Third Day Of Hearing Of Murder Charge

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31586, 25 January 1968, Page 8

Third Day Of Hearing Of Murder Charge

Eighty pages of evidence had been typed and 33 witnesses had been heard when the third day of the lower court hearing of the charge of murder against Bruce Lawrence Richards, aged 38, a farmer, concluded in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mr H. J. Evans, S.M., is on the bench.

Richards is charged with murdering h i s brother, Robert James Richards, at Methven on or about November 8, 1967. He is represented by Mr R. A. Young with him Mr P. G. S. Penlington, and Mr C. M. Roper is prosecuting. Gordon Raymond Henderson, a wopl-elasser working on his own account, said that at 12.35 a.m. on November 8 he was driving from Christchurch to Mt Somers. While he was on the AshburtonStaveley Road a car passed him near Prossers Corner. As the car approached its lights were on full and he had to dick his lights twice before the other vehicle dipped. He estimated the speed of the other car, which was a big squat American car, at between 70 and 75 miles an hour. William John Taylor, a fire prevention officer and inspecting officer for the Christchurch Fire Brigade, said the seat of the fire at the residence of Robert Richards was the room at the back of the house where the heating unit was located. The whole floor could have been covered with an inflammable substance which could have been oil from the heater. There was a safety device on the heater which cut off the flow of oil to the burner. If it had acted correctly there should have been little or no fire around. Mr Taylor said he examined an upturned half-round threelegged table which was in the hall. In his opinion the table was upturned during the fire. He concluded that because the top of the table was clean. Serviced Cars Barry John McSweeney, a lubrication bay attendant, said be knew the accused by sight. He had a Plymouth station waggon and a new Chrysler Valiant car which were serviced by witness’s firm. On November 3 he gave the Valiant its 3000 mile check. The mileage was between 2980 and 3000. He covered the front seat with a sheet and did not leave any blood in the car. On November 1 he serviced the Plymouth station waggon which bad a mileage of 70,020. Peter Francis Boag, a farmer, of Mitcham Road Ashburton, said his property was adjacent to that of the accused. Between 11.30 a.m. and midday on November 3 he was double parked in Harrison Street, Ashburton, when he saw the accused drive up in his Valiant which he parked behind him. The accused went into the hairdressers. He did not see the accused make a U turn. Eric John Hastings Ingram, a hairdresser and tobacconist, said his business was at 61 Harrison Street The accused was a regular customer. On November 3 he first came into the shop between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. There were clients waiting and his wife came in and asked the accused if he was going to wait as it was getting near the time for an appointment The accused got up and said he would return later as he had to go down town for his car. The accused returned about 11.30 a.m. While he was waiting his turn he mentioned that he had to pick up his son at kindergarten. He left a few minutes after midday. From the time he came in on the second occasion until he left after having his hair cut the accused did not leave the shop, Mr Ingram said. Chair Ordered Trevor Michael Davies, a furniture salesman, said that in February of last year Miss Alma Smith, Robert Richards and a Miss Richards of Otley Street, came into the shop where he was employed. They placed an order for a chair which was made by an Auckland firm. Shown the burned leg of a chair Mr Davies identified it as the same type of leg which was on the chair which was purchased for the home of Robert Richards. He also identified burnt wire springs as the type that were in the chair. Joseph Francis Geoghegan, an engineer employed by the New Zealand Electricity De-

