standing outside the house of Miss Nell Woolley at 7.30 p.m. on July 25, the evening she was found lying unconscious across the gutter near her home, said Detective-Sergeant R. J. Crooks in the Coroner’s Court yesterday. Inquiries had covered the whole of New Zealand and were being continued.

The Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) found that Nell Woolley, aged 84, died at the Christchurch Hospital on August 3, the cause of death being fractures of the skull and cerebral hemorrhage, sustained when she apparently fell and struck her head on the curbing in front of her home, following a blow on the head by some person or persons unknown.

George Woolley, aged 84. a widower, said Miss Woolley was his sister. She had lived at 240 Hereford street for about 50 years. He believed that she kept very little money in the house. When the house was entered some time before July 25 he persuaded her to put £2OO in a Post Office account. She kept the house locked because she was afraid of intruders.

Evidence of seeing a man standing at the front door of Miss Woolley's house about 7.30 p.m. on July 25 was given by Graeme Rattray Chant, a joiner. He said he was passing about 7.30 p.m. on the way to visit a friend when he saw the man.

Ronald Alexander Dougherty, an employee of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln, said he was passing along Hereford street about 7 40 p.m. to. pick up a friend to go to the pictures when he saw a light through the front door at number 240. The light was not very strong. After experiments had been conducted by detectives he was sure the light he saw in the house was thait of a candle, Dougherty said. He passed an elderly woman walking towards the house and he was told that it was Miss Woolley. William Daniel Cody, of Diamond Harbour, an employee of the Lyttelton Borough Council, said he knew Miss Woolley. Until recently

he lived with his family next door to her home. About 7 45 p.m. on July 25 he went for a walk with his wife. They were returning home east along Hereford street and had almost reached 236 Hereford street when their dog drew their attention to a woman lying across the gutter. It was about 8.40 pm.

"She was in front of number 236 but close to Miss Woolley’s gateway. Her feet and the lower part of her legs were on the footpath,” said Mr Cody. "The remainder of her body was across the gutter and oo the road. "She was unconscious and the right side of her face was marked and there was blood on the road. I did not recognise her and the ambulance and police were informed. “When I returned home at noon the next day I noticed Miss Woolley's front door was slightly open and I looked inside and saw that a search had been made and I told the police.’’ said Cody. Detective-Sergeant Crooks said on July 26 he went to 240 Hereford street after information had been received that the front door of the house was open. He arrived at 1 p.m. and went in through the partly-open door. The key was in the outside of the lock. In the front bedroom two large drawers of a duchesse were open and the contents were lying on the floor. Two smaller drawers were on the double bed and their contents strewn about. A door of a wardrobe had been forced.

Two handbags in the sitting room were open and appeared to have been searched, said Detective - Sergeant Crooks. A sofa had been pulled out from the wall. In the rear bedroom a drawer of a duchesse was open and the contents were on the floor. Nearby was a candlestick and a box of matches. There were some matches on the floor of the room and in the hallway. The rear door of the house was locked and the key was on the inside. AU the windows were locked or pegged. "I examined the exterior of the house and there were no signs of forced entry,” the witness said. “On the concrete path there was a pool of blood and a set of dentures. There were blood stains on the paling fence and on the weatherboards of the house.

“At this stage, inquiries established that the injured woman, who was found unconscious on the footpath outside 236 Hereford street the previous evening, was the sole occupant of the house, Miss Nell Woolley. “I formed the opinion that some unauthorised person had gained entry to the house the previous night and had. made a search,” said Detec-tive-Sergeant Crooks. It would appear that Miss Woolley arrived home about 8 p.m., entered the house and. after taking off her hat and coat, placed them on a chair. There was some evidence that at times she was in the habit of leaving the front door keys beside the step, although on this occasion it was believed she had them in her handbag. “I could find no signs of a struggle having taken place in the house, nor were there any bloodstains inside It appears Miss WooUey was struck and fell to the ground at the corner of the house where the pool of blood was found and then she made her way to the footpath in Hereford street. She suffered some of her injuries from the fall on the footpath,” said Detective-Sergeant Crooks. ELECTRIC SHOCK

When an Army truck pulled up on the side of the Sheffield Valley road on November 4 its radio aerial was touching the 6000 volt power lines and a man, who came in contact with the truck was thrown to the ground, according to evidence. The Coroner found that Stanley Roy Frederick Allen, aged 36, died on the SheffieldCoalgate road on November 4. the cause of death being electrocution sustained when he came in contact with an Army vehicle whose radio aerial was touching the high tension overhead wires. Joseph Francis Geoghegan. a salesman, said that Allen was warned when he came up to the truck that the vehicle was giving shocks. Allen went round the back of the truck and was heard to call out in distress. He was found lying on the ground. Allen was wearing damp Army issue leather boots with metal heel and toe plates and was standing on swampy ground when the accident occurred, said Geoghegan. RUN OVER BY TRUCK The Coroner found that John Dudley Barrett, aged 31, died at the Lyttelton Harbour Board’s quarry on Auguse 17, the cause of death being shock due to multiple injuries sustained when he was run over by a truck driven by Roy Malcolm Williams.

Williams. aged 29, a track driver, said he drove his Euclid truck up the ramp to the servicing area. He saw Barrett walk towards one of the other drivers and toe did

not know he had hit him until he got out of the truck. He was travelling about three or four miles an hour at the time. James William Powick. a truck driver, aged 35, said the Euclid truck had no rear vision. On the morning of August 17 he was waiting to pump up a tyre when he saw Barry Smith using an air hose and Barrett was talking to him. "About 10 seconds later I saw Barrett walking backwards in a stooped position, pulling the hose which appeared to have caught on something," said Powick. "Barrett was struck in the back and the right rear dual wheels of a truck passed over his body. The noise was very ioud at the time as the Euclid trucks were warming up,” Powick said. FELL INTO TIN Karen Jane Wilson, aged eight months, was found to have died on October 15 in a car outside 181 Milton street, the cause of death being asphyxia due to compression sustained when she fell head first into a four-gallon tin. Jean Willson, aged 22. of 41 Liverton crescent, said on the evening of October 15 she went with her husband to visit her mother-in-law at 181 Milton street. They arrived at 8.55 p.m. and tlhe baby, who was in a deep sleep, was left on the seat of the car parked outside the house. They intended to remain only a short time. About 9.10 p.m. she went to the cir to get the baby to show her mother-in-law, Wilson said. The rear seat was empty and the child was found with its head in an empty kerosene tin upright on the floor. When lifted out she was limp and she was taken to tlhe Christchurch Hospital. CHILD’S DEATH

Denis Francis Williams, aged three, was found to have died on November 1 at 288 Condel'l avenue, the cause of death being spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage. Winona Hestin, a married woman, said she was looking after the child. He was very pale and listless. Some days earlier he had fallen and he also had a fight with another boy. Detective-Sergeant G. B. Riach said he had made a full investigation into the boy’s death. He had been cared for by different persons since shortly after birth While both parents worked. He was satisfied the child was not subjected to any violence or criminal neglect. SUICIDE VERDICT Georgina Mutu, aged 22. was found to have committed suicide on September 30, the cause of deaith being asphyxia due to poisoning.