MRS LAURENTINE'S PLEA

Grey River Argus, 7 February 1941, Page 5

MRS LAURENTINE'S PLEA

Husband's Dea&b Accidental LPer Press Association] WELLINGTON, February 6. . The evidence of Jean Laurentine,, who is being tried on the charge m murdering her husband, Francis N ol ' : man Laurentine, waterside worker, on November 2, was given in the Supreme Court before Mr Justice Johnston to-day. The accused " as very distressed in the witness box. She denied any intention to murder or even to hurt, asserting that her only intention had been to protect herself. The accused said that up to the time that her husband went to sea again, he had been very good to her. He used to drink then, but not nearly so much as he did after their child had died. Describing what happened on the day of the tragedy, the accused said that there had been an argument coming back from the Hutt trotting meeting. Laurentine liked his own way, and he became very nasty, because he wanted to accept an invitation to a party, and she thought that ho had had enough to drink for one day. When they arrived home, she started to prepare tea. Laurentine was out in the passage, playing with a neighbour’s child, and making a row, and she told him to come in ! and not make a nuisance of himself. He came in, closed the door, and wanted to know if there was any beer. She had been holding the money, and had allowed two pounds for the day, hiding the rest. He started to swear, and to call her names, and was using foul language which he did not normally use. He shouted, yelled and carried on, and she answered back.

! “I’m telling the truth now. and if . you don’t believe me, I can’t make you,” said the accused. “I swear on this Bible wo were getting tea. I can’t teh you exactly what he said, but. he was saying words, and I turned round like this. I didn't expect it. He said ‘l’m sick and tired.’ and just struck me and sent me flying. 1 hit my back on the windowsill and saw stars. I felt awful—half dazed. I was getting up and took hold of something. It might have been the frying-pan or anything—-only I had the knife for preparing the tea. I didn’t realise. I was terrified. I was frightened, and I didn’t mean to hurt Laurie, you know. I only tried to protect myself, and ward him off. If God strikes me dead on this Bible, I didn’t murder my husband. My idea was to get away from him. 1 was frightened. He was lighting in a man’s way—he was standing over me right to the end. He was as surprised as I was when he was hint. He was over me ready to loose at me. and the next I knew he went back and sad: ‘Jpan, you silly , y° u have cut me.’ Then he sat on the table. I said, ‘Laurie,’ and he said. ‘Run for a doctor and ambulance.’ ” The accused then described her ef-i forts to help her husband. To Dr.| Mazengarb, the accused said thatj when her husband was standing over her. he looked very savage. He was fed up with her. He had said: “Im sick and tired of your moaning and groaning.” The accused added: ”1 was only trying to protect myselt only trying to ward him off.”

Dr. Mazengarb: Had you ever seen Laurentine as angry and tierce as that before? Accused: No. Accused denied that she had told a detective that she had stabbed her husband, and had meant it. She did not mean to stab him. Her husband was as surprised as she was when he was hurt. Cross-examined by Mr Weston K.C. (for the Crown), the accused said that her husband had been annoyed because she would not let him get a supply of beer in the morning. He struck her with his list. It was not. a push. It. was just unlucky she had been preparing tea and the knile was there. Air Weston: Are you a quick-tem-pered person ? Accused: Of course, I’m not. I can stand a great deal. To some people, I think 1 have more patience than the average. Dr. S. D. Rhind, who examined the accused, said that he found a large bruise on the left side of her head. He thought the fact that all of the wounds in Laurentine were horizonal to the surface of the body was significant. If the knife had been held in a stabbing position, the cut would have been at an angle. The wounds were consistent with the accused having pushed out the knife to ward her husband off. Addressing the jury, Dr. Mazengarb said that the defence was provocation by the husband, self protection by the accused, and the accident occurring as the result of that self protection. Had the accused stayed on the floor after the second blow, she might have been kicked and injured, and if she had not attempted to ward off his blows, her husband might have been in the dock in answer to some charge of violence. The whole attitude of the accused after the tragedy was consistent with her having been the unintentional cause of the accident. Nothing could have been further from her mind than to injure the man she loved, the man she wanted to support her, and the man she was trying to reform.

JUDGE SUMS UP. [Per Press Association 1 WELLINGTON February 6. Following the evidence, His Honour traversed the main points of the evidence. He pointed out 1 hat if Hie jury accepted the accused's story that she’ used the knife to protect herself, they would have to decide to what degree the accused’s life, or safety, was in peril. What might not be reasonable (enduct in the case of a man might, in the jury’s opinion, be reasonable 'n the case of a woman. The ji'/i’, ml. ht readily think that a woman, having been attacked by a man, wound be more likely to exhibit signs of fear, and not know what, was going to happen. That was a point which the jury would have to take into consideration, and also the point as to whether a wife, under the circumstances, might be provoked to more insane anger than would a man

His Honour's summing up occupied an hour and ten minutes. VERDICT APPLAUDED WELLINGTON, February 6. A verdict of not guilty was returned by the jury in the case of Jean Laurentine, aged 31, whose trial on a charge of murdering her husband, Francis Norman Laurentine, waterside worker, aged 36, in Wellington, on November 2 last, concluded in the Supreme Court this afternoon. There was a burst of applause from the public gallery when tne foreman announced the verdict. Tins was promptly suppressed by the Court officials. The jury was in retirement for 65 minutes.