AUCKLAND SENSATION

Grey River Argus, 4 January 1946, Page 4

AUCKLAND SENSATION

MAORI WOMAN ATTACKED Mau Found Hanging Nearby P.A. AUCKLAND, January 3. A young Maori woman who was violently assaulted at Waihihi beach, five miles from Kaiaua, on the Firth of Thames, in the early hours of this morning was admitted to the Thames Hospital shortly after 6 a.m. severely battered about the head and face and with a fractured jaw bone. She was Moi Hikuroa, also known as Maud Andrews, aged 23, of Buckland. Her condition to-night was serious. t Soon after dawn, the body of a Maori labourer, John Henry, aged about 32, also of Buckland, was found hanging from a tree less than two hundred yards from where the injured woman was discovered unconscious in a clump of blackberries. Moi Hikuroa and the deceased, who were employed on a market garden at Buckland, were spending their New Y ear holiday together at the farm of the woman’s uncle, -JCahu Andrews, at Kaiaua. On Wednesday night, according to the police, Hikuroa and Henry left the farm and went to have a meal with a party of three men, two women, and their children, relatives of the woman, who were camped at Waihihi, further up the coast. Later in the evening some ,

of the party, including Hikuroa and Henry, went back to Kaiaua to empty some fishing nets which had been left. When the nets were clear-, ed at about midnight, Hikuroa and Henry did not return to Mr. Andrews’ house, but went back with the others to their camp at Waihihi. One of the party who had gone into his tent told the police that at about 1 a.m., Hikuroa and Henry were talking together near his motor truck. About a quarter of an hour later he heard several heavy thuds, followed by the sound of a woman moaning. He ran outside and with the aid ’ of a torch found Hikuroa lying near the truck in some blackberries, suffering from severe head injuries and with her face covered in blood. As he approached the man ran off into the blackberries. The police were telephoned from a nearby house, and Constable Pollard, of Mercer, came out by car. The woman’s injuries were attended to and she was taken in a neighbour’s car to the Thames Hospital. Assisted by Constables Kimberly and Bartlett, of Papakura, Police Constable Pollard conducted a search of the locality for Henry. Soon after it was light, the man’s body was found hanging from a tree 200 yards from the scene of the tragedy. "He had hanged himself with a leg rope taken from a nearby cowshed and had been dead for some time.

An inquest was opened before the Pukekohe Coroner, Mr. C. K. Lawrie, and was adjourned sine die after evidence of identification had been given.

STABBED WITH KNIFE

DAYLIGHT ATTACK IN CITY STREET. P.A. AUCKLAND, January 3. A young Maori woman was stabbed with a knife in broad daylight ' on one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the city late this afternoon, She was half way across the Quay Street crossing, near the ferry building, when she was attacked. The victim fell to the ground almost at the feet of a traffic officer who was directing a stream of pedestrians across the road. She was taken to the Auckland Hospital in a serious condition, and an aTrest v»as made at the scene of the incident among a large crowd of onlookers. The victim of the attack was Helen Renata, aged about twenty. She was seen by several witnesses to dash across the pedestrian crossing from the Queen Street corner' followed closely by a Maori man. When she reached the centre of the road she ran around Traffic Officer D. N. L. Grant, who, a few seconds before, had stopped the motor traffic to allow pedestrians the right of way. As she went behind Traffic Officer Grant the man was seen to reach her and attack her with a knife.

The incident occurred so quickly that before anyone realised what had happened the woman was lying on the road and bleeding profusely from a wound in the back and cuts on the face. The traffic officer seized a suspect as soon as he saw what, had occurred, and a police constable later took the man to the Queen’s Wharf police station. The woman’s condition at a late hour to-night was serious. The Maori who was arrested on a charge of attempting to murder Helen Renata was George Mita Renata, aged about 39, of Hardin.g Street, City. He was taken to the Central Police Station lock-up and will appear in the Police Court in the morning.