WOMAN ON TRIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 10

WOMAN ON TRIAL

ACCUSED'S EVIDENCE

DEATH OF HUSBAND

"I DID NOT MURDER"

The evidence of Jean Laurentine, aged 31, who 'is being tried on a charge of murdering her husband, Francis Norman Laurentine, a waterside worker, aged 36, on November 2, was given in the Supreme Court today. The accused was very distressed in the witness-box She denied any intention to murder or even to hurt, asserting that her only intention had been to protect herself frora attack. Mr. Justice Johnston is presiding. Mr:'C. H. Weston, K.C., with him Mr. W. R. Birks, is appearing for the Crown, and Dr. O. C. Mazengarb, with him Mr. N. T. Gillespie, for the accused. Giving evidence, the accused said that up to the time her-husband went to sea again he had been very good to her. He used to drink then, but not nearly so much as he did after the child died, and he became worse as time went on. Describing what had happened on the day of the tragedy, the accused said there had been an argument coming back from the trots. He liked his own way and got very nasty because he wanted to accept an invitation to a party and she thought he had had enough to drink for one day. When they arrived home she started to prepare iamb's fry and bacon for tea. ABUSIVE LANGUAGE. Laurentine was out in the passage playing with a neighbour's child and making a row, and she told him to come in and not to make a nuisance of himself. He came in and closed the door and wanted to know if there was any beer. She had been holding the money and had allowed £2 for the day, hiding the rest. He started to swear, call her names, and using foul language he did not normally use. He shouted and yelled and carried on. and she answered "I'm telling you the truth now, and if you don't believe me I can't make you," said the accused. "I swear on this Bible. We were getting tea. I can't tell you exactly what he said, but he was saying words and I turned round like this. I didn't expect it. He said, 'I'm sick and tired.' and just struck me and- sent me flying. I hit my back and went to get up. and he was standing waiting for me. He struck me again and sent me flying. I hit my head on. the back of the win-dow-sill and I saw stars, on my word of honour. 1 felt awful, half-dazed I was getting up and took hold of something. It might have been the frying-pan or anything, only I had the knife for preparing the tea. I didn't realise—l was terrified, I was frightened—and I didn't mean to hurt Laurie. "1 WAS FRIGHTENED." "You know I only tried to protect myself and ward him off. If God strikes me dead on this Bible I didn't murder my husband —my idea was to get away from him. . . .. I , was frightened. He was fighting a man's wa y__he was standing over me right to the end. He was as surprised as I was when he was hurt. He was over me ready to loose at me, and the next I knew he went back and said, 'Jean, you' silly —-, you have cut me,' and sat on the table. I said. 'Laurie!' and he said, 'Run for a doctor and the ambulance.'" The accused then described her efforts to help her husband 'and get assistance. Dr. Mazengarb: When Laurie was standing over you, striking you, did he look serious, wild?—Of course; he was very savage. He was fed up with me. He said: "I'm sick and tired of your moaning and groaning." I was only trying to protect myself, only trying to ward him off. Had you ever seen Mr. Laurentine as angry and fierce as that before? —No. The accused denied that she told a detective that she had stabbed her husband and had meant it. She did not mean to stab him —her husband was as surprised as she was when he was hurt. Cross-examined by Mr. Weston, the accused said her husband had been annoyed because she would not let him get a supply of beer in the morning. He struck her with his fist—it was not a push. It was just unlucky that she had been preparing tea and the knife was there. Mr. Weston: Are you a quick-tem-pered person?—Of course I'm not. I can stand a great deal to some people. I think I've got more patience than the average. Dr. S. D. Rhind, who examined the accused, said he found a large bruise on the left side of the head. He thought the fact that all the wounds in Laurentine were horizontal to the surface of the body significant. If the knife had been held in a stabbing position the cut would have been at an angle—the wounds were consistent with the accused having pushed out the knife to ward her husband off. ADDRESSES BY COUNSEL. Addi*essing the jury, Dr. Mazengarb said the defence was provocation by the husband, self-protection by the accused, and an accident occurring as a result of that self-protection. Had tiie accused stayed on the floor after the second blow she might have been kicked and injured, and if she had not attempted to ward off his blows the husband might have been in the dock in answer to some charge of violence. The whole attitude of the accused after the tragedy was consistent with her having been the unintentional cause ofi an accident. Nothing could have ; been further from her mind than to injure the man she loved, the man she wanted to support her, and the. man she was trying to reform. When the Court rose for lunch Mr. Weston was addressing the jury. (Proceeding.)