ALLEGED ATTEMPTED MURDER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15874, 13 July 1922, Page 7

ALLEGED ATTEMPTED MURDER

SHOOTING A DKIKUriVK. (Per Press Association > HAMILTON, last night. At the Police Court, William Alexander Crossan, a young man, was charged with the attempted murder of Detective Lambert, with discharging a loaded revolver at Leo Jury, and with five charges of breaking and entering and theft.

Detective Lambert said, in evidence, that he investigated the burglaries, and went to Frankton Junction railwaj station, where he saw the accused, who admitted stealing the ,boots which he was wearing. Subsequently he searched accused's room and found a sandbag, jemmy, pliers, and cartridges: also stolen' clothing, which accused admitted stealing. In reply to questioning, accused said the revolver was stolen from the metal stores and hidden in a gully at Tamahere, four miles out. A party) went out- in a car driven by Leo Jury. and searched for the revolver without success, and witness gave orders to leave for the return to Hamilton. Witness and Constable Stitton were getting under a. fence, rail, 'when the accused, without any warning, said : "Put your hands up," and produced a revolver. Witness was advancing upon accused, when tho latter told him to stand or he would shoot. Witness told accused not to be silly, and continued to advance. Accused'then ordered Jury to get into the car. Jury ran away, and accused pointed the revolver at him and pulled the trigger, but the weapon failed to discharge. Jury called out : "It's all right; it's not loaded." Accused answered: "Isn't it," and fired a "shot into the ground: Witness by this time approached within three feet and made an attempt to secure the. revolver. He secured a. light hold of the weapon, and accused again ordered him to stand oil' and threatened to shoot, adding that he was desperate and did not want to live. Then he wrenched the revolver from witness's light grasp, stepped back a iew paces, and fired, shooting witness in the abdomen. The shot was a deliberate one, and there could he no suggestion that the revolver went off accidentally during the struggle. After firing the shot, accused bolted up the bill, but was secured by the police. In answer to a question, witness said the accused was perfectly sober, cool, and collected the whole time.

Dr. Gower said the bullet in Lambert had not been located, bat the injury was consistent with iiis having been shot.

Corroborative evidence was given by Constable Sutton, -who said that accused had admitted afterwards having had the revolver all the time, and said that- he loaded it in the lavatory of the Royal hotel, where he was allowed to go on the way out to Tamahere.

Leo Jury also gave corroborative evidence.

Accused pleaded guilty to the burglary and theft charges, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.; and pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted murder of Detective Lambert and of discharging a revolver at Leo Jury, the taxi-driver, and reserved his defence, lie was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. The charge of having an unregistered firearm in his possession was held over.