Medical Tests Not Finished, Inquest Told

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30130, 14 May 1963, Page 13

Medical Tests Not Finished, Inquest Told

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY, May 13.

Barristers representing interested parties in the Bogle-Chandler inquest today asked for copies of post-mortem reports and medical analysts’ reports on the deaths.

One barrister submitted that the inquest should cease until police analysts and pathologists finished their tests. The inquest had been told these were not available yet as the tests were not complete.

Dr. Gilbert Stanley Bogle, aged 38, a New Zealand-born scientist, and Mrs Margaret Chandler, aged 29, were found dead on the bank of Lane Cove river, Sydney, on January 1 after a New Year’s Eve party at the northern suburb of Chatswood. The cause of the deaths has not yet been revealed.

Today’s requests came after Graham David Woodrow, an accountant, of East Lindfield. said he had identified Bogie’s body at the city morgue on January 2. Woodrow said his wife was a cousin of Mrs Vivienne Bogle, Bogie’s widow.

Mr W. D. T. Ward, appearing for Bogie’s relatives, asked the Coroner (Mr J. J. Loomes) for a copy of postmortem reports and medical analysts’ reports relating to Bogle.

“The relatives of Dr. Bogle are anxious to ascertain the cause of death,” Mr Ward said. “We seem to be reaching a point after five days that we have got to the body of the deceased. At least he has now been identified. “We desire to have access to this technical data to assist us in the examination of witnesses who will be giving this evidence and also others who identified the bodies and gave descriptions of what they saw on the spot at the river bank.”

Mr Ward said at an inquest into “two most unusual deaths” counsel should have this data so they might fully assist the Coroner.

He did not suggest any incompetence by the officers who had done this work and prepared evidence for the inquest, .or of anyone else who assisted. “We merely seek it so that the inquiry can be full.” Mr Ward said. Sergeant D. Goode, assisting the Coroner, said he had not received a copy of the post-mortem examination report. If he were asked to supply this, he was not in a position to do so. Analysts Still Busy He said he presumed that Mr Ward had been referring also to the report of the analysts. “I have not as yet received the statement from the analysts, because even now the analysts are still proceeding with their inquiry,” he said.

Mr A. D. Collins supported Mr Ward's application on behalf of the parents and three brothers of Mrs Chandler. Mr Collins said he had not yet been able to make the same application. “With some dismay, we do do not even know that Margaret Chandler is dead,” said Mr Collins. “The hearing is m its fifth day and we do not know this even now, except what we have ead in press reports, which have been notoriously inaccurate.” He said he had been “considerably handicapped” in asking questions of witnesses already called. He had “complete lack of knowledge” of the matters concerned. Mr Collins said he wanted it clearly understood he was not being critical of the officers concerned, but he was "somewhat surprised” to hear at this stage of the inquiry that the inquest had not before it this evidence or the post-mortem examination. Mr K. Murray, for Geoffrey Arnold Chandler, said he was “rather startled” to find that at this stage matters relevant to the inquiry had not been completed.

“Inquest Should Cease”

“If these inquiries are not completed, I submit that this inquest should at once cease,” Mr Murray said. “Who knows what the learned men may find that may eliminate what has been said over the last week?”

tails of the medical examination.

Mr Ward said he did not wish to be associated with any criticism of the proceedings. If the Coroner considered the analysts needed more time, he could give them it Mr Loomes said he would consider the application and give his ruling tomorrow when the inquest would re sume.

Earlier, three witnesses told what they had seen on New Year’s morning near Fuller’s bridge, close to where the bodies were found later in the morning. Eric McGrath, a sales demonstrator, of Bradfield Park, a northern suburb, was the first witness when the hearing resumed today He said he had driven his car on his way home in the early hours of January 1. down Millwood avenue, towards Fuller’s Bridge. Before reaching the bridge he had turned into Lady Game drive.

