GIRL'S STRANGE STORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21968, 27 November 1934, Page 11

GIRL'S STRANGE STORY

ROBBERY AND ASSAULT FABRICATION ADMITTED ■ [by telegraph—OWN correspondent! OPOTIKI. Monday A story of an alleged robbery and assault, which subsequently proved to be a fabrication, was told to the Opotiki police last night. At 8 o'clock the police received a telephone message from a farm house about 20 miles from Opotiki stating that a young woman employed there had seen a man leaving a whare with a bundle of clothes. The young woman raised an alarm and although no one was found, clothes were picked up, apparently having been dropped when the man escaped.

About 11.30 another message was received from the same place, the owner of the farm stating that the young woman had retired to bed at about 10 o'clock and was awakened just before 11.30 by a man. She said she attempted to raise an alarm, but was prevented, the alleged intruder smothering her face with bedclothes and tying a window cord tightly round her neck. He then left by the window, taking the girl's purse. She then screamed and ran into the kitchen with the cord round her neck.

Constables Beasly and Birch and Detective McLeod visited the farm and after investigating the matter for three hours came to the .conclusion that the story was a fabrication. After the girl had been questioned she admitted that she was entirely responsible for the whole matter and that the story was a fabrication. Her only explanation for telling such a story was that she somehow felt like it.