; Alleged Attempt fo : Murder Brother

Northern Advocate, 31 May 1949, Page 6

; Alleged Attempt fo : Murder Brother

AUCKLAND, Tue. (Sp.)—A labourer-, Robert Courtney Reece, 19, was yesterday committed for trial on a chai'ge of attempting to mui'der his brother, William Charles Reece, on April 23. Senior-Detective J. B. Finlay said that he saw accused at the Onehunga Police Station. Acer ed made a statement in which he said, “My brother has given me thi'ashings on about five or six occasions. “I told him that I would shoot him if he did not stop. “I vent out rabbit shooting today with two ‘cobbers’ and when I came home I tried to borrow 10/- from my mother. “My brother then gave me a hiding. I cannot fight him. “He is bigger than I am and, he used to do a bit of fighting in the islands. “1 am no match for him. I thought PLEADS NOT GUILTY “I shot my brother to stop him getting at me,” the statement continued. “I did not want to kill my brother. That is the last tiring in the world I wanted to do. “My brother always used his closed fists on me and never his open hands. “’He thinks too much of himself because he has been in the ring.” Witness said he examined accused at the Central Police Station next day and found red marks and bruises on his body. While being examined accused told witness that his brother had told him in the bedroom that Im would murder him. v

Accused pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.

An application for bail was heard in the magistrate’s room. *

Bail was subsequently refused.