MURDER CHARGE

Evening Star, Issue 20653, 28 November 1930, Page 9

MURDER CHARGE

THE BERRIMAN CASE. BUCKLEY GIVES EVIDENCE. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, November 27. The hearing of the charge of murder against Richard Buckley was, continued to-day. , Accused gave evidence in his own defence. He denied being associated with Angus Murray in the Berriman crime, and said he was ill in bed at the time of the murder suffering from a growth on the neck which caused him to grow a beard. He had been wrongly convicted of assault and robbery many years ago. Three whippings had been ordered, but he received one instalment when he was released upon the discovery that it was a ease of mistaken identity. , Since then iron had entered his soul. This drove him into conceal ment in order to avoid being crucified a second time. The Crown Prosecutor showed Buckley a photograph of himself clean shaven, and asked him if be could identify himself. Buckley admitted it was a fairly good picture. The Prosecutor; Why did you not tell the police where you were when the murder occurred? Buckley: Why should IP There was a time and place for that. Anyhow, 1 do not trust any detective. The Prosecutor: Why did you keep three loaded revolvers in your house? Buckley: For the protection of roy granddaughter. The Prosecutor: You surely do not think the police would injure her? Buckley: They might nave started firing at random and hit her. Some of Buckley’s relatives gave evident t l '"* Buckley was a sick man at the time of the murder. [A previous message stated: There is tremendous interest in the trial of Rid d Buckley, aged sixty-seven, a bootmaker, on a charge of the murder of fr, -oinas Berriman, a bank manager, who was shot dead on October 8, 1923 Angus Murray, a notorious criminal, 'was hanged in 1924 for his part in this crime. The police arrested Buckley pn September 30 last under sensational cir eumstauces. The Crown alleges that he actually fired the revolver and stole the bag containing £1.851, since when he has eluded arrest. The Crown Prosecutor pointed out that Buckley in the meantime had grown a beard and moustache, which made identification by witnesses more difficult, and a request to Buckley's solicitor that Buckley should agree to be shaved had been disregarded. Buckle., had told the police that he did not know Murray, but ho admitted that he had been hiding for a number of yearsj though he had never been out of the State.]