MURDER CHARGES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19485, 9 May 1933, Page 11

MURDER CHARGES

MAORI YOUTH IN DOCK. ACCUSED OF KILLING FOSTERFATHER. By TelegraDb—®»es3 Association AUCKLAND, May 8.

The trial of Riwi Manuel (17), a Maori from Kaltaia district, on a charge of murdering Kati Robson, commenced before Judge Herdman in the Supreme Court. Manuel was charged with committing the crime on January Bth 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. Meredith, explained the circumstances of the murdered man’s household, stating that 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 boys, Henry and Marara, while a boy named Tawhai and accused slept in a shack. Manuel was an adopted boy, and Robson was practically his guardian. There had been a little trouble between them, and on one or two occasions Robson had thrashed Manuel. 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 that he was awakened by hearing somebody walking in the dining-room. He saw a man walking with what appeared to be a broom in his hand. The man struck a match and looked into the bedroom, then he blew the match out. The man put the broom to his shoulder and there was a bang. Henry saw a 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, he said. Mrs Robson would say that at 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. The medical evidence was that the man was found in a serious condition, with a gaping wound, besides 13 small punctured wounds which showed how the shot had spread. The shot must have been fired from the doorway. When questioned, 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 for accused 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 got up and took the gun and shot Robson from the door of his room. “I did not intend to kill him," Manuel 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 tomorrow.

WOMAN SHOT IN BED. ACCUSED’S ADMISSION OF GUILT. By Telegraph—Pr*ss Association AUCKLAND, May 8. The trial of Thomas Francis Clark, on a charge of murdering Bertha May fiennett, at Papatoetoe, on January 17th, opened before Mr Justice Smith in the Supreme Court. Mr Hubble (for the Crown) said that accused was arrested on a charge of murder. On the following morning, accused had voluntarily made a statement to a detective, confessing that he had shot Mrs Bennett. This statement or confession was sufficient in itself to justify a charge of murder. Alice Whewell, widow, mother of deceased, said accused and her daughter intended to be married. Alfred George Hamilton said he had known Mrs Bennett for about twelve years, and had lived at her house for about eight or nine years. For about 18 months prior to the tragedy accused had been in the habit of visiting the house three or four times a week in the evenings. Accused called at the house on the evening of January 17th, leaving at about nine. Witness went to sleep fairly soon, but was awakened by Mrs Bennett saying: "What are you doing here? Get out at once.” A gun was fired from the foot of the bed almost immediately. Witness jumped out of bed as soon as he heard the report and saw the flash. He saw accused backing out through the door with a gun in his hands. Witness made a dash at him, but the door was shut in his face. Another gunshot followed from the livingroom. On opening the door witness saw accused in the living room, but saw no sign of a gun. Accused said: “It is all right. I only had two cartridges.” Witness said: “What are you up to, Frank? You have shot Mrs Bennett.” Accused replied: “I didn’t half do enough. I missed myself.” Accused then walked through to the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed.

The police produced a statement which it was stated accused had made voluntarily. In this statement accused described his visit to deceased's house. The statement proceeded: “The lights were all out in her house at the time. I could see they had all retired to bed. When I saw the bed was vacant in her room, I got though a window into the bedroom in which she told me she slept, and walked through the sitting room into a bedroom in the front of the house where I knew Alf Hamilton slept. I had a torch with me, and when I entered Alf's bedroom I shone the torch on the bed, and there saw Alf Hamilton and her together, I did not speak to Alf or her at the time, and I do not think they saw'me. T then returned to the room where I had entered, and got a shotgun and two cartridges which were in that room. I loaded the gun with two cartridges. When I returned to the room with the gun I shone the torch upon them and pinched her knees to wake her up, and she woke up and said, 'What do you want here, Clark?’ and I said, ‘I have found out it is true,’ and then I fired at her while she was sitting up in befl. Alf jumped out and said, ‘What is the matter, Frank? You have done it now.’ I then left the bedroom and went into the sitting room and changed the cartridge from the left to the right barrel, and then fired at myself, but the charge hit my watch and glanced off. Alf then went for the police and a doctor, and that is all."