COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 7

COURT NEWS

BIGAMY ADMITTED. CHRISTCHURCH, March 18. Harold Steventon, a’ maltster, aged 46, was charged that on June 24. 1932, at New Brighton, he went through a form of marriage with Lil - lian Violet Winterburn, having been married to Annie Reed, a spinster, on April 3, 1920, at Birkenhead, England. Mr. W. R. Lascelles represented Steventon and Sub-Inspector W: H. Dunlop prosecuted. Detective J. J. Halcrow said that last September the Christchurch police had received a communication from England. Inquiries were set up, and last month documents were received from England. As a result, the accused was interviewed ‘ on March 10. Steventon told witness he had been born at Nantwich, Cheshire, in 1896, and married in 1920 to Annie Reed, at Birkenhead. There were two children of this marriage. He came to New Zealand in 1929 and lived at Christchurch. On June 24, 1932 he married Lillian Violet Winterburn at the Methodist Church, New Brighton, Christchurch, and was still with her. He had made up his mind that if there was. ever any trouble he would make a clean breast of the affair. He and his first wife had corresponded until about 1936. The detectivce produced documents (copies of Steventon’s birth certificate and the marriage register entry, on which Steventon had recognised his first -yife’s initials) and photographs of himself that he had sent to his wife in England.- 1 In a statement’, produced, Steventon said that his second wife had no knowledge of tiie other marriage, which had been an unhappy one. He had left England with the knowledge and consent or his first wife; and it had been arranged that she and her

I children would be cared for by Steventon's father, who was a manufacturer in comfortable chcumstances. There were four child) ca by the second marriage. A copy taken from the register of the New Brighton Methodist Church was also produced. Everything on it wa’s correct, except that Steventon had described himself as a bachelor, said Mr. Halcow. Detective R. H. Wall corroborated this evidence, and to Mr. Lascelles said that he knew of nothing else to the discredit of Steven Lon. Terence Arbuthnot Gresson, who said lie was a member of the English bar, having been called in 1935, gave evidence of having perused the English documents. As a member of the English bar, ho was conversant with the marirage laws, and a marriage performed in the circumstances shown in the English documents was legally binding on the parties. Lillian Violet Winterburn, known as Mrs. Steventon, gave evidence of her marriage at New Brighton. She had always believed that her husband was single then, Her life with the accused had been very happy—he had been a good husband and “wonderful to the kiddies.” Steventon pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was renewed in his own recognisance of £lOO, with a surety of £lOO, and a condition that J he report to the police as directed.