MURDER TRIAL Witnesses Tell Of Injuries To Girl

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30445, 20 May 1964, Page 3

MURDER TRIAL Witnesses Tell Of Injuries To Girl

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 1!) : A witness in the Supreme Court at Wellington today said he had heard the 19-year-old de facto wife of Rangi Hauinata Anderson screaming after continued thumping. Some time later Anderson had yelled for an ambulance.

The witness. John Peter Brown, was giving evidence in the trial of Anderson, a 27-year-ojd workman, who is charged with the murder of •Janet Ruth Coulson. Brown said Anderson and Miss Coulson were living across the passage from him in a Devon street house,. On returning home at 11.15 p.m. bn March 26, he had heard voices raised. This was followed by the thumping and screaming.

After telephoning for an ambulance. Brown said he went into Anderson’s room and found Anderson giving Miss Coulson mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Miss Coulson was on the .bed. Her eyes were swollen and black and there was blood around her nose. He noticed some skin off parts of her leg. Brown said he “would say she was more or less dying then.” Her legs were “bluey black” and they felt cold. Asked by the Crown Prosecutor (Mr . W. R. Birks) whether Miss Coulson and Anderson had previously seemed happy together. Brown said they had had arguments, but “joking ones.” He had never seen them come to blows. “Visits at Party” Helenor Jeffries, married, said that on the evening of March 26 she went to a party at Hune’s flat, arriving just before 10 p.m. It was a happy party wheri she.arrived and ■she did not notice anything I about AnderSon’s sobriety. He was riot behaving in any unusual manner. After a while trouble started. Miss Coulson, was sitting on a couch' and she heard her • say 'to Anderson, “I didn’t mean to, dear.” Anderson started fighting and Hune grabbed him to keep him away front Miss Coulson.

Anderson was trying to hit Miss Coulson but was stopped by Hune who pulled . him away. Anderson did not resist. " ■ •

.Anderson later picked up Miss Coulson under his arm and took her out of the door. At that stage., s.aid Mrs Jeffries, Anderson was drunk by the way he was acting and the fact that he was not standing up properly.

In answer to cross-examina-tion by Mr F. D. O’Flynn, for Anderson, Mrs Jeffries said she knew Miss Coulson quite well. She did not work regularly. There was nothing Mrs Jeffries could see that would stop her' working. In fact Mrs Jeffries thought she was lazy. Mr O’Flyhn: Did she tell you at some stage- that she was pregnant? Mrs Jeffries: Yes.. Did you ever discover if that were true or not?—No. “Good Deal to Drink” Danny Rimene; a labourer, said he lived at 41A Devon street and the evening bf March 26 he went to the pic-. tures and after that returned home to a party in the flat.

Anderson, Miss Coulson and a number of others were there and when he first arrived the party was “a bit quiet” but afterwards started | to get noisy. . An argument started between Anderson and Miss Coulson, The first thing Rimene saw was Anderson going for Miss Coulson’s throat with his hands. . Mr O’Flynn: These men had a good deal to drink? Rimere; Yes. Did Anderson seem to you to be pretty cross?—Yes. Mrs Jeffries told us Anderson didn : t touch Miss Coulson at all. Is that right?—No, You think he did?—Yes. Thomas Farrer, a medical practitioner, said that when he examined Miss Coulson she was unconscious. He could not detect her pulse or blood pressure. Her heartbeat was faint and rapid. Both eyelids were swollen.one eye was completely closed and the . other partially closed. Statement to Police She had several lacerations on her chin, a large bruise on-the back of her left hand, and abrasions on her right forearm and both knees. He gave her an injection and re-

quested an ambulance officer to continue administering oxygen.

A constable, Allan Hancox. j j said he found Anderson at the • foot of Miss Coulson’s bed sobbing. He heard Anderson tell another constable that it - was his fault. On the way to a police car Anderson had said: “She is dead.” Hancox said he had asked Anderson how he knew. Anderson had repelled: “She : s| dead. I was beating her for an hour.” '

John Oubridge Mercer, ipathologist, said he thought that the-injuries to Miss Coul-i son’s brain and the haemorrhage' which he found, over the surface of the brain were the cause of death. Noj alcohol had been found in the f specimens of her blood and; urine.