MAREO APPEAL CASE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 April 1946, Page 3

MAREO APPEAL CASE

COURT RESERVES DECISION (P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 16. I Submissions for the Crown on the facts of the Mareo appeal now before the Court of Appeal were completed by - Mr. V. S. R. Meredith to-day, and Mr. j A. C. A. Sexton, counsel for Mareo, addressed the Court in reply to the facts. Mr. Sexton, submitted that there was not a particle of evidence to show that Mareo had administered veronal to his wife. The medical evidence on automatic taking was that if 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 reached the supply of veronal, he submitted. Immediately after the milk incident, continued Mr. Sexton, Mareo himself showed signs of the influence of veronal, was unable to assist his wife to the lavatory, and fell in 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 of purchasing for her a mixture and pills for anothet purpose. As for the facts surrounding his 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. R. E. Harding, a Wellington barrister, argued on behalf of Mareo that the Court of Appeal was not entitled to comment upon or to draw any unfavourable inference , from the fact that Mareo did not give evidence on his own behalf at either trial. ■ After hearing Mr. Meredith in reply on behalf of the Crown, the Court reserved its decision.