HASTINGS SHOOTING CASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20897, 12 June 1931, Page 14

HASTINGS SHOOTING CASE

GIRL SEVERELY WOUNDED INCIDENTS IN A GARDEN. ACCUSED GIVES EVIDENCE. LACK OF MEMORY PLEADED. [by TEi.i;<;;t.\rii.—imu;ss .vstcjrmioN.] NAJ'iEH, Tiiursduy. Tlic ti ml of Frederick Nunn cm a charg: . 4>f attempting to murder Mavis Steel: Smith at Hastings on ,\J;ril 7 ivas commenced in Diu Supreme, Court to day, h 'charge of shooting with intent to d > grievous bodily harm \yas added to tin indictment. Accused pleaded not guilt}. The courthouse was crowded. , The ease lor the prosecution was cot • ducted hy Mr. lj. U.,Lusk, V"d Mr. 12. J. .W. llallett appeared for the accused. Outlining the ea.se for the Crown, Mi. Lusk said accused met the girl and IV I /in love with her. lie proposed to hoi, hut her father and mother refused, In • cause ho was either getting a divorce cr was divorced. In spite of this, Nunri and Miss Smith continued to, meet, athough her father warned, liiiu not lo see her. Eventually the girl came lo the conclusion that she bail made a mi tuko and endeavoured to avoid him. '/ Attendance at a Dance. On the day in question, die girl attended a wedding ;ind that, night si e went to a dance, being called for by a 'man named Eves. At 7.30 .Miss Smith left her home in Pakowhai, Itoad ai d turned into Lyndhurst Road, where tiny saw a car turned toward the,hedge. Tin y / saw the car was accused's, and accused was in tho car. , In addition, there wis evidence to show that accused had hem round the house prior to Miss Smith leading for the dance. After Miss Smith left lier home, sa d Mr. Lush, it was clear tjiat acpused ieturned to Havelock, where he met and talked with a resident. Jt appeared, / iiowever, he was not content to reninin in Havelock. At one o'clock next morning Miss Smith was left at her front gate by Eves, and on entering the gate, s'io was hailed by accused, who was amo; ig / some trees. He. hail a gun behind lis back. He asked her if she would mar-y him, and she refused, where,upon lie sail: " Then J'll shoot you." He then ask hI her to go and sit in the car with him and . for some time they'stood at the gai e. Serious Wound Inflicted. / For some reason she ran. away and 'ie chased her with the gun, continued i?r. Lusk. While running away, the g m I was iired at her, and she received tie charge in the hack of the head and suffered serious injuries. The man dis- ' appeared and did not even wait to seo what had happened, the girl being luffc lying on the lawn. This fact obviated the possibility of accident, for in tl at case the man would have gone to see wl at Ijc had done. There was a piece of evidence that really settled the whole matter, lie continued. This was the fact that a letter was found in Nunn's house on the night of his arrest. The letter was in Nunn's writing arid was written to his daughter, !.nd showed it was the intention of Nunn to kill Miss Smith. It also looked from i the letter as if accused intended to do uwav with himself. A detective was quickly on the scene j and on calling at accused's house lie found accused 'still dressed at three o'clock that morning. The car was also < warm and showed signs of recent use. Inquiries by Detective. The detective told him Miss Smith had | , lieeu shot and he replied, "Poor Mavis." j The detective asked Nunn if he had a gun and accused replied, "Yes." The detective got the gun and smelt the barrels, the right-hand one proving to have been recently used. Mr. Lu&k said accused was J lien asked where he had been and he said, "I did not shoot Mavis Smith. I may hive! been instrumental." Accused said he j could say who did it, but would not aL ■the moment. Accused possessed a ring ' on which was engraved Ihe in me -"Mavis," which further showed that accused was deeply infatuated. Evidence would be given that accused was perfectly normal that evening ind also that he was quite able to talk sensibly when interviewed by the detective early next morning. Evidence for the prosecution followed ; on the lines of Mr. Lusk's speechAccused then went into the box. lie ' / stated that as a result of shell shock at j the war, lie was in an English hospital : for about a year. On returning to New j Zealand, he contracted influenza, pneu- j jnoriia' and other maladies. 1 He was ill for several years and still suffered from j headaches. No Recollection of Events. He met Miss Smith in November, 1'229. ; And immediately became infatuated, and j she returned his affection. Accused said he went to Pakowhai Load after mid- j night .as he particularly wanted to see who' brought Mavis home. He had no in- | tention of shooting Mavis when lie look the gun out of the car. ' .Accused said ho went inside the ;*ate j and waited for Mavis. The latter j alighted from the car andi started to run I toward the house, and he called "Mavis." She stopped and came toward accused, i ' who told her he did not think she would j go out to parties after promising she I would not. Nunn reminded her he had spent about .£250 on her. Accused said they walked to the sjale and he asked her to come lo I lie car, and j if she would come to liiin as soon as pos- ' sible. ' Mavis replied that she was not] going out with him any more. Beyond that, accused said lie had no recollection of what occurred until lie gol I home, when ho seemed to recall it. The hearing was adjourned until to- I morrow.