IMPASSIVELY HEARD
ACQUITTAL ON MURDER CHARGE
PA NEW PLYMOUTH, May 25. Moses Matthews, aged 39, a Maori farm labourer, impassively heard his acquittal on a charge of murder in the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday. He was charged with killing his brother-in-law, Hurihanganui (Alex.) Taueki, aged 42, in Puniho pa on April 27. During the hearing the Crown had suggested the evidence would support manslaughter rather than murder. No evidence was called for Matthews. The main plank of the defence was that Matthews acted in self-defence, after extreme provocation from Taueki, who, it was submitted, started a fight. The jury took 79*minutes to reach its verdict. For the defence, Mr R. L. Horn submitted that Taueki was responsible for the initial violence, that he struck several blows, and that he made a threat, “ I’ll kill you,” before Matthews started to fight. The medical evidence was that Taueki’s death was caused by bronchoEneumonia, which could have been rought on by his unconsciousness, said Mr Horn. The medical evidence had not been able to rule out entirely the possibility of infection from teeth cavities, following an extraction on the day of the fight. Moreover, the quantity of liquor Taueki had taken might have lowered his resistance.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 27090, 26 May 1949, Page 2
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205IMPASSIVELY HEARD Otago Daily Times, Issue 27090, 26 May 1949, Page 2
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