ASSAULT ALLEGED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21079, 13 January 1932, Page 11

ASSAULT ALLEGED.

MAORI WOMAN INJURED. EARLY MORNING INCIDENT. CHARGE AGAINST HUSBAND. Charges of attempted murder and assault causing actual bodily harm were made against a Maori, Wiri Manahi Hapi, aged 21, in the Police Court at Onehunga, before Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., yesterday. The offences were alleged to have been committed in the early hours of January 3 at a cottage at Mangere, where accused's wife, Mary Kanui, lived with her husband. She appeared in Court with her head swathed in bandages. Detective-Sergeant P. Doyle said it was not intended to offer evidence in connection with the charge of attempted murder, and evidence would be given only in connection with the assault charge. The wife of accused, who gave her evidence seated, said she was 21 years of age and was married to accused at Panmure seven years ago. She had one child, a baby, and had lived for some years at Pukekohe. being at that place for sometime accused left her. About 11 months ago witness returned to the Mangere district and again lived with accused, who was employed -with a Chinese market gardener named Wong Lee. Their life was not happy as they were always quarrelling. They lived in part of Wong Lee's house at the gardens. On the Sunday before Christmas witness said she left accused and went to live with her aunt. A week later she returned to live with accused at the gardens. Accused used to give her frequent "hidings." Just before New Year accused again left her. On the night of January 2 she went to bed at 10 o'clock and shortly afterwards she heard a knocking at the window. She knew it was accused and she was frightened to let him in. Accused entered the room through the window and commenced to quarrel with her. The quarrel continued until about 3 a.m., and.accused struck her with his fist and knocked her down. He sat on the floor and wrote a letter. Accused then blew out the candle and, while the room was in darkness, he hit her twice on the head. She fainted and found, on recovering, that her head was bleeding at the back. She did not know what accused struck her with, but she heard him tell the police it was an iron. She had been taken to hospital in Auckland, and had remained a patient there until that morning. When she recovered from her faint she left the house and accused, who was hiding behind a tree, helped her to hsr cousin's house some 30 yards away. Medical evidence was given that there were two wounds at the back of the woman's head, one requiring four stitches. Wong Lee, the owner of the house, said he occupied one part of it and during the night he heard the Woman crying. He eventually entered the room and accused said his wife had knocked her head against the bed. The woman said accused had struck her. Constable R. Wilks said he had interviewed accused, who said he had hit his wife with a piece of waterpipe, which he had thrown away among the grass. Witness asked what he had in his pocket when a previous witness spoke to him. Accusued replied, "A butcher's knife; I was going to ase it on myself." The knife had been found under a tree in the garden. Evidence was given that the knife was used for cutting vegetables and was left about the * gardens in odd places. Accused pleaded not guilty and reserved his defence. He was remanded in custody for trial at the Supreme Gonrt.