MURDER CHARGE

Grey River Argus, 18 February 1942, Page 3

MURDER CHARGE

AGAINST YOUNG MAORI Woman’s Body in Burnt Cottage

[Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. Rakapa Nukunuku, aged 20, a Maori, remained silent when asked to plead in the Magistrate’s Court, to-day, to a charge of murdering Mary Currie. Magistrate Stout treated this as a plea of .not guilty, and committed Nukunuku to the Supreme Court for trial. Remains, presumed to be those of Miss Currie, .were removed from the ruins of her cottage, at Titahi Bay, early on January 29, after it had been burned down about midnight the previous night. Miss Currie was head laundress at Porirua Mental Hospital, of which accused had been an inmate for more tlyh a year before the alleged crime. Bella Findlayson, charge nurse at the mental hospital, stated she owned the cottage with Miss Currie. Because of her hours of work, witness generally lived at the hospital, but M’iss Currie had lately been living at the cottage permanently. She had lunch with Miss Currie aoout 2 p.m. on January 28, and z when she left for work, Miss Currie was alone in the cottage. She said that accused, about a vear before th e tire, worked on several occasions in the cottage garden, and sometimes had had midday and afternoon tea in the house. Dr. Phillip Patrick Lynch, pathologist, produced th e report of an examination he had made of charred human remains that had been recovered from Miss Currie’s cottage, after the fire. H« stated that there was a deep depression in the neck, in which there wer e pieces of cloth band, which could have been used as a means of strangulation. Dr. Lynch stated that it was certain that death had occured before the fire reached the body. The remains were those ’of a person of Miss Currie’s description. Arthur James Thompson attendant at Porirua Mental Hospital, said that at 5 a.m. on January 29. he saw the accused in the Hospital bakehouse. Accused had been absent from the Hospital from abo.ut 6 p.m. the previous day. Accused had with him a blue hatbox. which Miss Findlayson had identified as being'similar to the one owned’ by Miss Currie. Accused had scratches on his face, and also small bloodstains on his whit e shirt. Archibald Greig, charge attendant at the Mental Hpspital, said h e had searched the accused’s clothing on the morning of January 29, and he found a ring, brooches, and wrist- 1 let watches, which Miss Findlayson had identified as belonging to her. Detective E. H. Compton, said he interviewed the accused on January 29, concerning .the alleged death of Miss Currie. Accused then made a statement, which Detective Compton produced. In the statement accused said that on January 28, he went for a walk near the Hospital, but instead of returning, he went on to Titahi Bay. where he went to the cottage. He knew Miss Findlayson was away. Miss Currie came out of her room, and said: “You want some money, don’t you?” The accused stated that h e then went Into the kitchen, where he got a towel, which he tied tightly round Miss Currie’s neck. She fell to the floor with the towel still round her neck. He left h.er there while he took things from Miss Findlayson’s room. Miss Currie was still lying on the floor when he came back. He went under the house, put some paper there, and lit It. He was back at the Hospital before he saw the fire, the accused’s statement concluded.

Detective' Compton <said the accused had been committed to the institution as a juvenile, classed as a low grade, feeble-minded person,