Newly-born Infant’s Body in Suitcase

Grey River Argus, 11 May 1948, Page 4

Newly-born Infant’s Body in Suitcase

Extraordinary Circumstances P.A. WANGANUI, May 10 ■ “An extraordinary thing is that the accused says the cnild was porn in a solitary loom at the rainape Hospital Nurses’ Home, at six a.m., and accord--iig to tiie evidence, she went on duty again at eight a.m.,” said Mr N. R. Bain, Crown prosecutor, in opening the case for the Crown in the Supreme Court to-day, in which a Maori woman. Agnes Hopi, or varanihi, aged 19 years, a uomestic, is chargea witn the murder of a newly-born female child, at Taihape, on or about April 5. Mr Bain said that evidence would oe ralieci to show mat a car, with a trailer attached to it, went over a uaiiK one and a half miles north of Taihape. The locality was steep, and was covered with undergrowth and trees. Neither of the two occupants in the car was injured, and when , getting back on to the roadway, tney found a suitcase. They left it. but a garage man, from Tainape, who was taken to the scene later, to get the vehicles on to the road, took the case into Taihape. On opening it, he became suspicious, and he handed it to police. In it was found the body of a newly-born child, which, according to a post-mortem, had lived after birth. Doctor Thomas Henry Pullar, pathologist at the Palmerston North public Hospital, said that there was no evidence to show that the deatn oi the child was due to homicidal violence. It was not likely that death was caused by choking, strangulation, oi’ suffocation, fne cause of death was. more probably, exposure, and lack of care and attention. There was some evidence to suggest that the body had been placed in the suitcase soon alter death.

Mr R. Jack for the accused: ‘“Then it is clear that, as far as the evidence is concerned, there is not the slightest ground for suggestion of criminal violence against this child?" Witness: “I found no evidence to SU The St Mhtron at the Taihape public hospital. Thalia Browning Masters, gave evidence that the accused in her presence, had told'uetectives that she had given birth to the child. She made her statement quite willingly. Detective Sergeant H. A- Hay produced a statement which, he said the accused had made. — The hearing will be resumed tomorrow.