Lawyer attacked two women—Crown

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 7

Lawyer attacked two women—Crown

PA Auckland An Auckland laywer punched his mother-in-law, strangled his daughter unconscious, and threatened to kill both of them, it was alleged in the District Court at Auckland yesterday. The North Shore barrister, whose name was suppressed, appeared before Mrs A. V. Fitzpatrick and Mr W. R. Hamilton. Justices of the Peace, for a preliminary hearing. They committed him to the District Court at Auckland for trial. The barrister faced two charges of threatening to kill, one charge of assault on a female, one charge of injuring with intent and one charge of burglary.

For the Crown. Mr R Ladd said that about 3 a.m on November 16 the man drove to a flat where his adult daughter and mother-in-law, aged 83. lived.

He smashed his way through the glass pane in the door, shouting “I am going tc kill you both," said Mr Ladd.

The man went first to his daughter's bedroom, seizeo her and threatened to kill her.

Mr Ladd said the accusec then went into his elderly mother-in-law's bedroom seized her hands with one ol his hands, and started punching her The man then threw the woman from the bed. headfirst against the bedroom wall. He continued to punch her about the head and body The man's daughter then intervened, and the mother-in-law managed to escape. The man strangled his daughter until she was unconscious. saying he was going to kill her. the Crown alleged.

The lawyer then left the flat, and passed his mother-in-law who was lying on the concrete outside.

Spoken to by police later the man denied the allegations, saying "I did not touch her. I only spoke to her." said Mr Ladd.

The mother-in-law whose evidence was read to the Court, said that she could hardly w r alk for a week afterwards.

She said that her son-in-law smelt of drink but was

not drunk on the night. A constable, in evidence read to the Court, said that he went to the accused's house about 3.45 a.m. on November 16.

He heard a man groaning inside the house.

The policeman went in through a window and found the man lying naked in a pool of blood on the floor. He was taken to Auckland Hospital with deep wounds and gashes to his legs. The man told the policeman he had injured himself when he walked through his mother-in-law's glass door. Another policeman, who spoke to the laywer on November 19, said that the accused said his wife left him in 1981. He thought his wife was at his mother-in-law’s flat, and he desperately wanted to sepak to her.

All the witnesses' names were suppressed, and the man pleaded not guilty to all five charges. The lawyer was remanded on bail of $750 to March 16. His counsel. Mr R. Maclaren, said the charges would be strongly contested.