Asked by Sergeant D Goode if he had noticed any .vehicle on the left-hand side of Lady Game drive, McGrath said he had seen only one vehicle.

All he could say about it was that it was a dirty green colour, a small box-type car which he later identified as a Ford Prefect.

It had been parked four or five yards on the southern side of the bridge in Lady Game drive, facing towards the river bank. Small Boy He had not seen anyone at or near the vehicle. When he had driven about 350 yards from the car he had seen a small boy. He had stopped and spoken to the boy who said he wanted to go home and walked past.

McGrath said the presence of the boy had astounded him

He had come back to a track leading to the left, got out of his car and held the boy by the arm. He had asked the boy if he was lost and if he needed help. The lad, about 5 years old, seemed to be in a shocked state of mind and said: “No, no, no ... I want to go home.”

When he asked the boy if he could take him to the police station if he was lost, a man had appeared out of the bushes. The man had said it was not his boy. McGrath said his attention had been diverted by the boy trying to get away, and when he looked up again two seconds later, the man had disappeared. He was only a shortish man. “To my mind, I am satisfied it was Challis,” McGrath said.

McGrath said the boy had “mumbled something about having been to Middletons.” Then he had run away up the road. He told Mr W. D. Ward (for the relatives of Bogle) that the green car had been the only car in the area. It was a place where there were many secret parking spots for cars. Stopped At Bridge Maureen Sheila Sutherland, a telephonist, of Hornsby, a northern suburb, said she had attended a New Year’s Eve party at Bondi with George Colin Batchelor. They had left the party in Batchelor’s car about 2.30 a.m., driven some people to Leichhardt, then on the way home they had stopped at Fuller’s Bridge. Miss Sutherland said that after driving over Fuller's Bridge they had turned to the right at the first unmade path and driven to a gateway at the entrance to a golf course. They had turned left there and stopped the car, it then being about 3.50 a.m. As they drove along the path they had seen another vehicle. “There was a white car, more like a small station waggon, parked at the entrance to the track,” she said. She had not seen anyone near it

She and Batchelor had stayed at the end of the track for about 25 to 30 minutes, leaving about 4.20 a.m. Sergeant Goode: Now, did

something happen that caused you to leave’ Miss Sutherland: Not really, but we did see a gentleman He was more or less in the uphill part. He walked near our car, close to the river. Miss Sutherland said that at that stage it had been dawn, “but it wasn’t completely bright light.” After they had seen the nan on the track they had reversed the car and then driven back along the track. Witness Sobs Asked by Sergeant Goode how long after they had seen the man had they decided to leave; Miss Sutherland said: “As he came down the hill, I said,, ‘lt’s dawn, and we’re late’.”

At this stage, Miss Sutherland appeared upset and began to sob briefly. The Coroner told her: “Don’t upset yourself, Miss Sutherland.”

Just after the man had passed, Miss Sutherland said Batchelor started the car and it would have been six to eight minutes after they saw the man that they drove slowly along the track. They had not seen the man while driving back- towards Fuller’s Bridge road. This would have been about 4.20 or 4.25 a.m. Miss Sutherland said she had seen “quite a few” cars in the open parking area across the intersection from the track, but she was not able to describe them. “They (at least 10) were spread out across the area, and most of them were facing the river,” she said. Asked to describe the man she had seen the witness told Mr Ward she could not distinguish his face, but that he seemed to have been wearing a light-coloured checked shirt, dark trousers, and had his hands in his pockets. “It struck me he was not carrying anything,” she added. Miss Sutherland said she thought he had had a peaked cap on but that was just an impression. She did not know if he had worn glasses as she had not seen his facfe His shirt had not been hanging out, she told Mr Ward. Asked for any further description of ham, she said: “Well, I would say he had a dark complexion but did not have dark hair. It was light enough to more or less distinguish he had a cap on.” He had been walking quite ordinarily and looking in her direction. Asked whether there was anything about the man’s presence which concerned her at the time, she said it had seenfed odd. She remembered saying to ’■’atchelor that the man was not carrying fishing gear or anything and it seemed to her to have been an early hour to go walking. The man had got to the track, she said, about 25 to 35 minutes after her arrival. She had discussed the man with Batchelor and decided to go home, starting along the track eight or 10 minutes later. Miss Sutherland said that to her recollection the brown vehicle had been next to the road and the others were further along to the left. It had been parked on its own, close to the roadway. She did not know what type of vehicle it was, but it had been a small car. Car Off Track George Colin Batchelor, of Artarmon, a northern suburb of Sydney, said he had known Miss Sutherland for some years*' He said they arrived at the Fuller’s Bridge area about 3.30 a.m. or 3.45 a.m. A vehicle had been parked along a track off the main road. From memory it was a Mue car similar to a small station sedan.

