Woman Sent For Trial On Charge Of Killing Baby

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32396, 8 September 1970, Page 24

Woman Sent For Trial On Charge Of Killing Baby

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, September 7. A 20-year-old married woman, Susan Dorothy Roy, who denied the murder of her four-month-old son, Raymond James Roy, at Mosgiel on July 29, was committed for trial to the Supreme Court on September 14 by Mr T. A. Ross, S.M., after the hearing of depositions in the Magistrate’s Court today.

Mr R. J. Gilbert, with him Mr M. J. Knuckey, appeared for Roy and Mr J. B. Deaker prosecuted. Kathleen Maud Geary, of Mosgiel, said she had known Mrs Roy for a long time. She had taken delivery of the accused’s baby at Karitane on May 21, while Mrs Roy was at Cherry Farm. Mrs Geary said she looked after the baby for about two months until Mrs Roy was discharged. After this Mrs Roy came to see the baby, but did not at first appear very interested. Later she showed more interest. On the day of the baby’s death, Mrs Roy had telephoned about 9.45 a.m. and said the baby was missing. She said she had returned from up the street and the baby was not in the house where she left it.

David Alexander John Luke, a Mosgiel medical practitioner, said he had been shown the body of a baby when he went to 14 Severn Street, Mosgiel, at 11.30 a.m. on July 29. The body was wrapped in newspaper and enclosed in a plastic bag. There were extensive burns to the body. The accused said that the baby had vomited during the night and after its morning feed. She said she could not cope. She had put the baby on the fire. Elizabeth Florence Finlay, the next door neighbour of the accused, said that Mrs Roy came over about 10.40 a.m. and said the baby was missing. She left it sleeping while she went up the street and when she came back it was gone. Mrs Finlay said she went over with Mrs Roy to look for the baby. The accused

did not appear upset. She had borrowed a bicycle to go to the town.

Mr Ben Pearce, the accused’s great-uncle, and Mr Bob Pearce, the accused's father, arrived and asked that what she had done with the baby. At first she said he was missing, but then she looked upset and said she had killed him.

A neighbour, Mrs Patricia Colleen Friday, said she saw Mrs Roy walking along Severn Street at about 9.45 a.m. on July 29, carrying a large plastic bag which appeared to contain wrapped bread. She walked towards some trees. S About five minutes later she saw Mrs Roy returning without the bag. As the result of a telephone conversation she went over to the trees to look for the parcel. Later accused’s father

found the plastic bag containing the body of the child. The pathologist, Dr E. F. D’Ath, said he had viewed the incinerated body of the child at 14 Severn Street. From his detailed examination he concluded that the child died from incineration and asphyxia, other injuries, which included the severence of limbs, having been inflicted after death. The burns indicated that the body of the child had been turned laterally after it had first been placed on the fire. Constable L. J. Burt, of Mosgiel, said he arrived at 14 Severn Street at 11.29 a.m. Mrs Roy had acknowledged the parcel as her baby. Mrs Roy told him that she could not stand the baby’s crying any longer. She said she had been up with it for three hours the previous night. In a written statement Mrs Roy said: “I never wanted the baby. I didn’t love my baby. I liked other people’s children, but not my own." Mrs Roy subsequently said that after burning the baby she thought she would cut it up so that “no-one would know him.” She then left the baby in the sink to cool down before wrapping the body in newspaper.