Manslaughter Charge

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32392, 3 September 1970, Page 7

Manslaughter Charge

A 22-year-oM woman caused the death of her fourth chilli by administering a beating a few hours before she v> jik into hospital to have her fifth child, the Crown alleged in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The child, Maree Alice Peters, aged two, died on June 16, the same day as her mother, Alice Evelyn Peters, gave birth to her fifth child.

Mrs Peters is charged that, on June 15, by striking Maree Peters, she committed manslaughter. She was represented by Mr P. H. T. Dawson. Mr B. McClelland, with him Mr C. A. McVeigh, appeared for the Crown. After hearing the evidence, Messrs L. C. Fulford and J. C. Cottrell, Justices of the Peace, committed Mrs Peters to the Supreme Court for trial.

In evidence, Detective Sergeant Neville John Stokes said he interviewed Mrs Peters in Christchurch Women’s Hospital on June 17. He told her he was inquiring about the death of her daughter on the previous day. When he asked if she had given Maree a hiding on June 15, she nodded and hung her head. She said: “She was just getting me down, and when she dropped the milk, that was the last straw.” In answer to subsequent questions, Mrs Peters said: “I was hitting her about the face and head for several minutes, I suppose. I just kept hitting her until I calmed down again.”

Detective Sergeant Stokes ! said he then asked her if she I normally hit her children [about the head. Accused replied: “I used to grab her by the arm and hit her where I could—l suppose the head [was closest” Mrs Peters said she had been worried because of her ! pregnancy and about her hus[band coming back to Christ[church, and when the children played up, it got too much for her, Detective Sergeant Stokes said. She said she had been harder on Maree because she could not talk, and could not tell anyone what she did. James Millson Woodcock, at present a prison inmate, said he had lived with the ac-1

cused since about August, 1969. He said that he had been looking after Maree and her sister on June 16 while their mother was in hospital. About 9.45 a.m. he had lost his temper with Maree and had pushed her so she fell down a step into the kitchen and had hit her head hard on the stove. He thought he had killed her, because she did not regain consciousness. After taking her pulse and heartbeat, he telephoned for an ambulance. Alan Rex Malaquin, the ambulance driver, said he had found Maree lying on the floor of her bedroom. She was bleeding slightly from the nose and mouth. He showed Mr Woodcock how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which he did while witness drove to Christchurch Hospital.. Dr Robert Duncan Scott, the senior casualty officer, said the child was dead on arrival at 10.30 a.m. Dr Patrick Robert Kelleher, a pathologist, gave evidence of performing a post-mortem examination. He found no lacerations or marks on the scalp, but found a deep scalp haemorrhage which was between 12 and 24 hours old. The haemorrhage measured about 4in by sin, and was accompanied by bruising over the vertex of the skull. There was a clot of blood about 3in by 2in under the skull, and extensive blood overlying the tentorium on the right side. There was bruising of the neck muscles and the spine, and bite marks on the tongue. In his opinion, the cause of death was head injuries. The accused was granted bail, with two sureties, and the condition that she live with her aunt or father, neither of whom had children.