Rape and murder of widow denied

Press, 30 July 1985, Page 4

Rape and murder of widow denied

The trial began in the High Court before Mr Justice Holland yesterday of Samuel Dion Hohua, aged 34, a sickness beneficiary, who pleaded not guilty to two charges of burglary and charges of the rape and murder of a widow, Ellen Mary Dixon, aged 72, at her flat at 398 Lincoln Road on February 1, 1985. The Crown, represented by Messrs G. K. Panckhurst and R. Neave, will call 21 witnesses. The accused is represented by Messrs L. M. O’Reilly and M. J. B. Hobbs. Mr Pankhurst said that the Crown’s case was that the accused drank at the Black Horse Hotel in Lincoln Road in the late afternoon on February 1, remaining until the early evening. During that time he was short of money. He made overt sexual advances to a female customer at the hotel. He left the hotel about 8 p.m. or 8.30 p.m. to go to a hamburger bar, said Mr Panckhurst. The accused sat for a moment on the fence at 39 Lincoln Road. Unfortunately he then,entered Mrs Agnes Rawson’s flat through into a bedroom. He then entered Mrs Dixon’s adjoining flat, leaving his finger prints on the inside of the window glass, said Mr Panckhurst. The accused searched in

the back bedroom. He was disturbed by Mrs Dixon, who was struck and ended on the bed, where she was kicked unconscious. At that point her head was covered, using bed clothes, then her lower underclothes were removed and sexual intercourse took place, said Mr Panckhurst. The accused left the flat, taking a woman’s change purse and returned to his flat in Domain Terrace. He put on a red jersey, took off his jeans, and returned to the hotel where he drank for a short while until closing time, said Mr Panckhurst. Mrs Andrea Hutchins, a niece of the deceased, said that at 9 a.m. on February 2 her two children went to Mrs Dixon’s, but one telephoned and Mrs Hutchins went herself. She said she noticed the bedroom windows were open and the drapes drawn. Mrs Hutchins said that her aunt was always particular about having the windows closed and locked them at night. She would not have opened the front door at night. It had a chain on it. Mrs Hutchins said she then called Mrs Dixon’s daughter, Mrs Josephine Chappell. Mrs Chappell said in evidence that her husband had fitted extra locks to both doors after her

mother’s flat was burgled two years previously. Mrs Chappel said that her mother was a widow and had lived at the flat for six years. She identified the charred remains of a change purse as the same as one made of kangaroo skin which her mother had brought from Australia. Sepa Okiwa Hohua, aged 47, a painter, said that the accused was his brother and had come from Taneatua in the east coast of the North Island to stay with him for just over a week before February 1. He said he went to drink at the Black Horse Hotel on the Friday, February 1, and the accused was there. On Sunday morning he noticed smoke coming from the incinerator. The accused had said that he was burning some letters. Under cross-examination from Mr O’Reilly, Mr Hohua said that he was from a family of 19. He had left Taneatua when the accused was a boy. He agreed that the accused used to “smash things up” when he was a boy, but did not know that he used to take pills or had

gone to a school for the retarded, said Mr Hohua. Mr Hohua agreed that the accused had tried to get a job when he came to Christchurch and had started “hitting the booze” whe he didn’t get a job. Jacqueline Margaret Raymond, aged 27, said that she was living with the accused’s brother, Sepa, in January, and in the previous few months and on February 1 went to the Black Horse Hotel. The accused was there drinking and playing pool. She did not think he was affected by drink. She said that on the Sunday morning she saw jeans, underpants and socks on the washing line. She had not washed them. The accused was up when she got out of bed about 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. A woman told the Court that she. worked with Sepa Hohua last summer. She drank with Sepa, the accused and others on February 1. The accused had previously “gone to bed” with her and wanted to go to her place again that night because he said he was “frustrated,” she said. The trial continues today.