WIFE’S WRIST SLASHED

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1929, Page 3

WIFE’S WRIST SLASHED

ACQUITTAL OF HUSBAND

CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED MURDER. NO EVIDENCE GIVEN BY WOMAN. John Hunt, of Whakatu Road, Hawera, accused of the attempted muide. of. his wife on August 20, was found not guilty at the New Plymouth Supreme Court yesterday before Mr. Justice MacGregor. The alternative counts with which Hunt was charged, weae:— (1) Attempting to murder his wife. (2) With intent to dp grievous bodily harm, doing actual bodily harm. (3) Assaulting his wife so as to cause actual bodily harm. (4) Causing actual bodily harm under such circumstances that .if death had resulted he would have been guilty of manslaughter.. . . . ' Mr. C. H. Weston conducted ■ the case for' the Crown . and accused was represented by Mr. E. M. Beechey. Evidence was given showing that Hunt and his wife had both been drinking heavily on the evening of the accident. Next morning the house was in dis-, order,- blood- was spilt on the floor and Hunt and his wife were found, lying on the bed., ;Mrs, Hunt with a deep gash on her Tight wrist and Hunt with a slight- cut on- his'left wrist. A bloodstained razor was found on the floor near the bed?' Mrs. Hunt was called but. as she-replied -to the 'judge that she had no desire to give evidence, she was stood down. j >

The following jury was empanelled: Messrs. J. T. Locke (foreman), George Brown; M. O. Butcher, W. Des Forges, A. Vernon, A. E, Nathan, D._ J. Lynch, W. Tuson, A. V. Sowry, E. J. Arden, W. A. Simpson and J. Johnston.

’The facts were,-‘said Mr. C. H. Weeton, who conducted the case for tlie Crown, that on the morning of August 21 a littlfe Maori girl, the daughter of the woman assaulted and the stepdaughter of Hunt, went to her mother’s house at 6 o’clock. Accused- and his wife were living in a cottage on the farm of. Mr. McKay., Fraser Road. The little girl .found both the front and back doors locked. • Hunt called out to her .to get in through the window. She. got. in and found. Hunt and his wife' lying on the bed with blood everywhere. Accused sent her into the kitchen, where there, was more blood and everything was topsy-turvey. The girl wanted to go for help and tried to hejp her mother to the door, but she collapsed on the,way. The girl then went to McKay’s and brought McKay and Dr. Sinclair. The doctor found the woman’s wrist cut right to the bone. It was a miracle that she lived. Both arteries were severed.

McKay and the doctor found three gallon jars of beer in the bedroom. The accused was under the influence of liquor and the woman had been drinking, but her state of collapse was due more'to loss of blood. The hand was patched up and she might still have the use of it. The man’s wrist was also cut but it was a mere scratch. BLOOD-STAINED RAZOR FOUND. A constable had gone to the house next day and found a blood-stained razor on the floor. Another razor would perhaps be said by another witness to have been found in a case on the table. The husband was interviewed by Constable Mullan and made a statement saying that he and his wife had had drink on Tuesday in Hawera and gone

home. and had more drink. He had, he said, no recollection of using a razor. He could remember nothing till Wednesday morning. He could not remember anything until he found himself in Dr. car. He usually kept his razor in the bedroom in a case. He must have been pretty drunk, and his wife also.

