Child’s murder admitted

Press, 26 February 1981, Page 1

Child’s murder admitted

PA Auckland A man who was now in Oakley Hospital had confessed to the murder of Alicia May O’Reilly, 1 aged six. and had included details of the crime known only to the police and those people who had lived with her, said the police officer who headed the 1 murder inquiry, Detective Inspector B. E. Matthews. yesterday. But the police had decided that they did not have enough evidence to charge the man with the murder and rape of the Avondale girl on- August 13, 1980, he said at an inquest into the death. After hearing Mr Matthew’s evidence, the Deputy Auckland Coroner, Mr M. Bowen, found that the child’s death had resulted from homicide by suffocation. He prohibited the publication of any details that could lead to the

identification of the man in Oakley Hospital. Mr Matthews told the Court that the night before the murder the Canal Road house where the girl had lived had been occupied by herself, and her. sister, Juliet, and four adults. The two girls had gone to bed about ' 8.30 p.m., sleeping in separate beds about a .metre apart. "About 5 a.m. one of the adults heard a noise outside but attributed it to cats fighting,” said < Mr Matthews. “Juliet woke at 7 a.m. One of the bedroom windows was open. The light bulb had been removed and bedding covered Alicia’s body and face. Juliet called to .Alicia, with no response, and then went to make breakfast.” Mr Matthews said that at 10 a.m. a visitor to the house had pulled back the bedding covering Alicia.

Although there had been no sign of violence it had been clear that she was dead. A pubic hair from the attacker had been found in the body fold of her right leg and a head hair on her pillow.

The man who had later confessed to the crime had suffered brain damage in a childhood accident and had the mental age of an eight-year-old. He had been interviewed in the presence of the superintendent of Oakley Hospital, Dr P. P. E. Savage. “Initially he denied any connection with the crime,” said Mr Matthews. “But later he said he had had a vivid dream of a small boy raping and suffocating Alicia on the night. The description he gave of this boy resembled his own background and he eventually admitted he was the boy.”

Mr Matthews said that

in a reconstruction at the scene of the crime the man had described how he had climbed through the dining room window, walked through the house, and removed the light bulb, throwing it out of the window. While in Alicia’s bedroom the man had had a mild fit and had had to be taken outside to x calm down.

As a result of what the man had said, his parents had committed him to Oakley Hospital. His bedding and clothing had been' seized but it had been found that he had washed himself and his clothing on the morn-' ing of the crime. The inquiry would re-, main open and matters requir i n g investigation would continue to be checked.