PETITION FOR DIVORCE

Southland Times, Issue 22991, 10 September 1936, Page 5

PETITION FOR DIVORCE

Decree Granted To Company Director (United Press Association.) Wellington. September 9. Satisfied that respondent had _ not proved her allegations, the actingChief Justice (Sir John Reed) to-day granted a petition for divorce brought by George William .Willey, a company director, against Alice. Jane Willey on the ground of separation. At the conclusion of the evidence, this afternoon, counsel for the wife sought leave to amend the answer to the petition by adding a prayer that she be granted a decree against her husband. The Judge said that he was not prepared to do that. The. husband had been prepared to allow his wife to take proceedings. She had come into the Court and made the most gross statements against him. It was perfectly obvious, when the deed of separation was executed, that the relationship of the parties had reached a stage where it was impracticable for them to live together. In general terms, the wife s allegations were of repeated assaults and association with another woman, the Judge continued. As to the assaults, he was perfectly satisfied that the allegations were not substantiated in any way whatsoever. He did not believe that Mrs Willey was ever assaulted, in the sense the evidence seemed to point. Concerning the alleged association with another woman, he thought that the wife had become obsessed with the idea of her husband’s alleged infidelity and warped their lives in consequence. A decree nisi was granted to be made absolute after three months.