TRIAL OF COATS

Evening Star, Issue 20943, 6 November 1931, Page 3

TRIAL OF COATS

HATAITAI MURDER CHARGE [Pjer Uxitbd Fkisi Association.] WELLINGTON, November 5. The trial of George Errol Coats on a charge of murdering _ Phillis Avis Symons was continued tins morning. •"Dr CharlSs Monro Hector said he had conducted the post-mortem examination with Dr Lynch. The conclusion he had come to were the same as those reached by Dr Lynch (that the girl had been struck a violent blow on the right temple and on the back of the head and neck). Ho had no opinion to oiler so far as the scarf was concerned. He had not seen the scarf in position. The Crown Prosecutor: It is your opinion that the girl was alive while in the ground?—Yes. Will you tell us your reasons ?—She was alive when tho vomiting occurred. The vomiting occurred in the attitude in which she was found, and she probably died a minute or two after vomiting. Dr Hector said he did not think the bank was steep enough for anyone to throw oneself down it. Ho himself had rolled large stones down, but some of them had not reached the bottom. He did not think that such injuries could have been caused by a fall down a bank. Cross-examined by counsel for the accused, Dr Hector said that a fall in the street or on a hard flat surface might produce contrecoup injuries (injuries showing on tho opposite side to where concussion was received). Ho was questioned closely with regard to his reasons for supposing that tho girl had been buried alive. He would not agree that the injuries at the hack of the head and neck were such as would result from a wrench. Two pieces of iron piping, ono narrower than the other, were referred to Dr Hector. He said ho considered the narrow one would have left a mark, even perhaps through the scarf, if it had been used to strike a blow on the temple. Tho larger one could have struck the blow without doing co. If powerful blows were struck on tho right sido of the backof the head up towards tlie ear laceration of the skin would probably occur. This was not necessarily the case at the hack of the muscles of tho neck.

After further evidence had been given tho court adjourned at 5.6 p.m. until 10 a.m, to-morrow.