UNEXPECTED PLEA
] TRIAL OF FARMER Auckland, Aug 6. An unusual situation arose in the j Supreme Court when Leslie Duff Neill, I aged 42. farmer, was being charged bei fore Mr Justice Cornish with attempted murder or assault. j The first count alleged that on 24th | May at Parahi, near Ruawai. he atj tempted to murder Richard McCrcaay, I and to this Neill pleaded not guilty. He ‘ pleaded not guilty also to wounding | McCready with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and to assaulting Me. j Cready so as to cause him actual bodily ! harm. To the fourth count, however, jof causing actual bodily harm to Mcj Cready in such circumstances that if | McCready’s death had been caused he j would have been guilty of manslaughter j accused pleaded guilty. As this was obviously an unexpected : reply, his Honour adjourned to meet counsel in chambers, and after some j delay the Court was adjourned till the ! afternoon. When the Court resumed in the afternoon the regigtrar read again the fourth count, and this time accused replied "not guilty.” He also denied a fifth count of assault. For the Crown Mr Meredith said the rc_.l charge was one of attempted murder. and the evidence would leave no ! doubt as to the correctness of the j charge if those were the only facts to be considered. But there was another I phase of the case because the law was that, if a person was suffering from such mental condition that he was incapable of knowing what he was doing, then he was not fcriminall y responsible. If it was found that a person was so suffering then he was to be found not guilty, but on grounds to be definitely stated. There was provision for him to be detained in a mental institution at His Majesty’s pleasure. The verdict in this case had to be either guilty on the charge of attempted murder or one of lesser charges or not guilty on the ground of insanity. Mr Meredith then described a stabbing affray at a farmhouse during which it was alleged that accused slabbed McCready.
The hearing was adjourned^—P.A.
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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 August 1945, Page 5
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358UNEXPECTED PLEA Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 August 1945, Page 5
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