THE LAST STAGES

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 130, 29 November 1932, Page 5

THE LAST STAGES

FLOOD MURDER TRIAL 1

COUNSEL ADDRESS JURY .— ■ i

(By Telegraph.—Press Association).

BLENHEIM, 28th November. The trial of Edward Tarrant, who it charged with the murder of James Flood at Picton on 3rd November, 1931, is nearing its final stage. Yesterday;

—the sixth day of the hearing—the case for the Crown was closed and counsel addressed the jury. To-morrow morning his Honour Mr. Justice Blair will sum. up. • - '

Mr. Evan Parry, counsel for-the. accused, announced that it was not proposed to call evidence for the defence.

Mr.- P. S. K. Macassey, the Crowa Prosecutor, then addressed the jury.' Ho referred to the brutality of the crime,which. lie described as a* deliberate, cold-' blooded murder. He reviewed the evidence in detail, and submitted thi't the accused fitted all the requirements of the murderer. He was in the vicinity, of the old man's cottage at the time; he know of his wallet j he was desperately in need of money; he used an axe in expert fashion. The motive, the Crown suggested, was robbery, and he traversed the evidence to show that the accused was in financial difficulties. Hii story of his movements on the/night o£ the murder had been proved incorrect in essentials. Prom March to Juna after the murder he cashed £210 in, notes in Blenheim. In regard to the accused's story of finding the wallet, under a hedge, if it was there on 3rd November it was there on ljth November, and an exhaustive search by th« detectives failed to discover it.

The crown, submitted that the ao cused's whole story was impossible. ■'■' Mrt Parry. addressed the jury, at great length. He said that there-was no evidence that an axe had been.used in the murder. If an axe were used, there'was no evidence that the axe belonged to Tarrant. , He submitted that the accused's later story of finding the wallet was substantially true. There was-no direct evidence connecting thai accused with the crime, only a number of: circumstances ■ pointing toward the. prisoner. Before the jury could act on it, it should be circumstantial evidence of a : sort which, excluded the, possi-. bility of any other person having com-, mitted the crime. That'was. not itha' ease in the present trial. The only res>l evidence was the possession .of : tha notes, and the defence was that Tarraat was perfectly innocent of the mur-. der and' that the story of having found, the: notes was true. /