They had stayed at the end of the track about 45 minutes. They had decided to leave as it was starting to get light—about 4.45 a.m. and after he had noticed a man walking across from the direction of the links. The man had walked to the back of his car, Batchelor said.

Asked by Sergeant Good to describe the man he had seen, Batchelor said the only thing he could recollect about the man coming across the golf course was that he

Mr Murray supported Mr Ward’s application for de-

had had on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He could not recall whether the man was tall or short. Batchelor said he had made up his mind to go after he saw the man. It would have been five or six minutes from the time he decided to go until he was driving out along the track—“no more than five miles an hour in low gear.” He had not seen the man while he was driving along the track. It was “nearly daylight” at that time.

It had been fairly light as he drove along the track and he had not seen anyone as he drove along or any movement on the left hand side of the track. He did not think the little car or station waggon he saw when entering the track had been there on the way out. Another Car He had a vague recollection of seeing another vehicle in an open area on the left aftbr crossing Fuller’s Bridge road, but there had been nobody in it or in the area. He thought it was a Ford Prefect, but could not remember its colour.

To the best of his recollection, from the time he left the lane at the golf course end until he went right out of the area, he had seen no person, apart from the man who passed his car. There had been another car parked in the bush farther up, but he could not remember seeing anyone in it. “Early For Golf” Batchelor agreed with Mr Ward that the man’s presence had disturbed Miss Sutherland. “I thought it was a bit early to start playing golf.” he said. Miss Sutherland had been so disturbed, he said, that they had decided to go home straight away. He had been on the lookout for this man when he drove along the track.

Batchelor, said he was confident he had seen a car parked on the Lady Game drive, but he was hot sure what distance it was from Fuller’s Bridge road. He remembered saying to Miss Sutherland: “There is another English car. a small one like yours.” Sergeant Parsons had asked him if he knew what a Ford Prefect was like. Slept In Tent Cecil George Styles, of Fuller’s Bridge, said the rear of his land extended down to the Lane Cove river. On New Year’s Eve he had had some friends at his home. A number of them had remained for the night, and as a result he and his wife had slept in a tent at the back of his home, about 20 yards from the river bank. He said that on normal occasions he could hear voices coming across the river, and could easily hear an “outcry” from the other side of the river.

Sergeant Goode: Were you shown a point on the opposite side of the river where it was alleged bodies of two people were found? Styles: I do not think I was shown it but I have seen it. I could see one body very plainly. The other was a bit obscured.

That was when the police were down there. It was practically directly opposite his yard. It was about 70 yards from his yard to the position of the bodies. Styles said when he got up at 5.30 a.m.. he had put some rubbish in a pit on the river bank, but had nor noticed any bodies. When the police arrived, he said, he had seen one body and later the other. After depositing the rubbish, he had returned to the tent and read a book from about 5.45 a.m. until 9 a.m. He had not heard anything unusual or any outcry or human voices from across the river, nor had he seen any movement whatever in the area.'

Asked had he heard any noise along the track before seeing the police. Styles said there was always a certain amount of noise, “but you don’t take any notice of it."