MAREO APPEAL CASE

Evening Star, Issue 25770, 17 April 1946, Page 9

MAREO APPEAL CASE

FINAL SUBMISSION COURT hESERYES DECISION (P.A.) -WELLiiNGTON, April 1(5. in tiie Mareu case - boiore tiie Court of Appeal to-uay Mr V. li. b. Aiereaitii completed ms submissions for Uie Grown on Me tacts ot tiie case, and Mr A. C. bexuin, counsel" for Mareo, aauressea tne court in reply to the facts. ivir Sexton submitted that there was not a particle ot evidence to show tbat Mareo bad administered veronal to his wife. The medical evidence on automatic taking was that i| an addict found a store of veronal he took all that he found at once. There were many ways in which Mrs Mareo might have readied a supply of veronal. Immediately after the milk incident, continued Mr Sexton, Mareo himself had shown signs of the influence of veronal. He was unable to assist his wife to the lavatory, and fell in a " dopey " fashion across her bed. " There is no proper inference that a man who is under the influence of veronal would form the intention which the Crown says Mareo had of murdering his wife," added Mr Sexton. Mareo at this time was fond of his wife, otherwise he would not have gone to the trouble to purchase for her a mixture and pills for another purpose. As for the facts surrounding the failure to call in a doctor, Mr Sexton submitted that this was because all the persons in the Mareo household at the time were afraid to do so because of something there might have been in the black dope or pills which Mrs Mareo had been taking. This afternoon, Mr 11. E. Harding, a Wellington barrister, argued on behalf of Mareo that the Court of Appeal was not entitled to comment upon or draw any unfavourable inference from the fact that Mareo did not give evidence on his own behalf at: either trial. After hearing the reply by Mr Meredith on behalf of the Crown, the court reserved its decision.