COATS’ DEFENCE

Grey River Argus, 9 November 1931, Page 5

COATS’ DEFENCE

SUICIDE ALLEGED At the Rubbish Tip (Per Press Association). • WELLINGTON, November 7. Coats’s trial entered upon the sixth day of hearing this morning. Resuming his evidence Chief Defective Murray produced a second sta enient made by accused, who said that the girl left him on. the night of June 26. He accompanied her up Adelaide Road nearly to John Street. The girl then told him that she did nor want h-ni to go further, and he left her. She did not say whom or where she was going to. He gave her 10/-. In a. third statement to witness, accused said he might have told De -Maine and Glover jtliat he had tapped Phyllis On the back of the head, and that while she was unconscious he had performed an illegal operation on her

It was all said in a joke. It was true he had told Glover that if Phyllis did d:e, there was a place at fla'aitai, where hundreds of tons went over every day. He lef |t - Glover to draw his own conclusions, but he said it jokingly. Detective Murray said that throughout his associations with accused, there were occasions when Coa‘s began to tremble violently and exhibit signs of nervousness. Murray’s evidence concluded the case for the Crown. CASE FOR DEFENCE. Counsel for the defence said he pro posed to call evidence. Opening his case, he said that the country was about to hear for the first time accused’s explanation. In ’his respect, the case was perhaps unique He asked where was the reason fori Coats wanting to get rid of the girl. The Crown’s case was wholly inade-j qua e in this respect. Continuing, counsel for the defence, said that Coats was a. working class young man. The lives of the two together were happy, and the evidence was that they wree extremely fond of eaeh other. The girl became depressed for various reasons, and she frequently expressed an intention of ending it all. One thing ;that prevented her from doing it for a long time was fear that Coats would be implicated if she died a violent death. It was suggested that the girl conceived the idea of suicide at Hajtaitai when Coats, one night, related an incident of a dog be- < ing buried there on June 26. The pair went for a walk She guided their steps to Hataitai. After sitting on a sack at the tip, ;the girl got up. and, missing her for some time, Coats looked around, and found the girl at the bottom of the tip. Coa’s 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. Counsel suggested the girl had tied a scarf around her head to prevent her seeing where she was going. Doerrs giving evidence for the defence would say that, in thir opinion the injuries were dut to a fall, and not to a weapon. Evidence for the defence would be led on Monday.

At the conclusion of counsel’s ad dress, the Court adjourned until Moa day.