BUCKLEY TO HANG

Hawera Star, Volume L, 29 November 1930, Page 7

BUCKLEY TO HANG

MURDER OF BANK MANAGER

BEARDED PRISONER’S FATE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) MELBOURNE, Nov. 28. Richard Buckley was found guilty and sentenced to death. The jury was only a few minutes deliberating. Buckley took 'the verdict quietly. He reiterated his innocence, and said that the circumstances were against him. His record discloses' him as one of the worst criminals in Australian history. His gaol career began in 1879 1 , after which he committed crimes of violence, robbery, maliciously wounding, garroting, and robbery under arms. At least two men with whom he associated have been hanged. He has served sentences aggregating more than twenty years.

Richard Buckley, aged 67, a bootmaker, was charged with the murder of Thomas Berriman, a bank manager-, who yvas shot; dead on October B', 1923. Angus Murray a notorious criminal was hanged in 1924 for his part of this crime. The police arrested Buckley on September 30 under sen'satijfon'at'' hir‘cums:tan|ces. The Crown alleges that he actually fired The revolver, and stole the bag containing £IBSO, since when he lias eluded arrest. : The Crown Prosecutor pointed out that Buckley in the meantime had grown a beard’ and moustache which made identification by witnesses more difficult, and that’ a request to Buckley’s solicitor that Buckley should agree to be shaved had been disregarded.