POISONING OF A BOY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20089, 29 October 1928, Page 8

POISONING OF A BOY.

MENTAL HOSPITAL DEATH.

COMPANION ADMITS ACT.

DID NOT LIKE DECEASED.

KEY STOLEN FROM NURSES. [BY TEIiEGJUJ'H. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NELSON, Sunday. A tragic occurrence, took place in the Nelson Mental Hospital yesterday resulting in the death of a boy inmate aged 13, who was given a drink of formalin by a fellow boy patient of the same age. The boy who provided tho formalin stole the key to the room in which it was kept from a bedroom occupied by two nurses. When questioned by the authorities he stated ho did not like deceased and that iio gave him the poison because he considered he was "no good."

An inquest into the circumstances of tho tragedy was held to-day before Mr. T. E. Maunsell, S.M., coroner. Dr. A. T. Jeffreys, medical superintendent, stated that witness and Dr. Sadlier performed a post-mortem examination and found unmistakable evidence of poison. He interviewed tho boy responsible arid be admitted be had given tho poison to his follow-patient. He stated quite frankly that ho did not like deceased and that bo wanted to kill him.

Dr. Jeffreys said he did not think the boy fully understood tho nature of the offence. He was very untruthful, being an epileptic imbecile, and ho bad very little moral sense of right and wrong. Tho boy knew the contents of tho bottle were poisonous, and that they would cause tho death of the other youth,. Dr. Jeffrevs added.

Evidence was also given by two nurses who stated tlio key to the basin-room where the poison was kept was in their charge. The boy look a jug of water to their bedroom yesterday morning. On entering lie apparently tip-toed across the room and took the key from a table at the bedside of orio of the nurses. The door to the basin room was always kept locked, but (lie boy knew what it contained and that his only chance of gaining entry was to secure the key. It was not known that he had arrived with the water until, apparently, after he had secured the key and secreted it. The coroner found that deceased died from shock caused through poisoning by drinking formalin which was administered to him by a mental patient with intent to kill. Mr. Maunsell said the mental patient was not responsible for his actions by reason of insanity. The fact that he was able to gain access to the 'oom in which the formalin was kept was due to exceptional circumstances, and the unfortunate occurrenco was not caused through negligence on the part of anyone in tlio hospital.