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COATS’ DEFENCE

GIRL FALLS DOWN TIP HER HASTY BURIAL •• • [FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, November 7. The defence of George Errol Coats, aged thirty, who is charged with murdering Phillis Symons, a seventeen-year-old girl, was entered upon this morning. Counsel for the defence said that] Coats was a working class youtfg man. The lives of the two together were happy. The evidence was that they were extremely fond of each other. The girl became depressed for various reasons and she frequently expressed her intention of ending it all. One thing that prevented her from doing it for a long time was the fear that Coats would be implicated if she died a violent death. It was suggested that the girl conceived the idea of suicide at Hataitai when Coats one night related the incident of the dog being buried there. On June 26 the pair went for a walk. She guided their steps to Hataitai. After sittin on a sack at the tip .the girl got up and was missing for some time. Coats looked around and found the girl at the bottom of the tip. Coats was stunned for a moment and then, knowing where a shovel was, he feverishly dug a hole and buried the girl. He lost his head because of the position he thought he was placed in. It was suggested that the girl had tied a scarf around her head to prevent her seeing where she was going. Doctors for the defence would say that in their opinion the injuries were due to a fall and not to a weapon. The evidence for the defence would be led on Monday. At the conclusion of counsel's address the Court adjourned until Monday.

EVIDENCE BY ACCUSED. GIRL’S THREATS OF SUICIDE. WELLINGTON, November 9. The Coats trial, was resumed dramatically this morning, accused himself being the first witness called. Examined by his counsel, Coats said that when he first met Phillis Symons, he used to take her to pictures, or for walks. On the first Sunday in March, when he went up to his room after tea, he found the girl on his bed. After she had had a cry, the girl said she had had a row at home and had run away. 'The girl said she was frightened of her mother, and seeing her mother had told her to get out and never come back, she had jumped out of a window and come to accused. When accused suggested the girl should sleep elsewhere, she said if he didn’t let her stay with hjm, she would throw herself over at Oriental Bay. Coats gave details of theM 1 life to. gether, saying that the girl was always a miserable girl and often threatened to throw herself off at Hataitai bridge in Central Park, and also off an embankment in Mortimer Terrace. Accused told her if sffie did that he'would probably be blamed for

In regard to the incident of the occasion when he once hit the girl over tho head, he said he had only done it playfully with a stick he picked up on the road to stop her talking about suicide. He admitted that he got a shovel left out, but said that this was at the girl’s request. He thought that if he showed the girl the shovel this would make her admit that she was only fooling. On June 26, he and the girl went out for a walk. On the way out, the girl picked up a valise and put a sack in it. She always used to take a sack to sit on when they went for a walk. They went over to the tip at Hataitai and sat down. The girl was more depressed than usual. Continuing, Coats said that after sitting down for a while, the girl left him. He smoked a couple of cigarettes, and then thinking the girl had been away a long time, got up and looked for her. ‘‘As I got to the junction of the two tips, I saw a big lump down the face of the tip. A light was shining on it so I scrambled down. It was Phillis. She was lying flat out with her head down the hill about half way down.” Accused described the position of the body, and then said he looked to see if there was any sign of breathing. •The girl had a scarf wrapped around her face. He thought her neck was broken. He was

SURE SHE WAS DEAD. “I stood there for about a minute, and then I realised I would probably be blamed for it, if I drew anybody’s attention to it. I ran along to the place where I had left a shovel, and dug a hole in the bank.” f He added that after some difficulty, he got the girl in the hole. He took the sack out of the case, and spread it over her because he thought it was i more decent. After placing some stones to keep the body in position, he covered it up. After he had finished filling in the hole, he flung the shovel away. Defendant counsel: The Crown charges 'you with having murdered Phillis Symons on this night. Is there a word of truth in it.—No, there is not. I did not. 4 Accused said that there was very little truth in the statement he had made to Detective Murray. The Detective had questioned him about sending the girl away to procure a certain ■ result. There was no question about the girl being dead. Cross-examined, Coats admitted that the stories he had told as to the girl’s whereabouts aftei* June 2G were falsehoods. z Accused said that the incident

in which' Glover alleged that accused made as if to perform a certain operation, was done by arrangement with Phillis, to stop Glover teasing her about her condition. Accused admitted digging a hole in the tip early in June. It was for shelter. He used to go to a card party every Wednesday and Saturday, leaving the girl at home. When telling Glover about the incident of tapping the girl over the head he had drawn on his 'imagination, because Glover was always looking for sensations. The only way It was possible to stop the girl talking about throwing herself over at Hataitai, was to take her over there and she seemed to alter her mind when she got there. He denied ever saying to Glover tjiat if Phillis died, he could easily put her

over at Hataitai, but admitted saying that it would be a good place to bury anyone. When they had gone but on the night of June 26, he and I the girl sat on some clay. It had been raining that flay, but did not rain while they were out. (Proceeding.) MURDERED CHEMIST. detectives baffled. AUCKLAND, November 7. The announcement has been made that a reward of £lOO is offered by the Police Department for informtion which will lead to the arrest of the person or persons who inflicted the wounds on A. J. Blomfield, chemist, who was murdered in his shop shortly after five oclock on the evening of Friday, October 30. Although over a week has passed, and the detectives have carefully combed every suggested avenue of information, they still find themselves faced with a most puzzling mystery.

PICTON TRAGEDY. A SUSPECT DETAINED. [PJCB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] , BLENHEIM, November 7. In connection with the death of James Flood, the old man whose body was found in his whare at Picton on Friday, with his throat cut and wounds on the head, Detective Sinclair and other police officers have been very active. y It is understood that Sergeant Peterson detained a suspect in Blenheim, and took him to Picton, where he is being interrogated. Important developments are expected. Recent inquiries reveal that, some years ago, the late Mr Flood sold a farming property at Port Underwood to Messrs Barton Bros., for £3OOO. It is believed that it is this money that the old man invested in shares in the Bank of New' Zealand, and from which he had been drawing dividends.

AN EARLY RELEASE. BLENHEIM, November 9. There are no further developments regarding the Picton murder. The man detained was allowed to go free. He was one of the few who have left Picton since the tragedy, and was merely asked to explain his movements. The post mortem is understood to leave no doubt about Flood being murdered. - MANAWATU SHOOTING. FIFTY WITNESSES FOR CROWN. PALMERSTON NORTH, Nov. 9. It is understod that an application will be made at the Magistrate’s Court to-morrow for a remand of Norman Decke, charged with the murder of Edwin John Blakeway, until Wednesday. There will probably be fifty witnesses. The 'hearing is expected to last several days. HOMELAND YOUTH REPRIEVED. LONDON, November 7Harold Smith, aged sixteen years, sentenced to death at Lincoln on a charge of murdering his aunt, has been reprieved.-

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19311109.2.23

Bibliographic details

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1931, Page 5

Word Count
1,497

COATS’ DEFENCE Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1931, Page 5

COATS’ DEFENCE Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1931, Page 5