JURY DISAGREES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20185, 1 March 1940, Page 4

JURY DISAGREES

HIT-AND-RUN CHARGE SUPREME COURT TRIAL GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE A Maori labourer, David Wilson, aged 20, Manutuke, was found guilty in the Supreme Court yesterday on the charge of negligent driving at Manutuke on January 11, 1940, causing actual bodily injury to Eleanor Rachel Grayson, but the jury disagreed on the count alleging that Wilson had failed to stop after the accident. Wilson was remanded for sentence until Monday. The jury returned at 8.30 p.m. The case was conducted by the Crown prosecutor, Mr. F. Wrey Nolan, and Mr. A. A. Whitehead appeared for Wilson. After hearing the verdict, Mr. Justice Callan said that the jury had had five hours in which to consider the case and asked if there was a chance of coming to an agreement if further time was taken. A reply in the negative was received from the foreman. His Honour indicated that he would take the finding on one charge, but that he did not want to trouble the jury with matters concerning a retrial on the second count. Mr. Nolan said that so far as the disagreement was concerned on the second count, he would recommend to the cour; that consideration of a new trial on the second charge be adjourned until Monday. That would give him an opportunity to communicate with the Attorney-General, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, to obtain his directions on the matter. His Honour: I will defer sentence until Monday. Mr. Whitehead asked for bail, saying that the accused was highly spoken of in the district. His Honour: I do not want to havo to go into the reasons, but I am afraid that the answer is “No.”