Murder Charge Reduced
(NZ. Prest Atsociation) WELLINGTON, May 16. A charge of murdering his wife preferred against Te Aroa Pureau, aged 28, a slaughterman, was withdrawn by the Crown today in the Supreme Court at Wellington and a charge of manslaughter was substituted. Pureau pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and the Chief Justice (Sir Richard Wild) remanded him for sentence. The Crown prosecutor (Mr W. R. Birks) said that on the night the accused’s wife, Nga-
mata Pureau, died, he was arrested and charged with murder. A preliminary hearing of that charge took place on April 19 and 20. From the medical evidence recorded at that hearing it was shown that the woman's death was due to drowning, and it did not preclude the possibility that this was due to a misguided attempt by the accused to revive her with water after she was rendered unconscious by blows he had struck.
It seemed the evidence could not establish one of the
essential elements of murder and he asked that the indictment be amended to one of manslaughter.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CV, Issue 31062, 18 May 1966, Page 25
Word Count
178Murder Charge Reduced Press, Volume CV, Issue 31062, 18 May 1966, Page 25
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