Girl admits charge of manslaughter

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 15

Girl admits charge of manslaughter

I PA ' Wanganui) ! A girl, aged 17, admitted! a charge of manslaughter! I when she appeared in the Magistrate’s Court at Wan-! ganui on Friday and was! [committed to the Supreme) [Court for sentence. Kristin Wealleans, unem|ployed, pleaded guilty to administering a prescription poison to Mrs Dorothy Stewart Thwaites on August 27 which caused her death, thereby committing manslaughter.

Mrs Thwaites died in Wanganui Base Hospital on August 31. Mr D. Lowe, S.M., said he had in writing from the defendant a request that she be brought before the Court to plead guilty on the manslaughter charge. On that charge she was convicted and committed to the Supreme Court in Well-

ington for sentence on Octo-j ber 12. The Magistrate said hej icould see no reason why the! ■matter should be delayed. He; !asked for a probation report; Ito be prepared and ordered [that the remand be in cusi tody. Wealleans also entered guilty pleas to nine other charges. She admitted a charge of failing to report to her probation officer on March 8 at Manurewa. Counsel (Mr M. H. W. Lance) said the defendant had left the district and had failed to notify probation. She had not reported since.

In the circumstances, the only alternative was to impose a short term of imprisonment, said the Magistrate. She was convicted, and sentenced to one month’s jail. To six other charges involving withdrawing money

from the Post Office and the! Bank of New South Wales: accounts held by Mrs I Thwaites — three of forgery and three of uttering — she [also entered pleas of guilty. The sums of money involved totalled $550.

The Magistrate declined an application for summary jurisdiction in respect of the offences and convicted her and committed her to the Supreme Court on the same date.

Two other charges, one of fraud and one of forgery, had been amended. Wealleans had earlier been convicted of these charges under another name. She will also face sentence in the Supreme Court on these.

An alternative charge, that of stupefying Mrs Thwaites to facilitate the crime of theft, was withdrawn.

Mr F. F. Latham prose, cuted.