ALLEGED ARSON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 11 March 1933, Page 7

ALLEGED ARSON

LENNIE COMMITTED FOR TRIAL At the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon further evidence was heard in the case against Stanley H. Lennie who was charged with wilfully attempting'to set fire to a building at Tahuna occupied by Philip W. Hoy Hawke. Detective F. Sinclair conducted the case for the police, Mr S. H. Moynagh appearing for accused. Philip VV. Hoy Hawke, continuing his evidence said that before the Thursday prior to the fire his household never used wax matches. On that day his wife got in a packet of wax matches but they were different from the one produced by Detective Sinclair. Witness was present when the bottle was found and the bottle v'as handed to him to examine. It was not one of witness’s bottles and he had never seen it before the detective picked it up. To Mr Moynagh witness said lie had known accused for two or three years and up to this occurrence their relationship had been friendly and he knew of no reason why Lennie should wish to do him any harm. Witness saw accused when lie went to witness’s house to speak to Mrs Lennie about articles she had taken from accused’s home. Accused was inclined to be argumentative and in a bad temper and gave witness the impression that he had had liquor but not to any extent. Mrs Lennie had been at his house since the previous Thursday. Thelma Gladys Hawke, wife of the previous witness stated that on the night of 24tli February she was at home with her husband and Mrs Lennie and was there when accused called to see his wife. The fire was detected over hair an hour after accused left. During the day witness went for coal from the basement but she had never seen the bottle produced and had never used a bottle like it. She had never used any wax matches in the basement. To counsel for accused witness said she saw Lennie when he came to interview his wife. He was there about 10 minutes. Lennie appeared excited and he had had some drink. Henderson Mawhinney, a carpenter who worked at Mr Hawke’s house -from 23rd to 25th February and always left his tools in the basement, stated that on the Friday, 24th February, he left the house at about 4.50 p.m. and on the Saturday morning he returned at about 8 o’clock. He saw that the floor had been burnt through in one place and the boards, of Baltic pine, were charred round for about 9 square feet. He had never used the bottle produced. There were no bottles in the basement as lie had looked for one during the day of the fire in order to put some oil in. Witness said he might have used matches in the basement, but bis matches were smaller than the ones produced by the detective. Accused pleaded not guilty and was committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court in Nelson. Bail was allowed self in £250 and one surety of £2OO.