It was for the jury to say, said Mr. Weston, whether the man was too drunk to be capable of forming an intention to commit the crime. In this case, however, this would not excuse accused. Even if they were satisfied that accused was too drunk to know what he was doing that would not excuse him on ■ the fourth count. As to the woman’s. story, she could not be compelled to give evidence. Apart from her evidence, he submitted, there would be sufficient evidence foy the jury to satisfy themselves that he cut his wife’s wrist as well as his own and was wuilty on at least one count. Annie Rangi Tuahere.’in evidence said that when she got into’ the house through the window on the morning of August 21 she found her mother and Hunt lying on 1 top of the bed. She had broken open the door and gone outside. Hunt called to her and told *her to take her mother inside. Her mother had fallen .half-way to the door. She herself had then gone to'McKay’s for help. BLOOD ALL OVER BEDROOM. There had been blood all over . the bedroom. In the kitchen the table and cupboard were knocked down and plates and cups smashed. ‘ To His Honour: Hunt was a bit drunk. ‘ , ■' ' .. T ‘ ' ■' ■ ' : '.Hunt had followed her a little way. towards McKay’s and called her-back;* She had run on. . ■ ’ - : : :To Mr. Weston: Her mother was right-handed, and so was Hunt. To Mr. Beechey: It was just getting daylight when she’ went to the? house* She could not see everything in the house. She had talked over the evidence with her grandmother Note, with whom she lived. She knew her grandmother did not like Johnnie Hunt. 'Henry McKay, a farmer of Eraser Road,, said he had gone to the cottage in response to Annie’s appeal.. Hunt had opened the door. He had not spoken to Hunt because . Hunt was under the influence of liquor. To. Mr.. Beechey: When n.t under ths •influence of liquor Hunt, was a very decent Citizen.' Karatau (Hunt’s wife) was also addicted to liquor as well as Hunt. Under the'influence they were a quarrelsome pair. . Karatau’s conduct, had vastly improved since her marriage to Hunt. It was no unusual thing for them both to get drunk-and fight. He had noticed a ' broken window in the bedroom right alongside the bed. It was a recent break. Hunt lost all control of himself when he was drunk. He liad had four years of war service. To Mr. Weston: He had seen Hunt drunk many times. He would become argumentative and might strike a man. On the Wednesday morning Hunt was able to walk. He was talking fight when they were taking him to hospital. Dr. R. G. B. Sinclair, medical practitioner, of Hawera, said that on the Wednesday morning he and McKay had <roue to the cottage. Hunt was not eager to let them in until he found that he was merely the doctor. The house was in an indescribable state of confusion. Everything breakable had been broken.

The wound on Karatau’s wrist was regular, clean cut and defined. All the structures on the front of the wrist had been severed. Her condition was very serious from loss of blood. The bed and her clothing were saturated with blood. WOUND FROM SHARP INSTRUMENT Undoubtedly a very, very, sharp instrument had caused the wound. It was consistent with the use of a razor. The cut was not like that made by glass. The fracture made with glass was always uneven and there was always some tapering noticeable at one end of the wound. This wound was clear cut, and even with a sharp instrument considerable force would have to be used to make it. . • . It . was a most extraordinary thing that the woman had not died from the wound. It was the sort of wound that normally would cause death. A handkerchief was tied loosely round the wound, but to his mind had not stopped the bleeding at aM. Hunt, the doctor* said, had a small wound on the left wrist; It was not very deep, severing only several very small veins underneath the. skin. Mrs., Hunt had . Iso a very black eye. He had bandaged the wound and taken the woman and Hunt to the Haw’era hospital. At the hospital they had begun immediately to repair Mrs. Hunt’s wrist. She had made a good recovery, but' he did not think she would ever recover the use of' her wrist. In the' bedroom there were three beer jars, from one of which Hunt was helping himself from time to time. Hunt presented the appearance of a man who had been on a jolly good spree. He was not hopelessly drunk. He could walk and talk very well and could understand what the doctor wanted him to do. Mrs. Hunt’s state was one of extreme anaemia due to haemorrhage. She had also had liquor blit how much it was impossible to tell, as the influence of the liquor was completely overshadowed by. loss of blood. Mr. Beechey: In the lower court you described Hunt' as being remarkably under the influence of liquor. Witness: He was in this condition, that he went to sleep in one of the corridors at the hospital. It was not possible for the injury to be caused by" glass. Hunt’s wound had been caused by tlie same instrument as that which caused Karatau’s. Constable -Pidgeon,. Normanby, said that on-his visit-to-the house on Aiigust 22, under the bed just by the window was a razor, opened and covered with blood. There were rags, lying about covered with blood, and there were three demijohns, one empty, one with a little beer, and one full of beer. A razor case was found lying on the floor a few feet from the razor. To Mr. Beechey:. There was no other razor in the room when he visited it at 8.30 on the morning of August 22. HUNT ASLEEP ON FLOOR. Constable Mullin said he had found Hunt asleep on the floor of the vestibule of the Hawera hospital.. He took him to the police station. Next morning Hunt was charged with drunkenness and pleaded Hunt had made a statement saying that he and his wife had taken drink at Hawera and at home. He did not know how his wife had cut her wrist nor how he had cut his own. His razor was always kept in half a case. He did not know- how he had got the blood on his clothes. To Mr.- Beechey: Before her. marriage to Hunt. Karatau had been a consider-

able nuisance to the police. She had a ' quarrelsome, nasty disposition when driink. Drink had ah abnormal effect upon Hunt. He was amenable to persuasion but difficult fo force. Karatau had returned home and was now living with Hunt. Mrs. Hunt was called but Mr. Beechey asked that she be advised that she could not be compelled to give evidence against her husband. Asked by the judge through an interpreter if she wished to give evidence, she said no, and was stood down.

