IMPRISONMENT WITH HARD LABOUR FOR LIFE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23023, 13 August 1949, Page 6

IMPRISONMENT WITH HARD LABOUR FOR LIFE

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, Aug. 12. William Ruha Matthews, aged 28, a Maori who stabbed an Indian bottle dealer to death, was sentenced by Mr. Justice Finlay in the Supreme Court today to imprisonment with hard labour for life.

“The charge you faced was murder —a particularly vicious and callous murder,” said His Honour,

“The jury, however, saw fit to convict you of manslaughter. I don't understand why you went to the Nelson street house forearmed to murder. You were encountered by an innocent Indian who was collecting bottles. On your word, you grabbed him by the shoulders and he tried to hit you with an empty bottle. Then you stabbed him several times. I see no ground for the plea of provocation.” Mr. Justice Finlay said any finding of self defence would be a perversion of the principles on which self-defence rested. The fact was that the Indian disclosed the accused’s presence in the washhouse and published it to the household by calling out and the accused silenced him. “All I can conclude is that it is the worst case of manslaughter possible and I can only impose the sentence that the law prescribes mi the worst cases,” His Honour added in passing a life sentence. Before sentence was passed defence counsel, Mr. G. Skelton, said the falsity of the woman whom the prisoner loved f and lived with had olayed upon his mind and nerves. He was well spoken and well mannered.