partment at Christchurch, said he inspected the electrical installations at the home of Robert Richards. There were three fuses blown on the main switchboard after the fire. One of the seven fuses was missing from the switchboard. He later received the missing fuse carrier from Detective Sergeant Meikle. “From tiie colour of the fuse and carrier I am fairly satisfied that it was the fuse missing from the board and that it had been out for a portion of the time ;while the fire was on,” Mr Geoghegan said. “It was a normal fitting and would not have fallen out on its own. The fuse was blown. It controlled the bedroom which I understand was used by the housekeeper, and one of the two lights in the ball. During the fire at some time the power was definitely on.” Police Evidence Detective Sergeant Robert Allan Meikle, of Ashburton, said he arrived at the Mount Hutt Station at 4.14 a.m. on November 8. The fire appeared to be under control at that time. While he was parking his car he saw the accused drive up in a black and white station waggon from the direction of Methven. A few minutes later he and Constable Jackways were approached by the accused and Mr Lewis. Witness asked the accused about his brother’s mental condition and how he had received word of the fire. The accused had said that Mr Lewis had telephoned his married man who had informed him, as hia own telephone was out of order on account of the wind. “I noticed that the accused had fresh scratch marks on his face and a piece of sticking plaster beside the right eye. I then began an examination of the house and the surrounding area and assisted Dr Treadgold in the removal of the body,” said Detective Sergeant Meikle. The large brick house with a double garage at the rear had suffered considerable fire damage. In Robert Richards’s bedroom he had found a cycle lamp with the switch in the on position but it was not showing any light He also found a silver and red torch, against the skirting of the south wall. The switch of the torch was off. There was no sign of disorder in the room apart from the torches lying on the floor. The door was closed but not locked. On the shelves to the west of the head of the bed was a wrist watch which was still going and showed 11.40 when he examined it It was two minutes slow. From clothing in the wardrobe he removed $lO3 in decimal currency and £23 12s 9d in old currency. Various smaller sums of money were found in other parts of the house, Detective Sergeant Meikle said.

Charred Chair Legs

In the front of the ball near where the feet of the body bad been be found some chair springs and portions of a chair leg and the back of a chair. The first time he saw the eharred portion of the chair leg it was difficult to tell where there was any more to it. That was the only portion which was recognisable. He could not distinguish between burned timbers from the house and what bad been chair legs. When the chair leg and back of the chair were lifted they left clear impressions on the carpet where they had been lying.

Near the back door of the bouse in the passage he found the charred remains Of a cabriole style chair leg. This

leg appeared to have been disturbed either during or after the fire. One end was sticking out of the debris. The chair leg left a mark on the linoleum.

Among the debris immediately below a fuse box on the north wall of the hall was a fuse carrier. The box had one fuse carrier missing from it. During the screening of material the smell of a substance similar to burnt kerosene was detected in various places in the hallway and heater room, said Detective Sergeant Meikle. Carpet from various parts of the house was cut into 51 squares of approximatley 18in by 20in. Each square was numbered, wrapped in plastic and handed to the Government analyst, said Detective Sergeant Meikle. Experiments Leslie Wilkinson, a senior chemist and scientist of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said that during November he carried out various examinations and experiments at the homes of Robert Richards and the accused. Experiments led him to the conclusion that the oil fuel line from the stop valve to the fusible link in the heating plant at Robert Richards’s house had been broken by hand. He concluded that before the fire was raging in the hall and before the ceiling collapsed that the three-legged semi-circular table had been overturned. This was indicated by the fact that the top of the table and the carpet beneath it were not burned. Mr Wilkinson said be was unable to find any skin tissue, hair or blood on the charred cabriole chair leg. The leg was so damaged by fire that these materials would have been destroyed had they been there. His attention was drawn to kerosene-like smells on several occasions in the house. His investigations into that matter were still continuing. He bad found a volatile petroleum product present in 17 out of 18 items of debris he had examined and this applied to fragments of pyjamas taken from the body of Robert Richards. The main seat of the fire was in the beating plant room and there was a secondary seat in the hall between the second bedroom and the front door. At the time of the fire the master switch of the electrie switchboard was on,> Mr Wilkinson said be had found no blood or skin on the cycles in the accused’s pump bouse. He inspected the accused’s Valiant car and found blood stain; in numerous places. They were on the front seat to the left of the driver and on the safety belt anchorages and there were minute spots on the steering wheel, dashboard and glovebox.