The only, question, said Mr. Weston, in his address to the jury, was who. cut the woman’s wrist? There was no direct evidence. It must be fairly obvious that the husband made the cut or that the wife did it.’ If the wife did it she must- have done it with her left hand. The evidence showed that., she was a right-handed woman hnd ' also that considerable force had been used in making the cut; The evidence showed that Hunt was 1 a right-handed man., His left Ayrist was cut and it' was consistent'' with this ; that they should think that he cut- his wife’s wrist and, then his own.. Tlieie was other evidence—the fact that tlie doors were locked and, that ho did not want to let' anybody, in except the doctor. . . . , ... . If . they decided that Hunt did the cutting,- then .there was the question .of ' drunkenness.' The onus was on the accused to satisfy them that /he had been too drunk to know what he .was. doing.' The only-, evidence in ■ fayoiif of that’ was accused's own'statement to the *" police*. ...

COUNSEL’S ADDRESS- IN. DEFENCE. . . The evidence, said Mr. Beechey, was purely circumstantial. Ail they. knew was that the two. parties were in the house, that: night, that they were' both drunk; >aftd that in- the* morning . both • Karatau and, Hunt were injured. It was clear from the evidence that both Hunt; < and Karatau: were addicted to liquor;' The .house was upside down. It was quite clear that during the course of the night Hunt, and Karatau had had a very willing fight*. It was quite possible' •“/ that Karatau had taken the razor to attack. Hunt, and done the injury to . the . wrist herself. .She was a strong, woman and quarrelsome; ’ . : . , ' Unless the jury could clearly, come, to , the conclusion that Hunt did it, and did ; it on purpose, then he was not liable to be convicted. There was no pqslsible doubt that at the time the occurrence took ’ place Hunt was /drunk, very drunk indeed. The constable had found him in the hospital, asleep, from' 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, and then locked him up for being drunk; Counsel suggested, in spite of Dr. Sinclair’s evidence, the cut might /have been caused by the broken window in the course of the fight- . " It was not enough that the /Grown should say that the circumstances were suspicious. The jury must be quite satisfied that. Hunt had inflicted the wound and nobody but Hunt; otherwise their, verdict must be one of acquittal. ; There were four counts against Hunt, said His Honour in summing up, but it seemed to him that they could put the first count*, that Hunt attempted to ■ ' murder his wife, out of their minds. The second count, that with intent Hunt did actual bodily harm to his wife, they might also lay aside. It was clear from the evidence that Hunt was, too drunk to form any intention at.all. On the third count of assault so as to cause actual bodily harm, the jury was perfectly open to find that he did assault her. With regard to the fourth count, that Hunt caused actual bodily harm, under such circumstances that df death had been caused he would have been guilty of manslaughter, it was quite clear that if the unfortunate woman had died Hunt might have been charged with manslaughter. Hunt,, therefore, was liable to be convicted on the third or fourth count. • It was plain enough that Hunt had been mad with drink. The only question for the jury was: “Did or did not this man cut his wife’s hand?” The evi- • deuce,, since naturally the woman did not wish to give evidence against her husband, was purely circumstantial. What happened that evening was open to conjecture. It was known that both were drunk, that there was a razor nearby, and that they were a quarrelsome pair. Then there was a row in which the woman received a black eye. It was not likely that , the woman could have inflicted the wound with ; her left hand. There was no doubt that the man was silly drunk and could ■have no intention against the woman. The circumstances all pointed -in the direction that Hunt, had made tlie wound, inst as he had given her., the black eye. It was for the jury to say whether there was sufficient evidence to show if he was' guilty or not. There was no . motive, said His Honour, ahd tlie charges were not so serious as they at . first seemed. Hunt could not be convict- / ed oh the first two counts, and consequently, if convicted on the other counts, would not be liable to very / severe punishment.