SINGULAR FATALITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17949, 29 November 1932, Page 6

SINGULAR FATALITY

DEATH OF A BOY UNCOMPLETED EVIDENCE An inquest regarding the death of Ronald Frauds Stacey, a 13-year-old boy who died in the Christchurch Hospital early last Thursday morning, was anened the same day before the coroner, Mr. E. D. Mosley. Dr. Florence Aaleen Craig, _ house surgeon at the Public Hospital, said that she attended the boy on iiis admission the previous evening about 11.15 p.m. He was in an unconscious condition, with blood and froth coming from his mouth. Round his neck was a red mark. His respiration was erratic and gurgling. He was given treatment. lie died about 1.55 a.m. Witness did not know the cause of death, and did not form an opinion. The boy was treated for a secretion in the bronchial tubes, but did not rally. Arthur Francis .Stacey, land agent, the father of the boy, identified the body. He stated that the boy had gone to bed at 9 pan. with his brother Ivan. Witness and ids wife were in their bedroom listening to the wireless, having retired early in the evening. Witness went to sleep and Ills wile wakened him about 10.15 pan. and told him that she heard groaning upstairs. He went to the bathroom and saw his boy lying naked on the Hour. With the assistance of his wife am! daughter they took the buy out, as there was no light liicio. Witness saw there was something wrong with tlie boy and noticed a bruise under the chin. Witness immediately thought, seeing the hot water in the bath, that his soil had slipped from the hath m trying to fix an electric light bulb and had been rendered unconscious.

Sergeant .Moore: Did you sec anything else? Witness: I refuse to answer that. Not at the time, no.

Mr. Stacey said it might be in the interests of justice that he should talk p: irately 1o the. coroner. Tiie Coroner : We are concerned only with finding the exact cause of death. If you think there is anything you ought to disclose, you ought to do so to tho police.

Sergeant Moore, agreed with the

Witness:,! will do that, hut there must lie something you can do. Sup as-.' someone murdered the boy. The coroner stated that he thought lie would adjourn the case for a week, as the evidence could not be properly taken that day.

Mr. Stacey asked the coroner if he would view the body, because witness asserted that tbevo was only a slight mark oil the hoy’s neck, and not a mark right round the neck. Mr. Mosley said that he. had tho medical evidence to ihe effect that there was a mark round the neck. After some consideration the coroner adjourned the inquest sine die.