Police Evidence In Kasseybaum Trial

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30192, 25 July 1963, Page 14

Police Evidence In Kasseybaum Trial

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 24. Detonators were produced as evidence in the Supreme Court at Wellington today when the trial of George William Kasseybaum, aged 46, tin upholsterer, continued.

Kasseybaum is charged that between March 10 and 25 he was ain accessory after the fact of the escape from Mount Crawford Prison of Joseph William Coulter and Raymond Hopewell, and that he did receive, comfort, or assist them to avoid arrest. He is also charged with possessing housebreaking instruments, including fuses, detonators, plasticine and gloves. He also faces two charges of burglary, one of theft of £lO5 worth of clothing, and alternately. with receiving clothing

The trial is before the Chief Justice (Sir Harold Barrowclough). Mr W. R B ; rks. with hum Mr J H C Larsen. appears for the Crown, and Mr D S. Castle for Kasseybaum. Sergeant R. L. Wilkes told the Court that on April 13 he was in charge of a police party which went to the

premises of Kassey and Company at 21 Marion street There they found the accused's son, who had beeri sleeping on the premises A search was made of a rear room in which a bed and an old stove had been set up In a cupboard he found six sticks of coloured plasticin». Detective-Constable H. W. Haimona said that on Mau :h 28 he went to the premises of Cathie and Sons. Ltd . and Gordon and Gotch (N Z), Ltd. The offices of the latter firm had been entered. Inside there was evidence of an attempt to force open a strongroom and safe with the use of explosives There was multi - coloured plasticine splattered about the walls and floor

Detective-Sergeant J F. Collins said that on April 30 he went to a house at 40 Akatea road. Korokoro, with a police party Kasseybaum opened the door and after being introduced to thg police, invited them inside - lie told Kasseybaum they were making inquiries concerning the theft and stripping of three cars. He also told Kaaseybawm the stripping had occurred recently and that he had reason to suspect that Kasscybaum’s son, Daryl, and a man named Morton Doyle were responsible Kasseybaum replied that if that was the case, he knew nothing about it. Kasseybaum’s son was not in the house at the time and Kasseybaum invited the police to search the premises for car pans In a bedroom with two single beds in it the police found a carton containing a new pair of sports trousers. The waistband and the pocket label of the trousers had been removed. On the slats of a bed were four tins of Nobel No 6 detonators. Each tin contained 100 detonators and they were the type used with a safety fuse found at Kasseybaum’s business premises The police also found a length of black plastic-coated wire wound on to a short stick Attached to the end of it was what had every appearance of being an electric detonator Asked what he was doing with detonators about the house. Kasseybaum replied that he had never seen them before The hearing will continue tomorrow.