Cord-strangling claim

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 5

Cord-strangling claim

A man. who is alleged to have murdered his wife by strangling her with a heater cord, had twice previously placed' the cord around her neck and threatened her “because she did not love him,” according to evidence given in the District Court yesterday.

the defendant, Raimoni Ulaula. aged 29, an unemployed Western Samoan, was committed for trial in the High Court on a charge of murdering his wife, Tise Ulaula. aged 33, in their flat in Aidershot Street, Aranui, on November 12 last year. He denied the charge, and elected trial by jury. After hearing depositions or statements of evidence from 23 prosecution witnesses.' Messrs J. B. Andersen and D. F. Prestney, Justices of the Peace, held there was sufficient evidence to commit the defendant for trial.

He was remanded in custody, pending trial in the High Court. Counsel (Mr M. J. Glue) reserved his defence. Mr N. W. Williamson appeared for the Crown. In his outline of the Crown's case Mr Williamson said the defendant had allegedly strangled his wife with a heater cord after threatening to do so on previous occasions. He had said his motive was jealousy, although that motive appeared to be without foundation.

Moa Tuiloma, a spray painter, said he had known the defendant since childhood

in Western Samoa. The defendant had lived in New Zealand about five years. He and his wife had married in March last year.

Mr Tuiloma said that on November 12. about 7 a.m.. the defendant telephoned him and asked if he could call and collect the children as his wife was sick. He drove there, and the defendant said his wife was upstairs resting, but when asked again he began to cry and said she was dead.

They went up to the bedroom and he saw her body lying face upward, and with bruising on her neck. The defendant told him he had put his fingers around her neck.

On the way to Mr Tuiloma’s house the witness asked the defendant why he had done it. ‘The defendant told him that at night-time, when they were upstairs and the children were crying downstairs, he had sent his wife down to attend to the baby.

He waited for a long time and went to check, and sawsome men jump from. a window. “That was all he told me." the witness said. Dr P. R. Kelleher, a pathologist, gave evidence of conducting a post-mortem examination on Mrs Ulaula. His finding was that deathoccurred from strangulation, from a ligature around her neck.

He concluded that the ligature used would have been a rope or cord about Icm in diameter, with a slightly

rough surface. He considered it w-as wrapped at least twice around her neck. Considerable force would have been used when the cord was wrapped around Mrs Ulaula’s neck. The cord had broken the skin almost completely around the neck. Dr Kelleher said that on November 26 he examined a length of electrical flex cord, handed to him by the police. Mrs Ulaula’s injuries were consistent with having been made by this cord. Dr Kelleher said his first examination of the body at the house at 10 a.m. on November 12 indicated that death had occurred about four to five hours before — betw-een 5 and 6 a.m.

Detective Sergeant B. M. Roswell gave evidence of interviewing the defendant later in the morning of Mrs Ulaula’s death. The defendant said he had killed her with a cord from a heater, and had then put the cord under a carry-cot mattress in their bedroom. The defendant told the detective that a month before, his wife had received a letter from her brother saying tljat the defendant was a bad man and was not good for her, and that he went to the pub.

The defendant came home from a pub to find his wife at a relative’s place and when he saw her she said she knew he had been at the pub and she was afraid. She returned, and a minister of religion later talked to them.

Later, Mrs Uluala stayed

with other people for a week, while the defendant lived byhimself.

The defendant said he asked the Lord what he should do — get Tise to come back, or kill himself. ’ Three weeks before her death he had been in the bedroom after Tiseand the children had come back from the family they had been staying with.

Tise went downstairs about 7 p.m. and he heard a noise at a window and saw a man climb out and run to his neighbouring flat.

He asked Tise why he had come and she said’she did not know. The defendant said he began thinking Tise was sleeping with someone else. The same night that he saw the man leaving he put the rope around her neck because he thought she did not love him or the children.

He put one turn around her neck and told her he would kill her. but did not pull it tight on that occasion. Two days before her death they had an argument and he put the rope around her neck again and told her he did not think she loved him.

“I put it around three times but when I see her nearly die I took it off," he defendant said.

He awakened early on November 12 and thought then that Tise did not love him any more. He then picked up the rope and put it twice around her neck. She said not to pull it too tight.

He told her she did not love him any more, and held the rope while pushing her head down.

He held the rope around her neck for 10 to 20 minutes. She made a choking noise. The children were in the same room but did not wake up.

After removing the rope he tried to blow into her mouth to wake her up.

He told the detective he went to a neighbours to telephone his friend and tell him to pick up him and the children.

Asked what he had thought about at the time, he said that when his wife died he wanted to kill himself. Cross-examined. Mr Roswell said the defendant's comment about asking the Lord what he should do was his only reference to religion during the interview.

Mr Roswell said he was aware the defendant had been admitted to Sunnyside Hospital since his arrest, and reports had been made on his mental condition. As far as he knew, the defendant had never been in trouble before.

Talosia Vanilau, a pastor of the Samoan Assembly of God. gave evidence of occasionally seeing Mrs Ulaula with marks on her.

On September 28 he was telephoned and he and his wife went to see Mrs Ulaula. Her face was “terrible”’ and she had thick lips and bruised eyes. The defendant was drinking beer and there were jars of beer in the sitting room.

The defendant said he was sorry about what had happened.

He told the defendant he had called to pick up Mrs Ulaula and the children. Mrs Ulaula said she intended staying away until things settled down. She stayed away from the defendant for two weeks. In October the defendant and his wife called at his church. The defendant said he was sorry for everything he had done and asked him to pray for them.