Youth Charged With Wounding

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31598, 8 February 1968, Page 1

Youth Charged With Wounding

Christchurch detectives inquiring into the attack on a 61-year-oid widow at her home in Sydenham about 5 p.m. on Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old youth last evening. He will appear in the Magistrate’s Court this morning on charges of aggravated wounding and arson.

Mrs Adeline Bartie returned to her house at 259 Colombo Street about 4.45

p.m. from her work in a sauce factory. About 5.20 p.m. she went to a nearby used car yard, dazed aud dishevelled. The police, ambulance and fire brigade were called. Fires in three rooms of Mrs Bartle's house were put out. Mrs Bartie was admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital. Her condition is satisfactory. She told the police she had been tied hand and foot and shut in a wardrobe. Detective Inspector M. T. Churches said last evening that 15 detectives and uniform police had worked until 2 a.m. yesterday and resumed at 8 a.m. today. The names of persons who had called a". Mrs Bartle's house in the last six months were ascertained. Delivery men, visitors, tradesmen and a number of other persons were questioned. All had legitimate reasons for calling at the house, Detective Inspector Churches said. The name and description of a young man said to have been involved in an incident in the city on Wednesday night was given to the police.

“The incident was not an offence, and was not in Sydenham,” Detective Inspector Churches said. “All police patrol cars were alerted early this afternoon, and the young man was sighted in 50 minutes.

“The young man agreed to come to the Central Police Station. He made a statement and was arrested by Detective Sergeants J. A. Dawson and B. J. Preston,” Detective Inspector Churches said.