Rifle-shot experiment

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32540, 25 February 1971, Page 3

Rifle-shot experiment

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Feb. 24. | An experiment in which a bullet was fired through the Crewe house kitchen window was described in the Supreme Court at Auckland today. Dr D. F. Nelson, a scientist with the D.5.1.R., was giving evidence at the trial of Arthur Allan Thomas on two charges of murder. Thomas, aged 32, a farmer, of Pukekawa, is charged that on or about June 17 at Pukekawa he

murdered David Harvey Crewe and Jeanette Lenore Crewe. The trial is before Mr Justive Henry and jury. Mr D. S. Morris appears for the Crown, with him Mr W. D. Baragwanath. Thomas is represented by Mr P. B. Temm, Q.C., with him Mr B. Q. Webb. NIGHT LIGHT Dr Nelson said that on October 13 he went with Detective Inspector B. T. N. Hutton to the Crewe farm. “A question had arisen as to whether it would be possible at night, using the house illumination, to fire a shot through the louvre windows (in the kitchen) and hit a target such as the head of a man sitting in the armchair in the dining room,” he said. Mr Hutton had set up the position of the chair and an aiming mark was put up in a position where it was considered the victim’s head had been. '

“I then stood on the low brick wall beside the (back) steps with my right foot on the wall and my left foot on the window sill.

“I put the muzzle of the rifle through the top louvres and I put a bullet within an inch of the aiming mark.” “And your conclusion?” asked Mr Baragwanath. “That it was quite possible, in fact relatively easy, to shoot accurately at a target in the armchair using the room lighting in the sittingroom from the position where I was,” Dr Nelson replied. Cross-examined by Mr Temm, Dr Nelson said the louvres did not interfere with the amount of depression necessary to fire at the aiming mark. The barrel of the rifle had not touched against the louvres and made a noise. But to strike the louvres with the barrel it would have only needed to move an inch or two. MARKS CONSISTENT Dr Nelson said markings on the fragments of the bullet which killed Mr Crewe showed it was consistent with having been fired in the same rifle as the bullet which killed Mrs Crewe. Could it be concluded then, asked Mr Temm, that the bullet from Mr Crewe could have been fired from another rifle?

“It may have,” said Dr Nelson.

He agreed that after testing the 64 rifles handed to him by the police he was left with Thomas’s Browning rifle and a Remington rifle. Mr Temm asked if the bullets from both Mr and Mrs Crewe might have been fired by the Browning. Dr Nelson: Yes. They might have been fired by the Remington?—Yes. And they might have been fired by another rifle altogether that you have not tested?—Yes. Referring to the cartridge case found at the Crewe house, Mr Temm asked: “Are you able to say that the bullet that killed Jeanette Crewe came from the cartridge case? —No. Are you able to say that the bullet that killed Harvey Crewe came from that cartridge case?—-No. POLICE VIEW Mr Hutton said that at a conference of police officers on October 11 the suggestion arose for the first time that at least Mr Crewe might have been shot from outside the house. It was then decided to carry out a reconstruction of what might have happened. Only when the reconstruction showed that Mr Crewe could have been shot through the louvre window was it understood why the offender had left an outside light on. Until then this had been a complete mystery. Mr Hutton said he first spoke to the accused on October 22 and asked him for authority to inspect papers

held by his solicitor. This authority was given. He also asked the accused if he could recall anything more about the trailer. The accused had said he remembered it being painted blue and then made the remark: “Now they have found one of the wheels it appears that’s it.” TESTS QUERIED Earlier, another D.S.I.R. scientist, Rory Shanahan, who yesterday told the court that markings on cartridges found on the Crewe farm matched markings on cartridges testfired from Thomas’s rifle, was

Mr Shanahan said today that the bullet fragments alleged to have come from the body of Mrs Crewe consisted of one larger piece and 11 smaller ones. To Mr Temm, he said he did not know the over-all length of a .22 bullet or the weight of it. Referring to a photograph produced in court, Mr Temm suggested that markings on the bullet case did not match.

Mr Shanahan said he could not agree; his findings were not based on the photograph. Mr Temm: How many cartridge cases did you compare with the case said to be found at the Crewe farm? —Three test-fired by Dr Nelson and 14 which I test-fired from the exhibited rifle. Mr Temm: Did you compare cartridge cases from other Browning rifles like this.—No. In re-examination Mr Baragwanath asked Mr Shanahan to comment on the acceptability of a comparison

made by enlarging photographs. Mr Shanahan said each photo he took of the cartridge cases was to indicate a particular point. Such enlargements could not be used for any direct comparison; photographs at best were a good illustration of what was seen through the comparison microscope. The lighting was very critical in examining marks. “NO DOUBT” Mr Baragwanath: What is your opinion as to the source of the Crewe cartridge. And the test cases?—l know the test cases were fired by the exhibited rifle. I have no doubt the Crewe cartridge case was fired by the exhibited rifle.

The Crown is nearing the end of its case against Thomas. Mr Hutton began his evidence late this afternoon and the defence is expected to open its case tomorrow.

Meccano officers.—The following officers were elected at the recent annual meeting of the Christchurch Meccano Club: president, R. Boundy; vice-presidents, E. A. Gay and L. Brears; secretary, D. R. Swap; treasurer, L. Pluck; auditor, E. A. Gay; committee member, C. Clarke; librarian, S. Hamilton; deputy librarian, W. Stuart