ALLEGED MURDER

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 238, 9 May 1933, Page 6

ALLEGED MURDER

Fatality at Kaiatai WVXLr ■J JV " - ■■■ - ' MAORI YOUTH ON TRIAL Early Morning Tragedy Press Association.—Copyright. Auckland, May 7. The trial of Riwi Manuel, a 17-year-old Maori, from the Kaitaia district, on a charge of murdering Kati Robson commenced before Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court to-day. Manuel was charged with committing the crime on January 8 at Pukepoto, near Kaitaia. He is alleged to have shot Robson, who was his employer, while Robson was asleep in bed in the early hours of the morning. Robson died in hospital later. Manuel pleaded not guilty through an interpreter. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr. V. R. S. Meredith) explained the circumstances of the murdered man's household, stating some of the children were Mrs. Robson's by a previous marriage. In one room there slept Robson and his wife and a year-old baby. In another room there were two beys, Henry and Morara, while the boy Tawhai and accused : ept in a shack at the hack. Manuel was an adopted t>ov and Robson was practically nip guardian. There had bepn a little trouble between them, and on one or two occasions Robson had thrashed Manuei. On the morning of the tragedy Manuel and another boy, Nathan, who was with him, returned home from Kaitaia about 12.30. The little boy Henry would say he was awakened by hearing somebody walking in the dining room. He saw a man walking with what appeared to be a broom in hit hand. He struck a match and looked into the bedroom. Then he blew out the match. The man put the "broom" to his shoulder and there was a bang. Henry saw the man running away down the path and heard his father call out. Manuel ran in shortly afterwards. He had on a pair of dungaree trousers and a black and red jersey. The man Henry saw in the house had on white trousers.

Wife Awakened by Crying Mr. Meredith said Mrs. Robson would say that about daybreak she was awakened by her husband crying. She found blood on him and he was in great pain. He had been wounded by a shot. Medical evidence was that the man was found in a sorious condition with a gaping wound beside 13 small punctured wounds, which showed how the shot had spread. The shot must have been fired from the doorway. When questioned, the Prosecutor continued, Manuel said he had got a gun two or three weeks before and he went on to say that he had gone into Kati Robson's room and shot him in bed. He was immediately warned of the seriousness of his statement. He described in detail what had happened and where he had left the gun. He could only have described the exact position in which the gun was found if he had put it there himself. After being again warned Manuel gave a written statement. Counsel gave notice that he objected to the admissibility of this statement. Mr. Meredith said that according to the statement Manuel had been very annoyed with Robson. He arose, took the gun and shot Robson from the door of his room. "I did not intend to kill him," Manual said; "I wanted to hurt him because he had given me a hiding," Manuel had passed only standard 3 and both his parents were dead. The case was adjourned until to-mor-row.