MURDER CHARGE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20441, 11 June 1936, Page 6

MURDER CHARGE

RETRIAL OF MAREO YESTERDAY’S EVIDENCE By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, June 10. When the Mareo trial entered the ninth day, Dr. S. L. Ludbrook gave evidence corroborating the evidence given by Drs. Gilmour and Gunson. He said from the evidence given he had come to the conclusion that Mrs Mareo died of veronal poisoning, and that she probably had about 100 grains of veronal taken at different times. Witness considered that the dose was taken on the Saturday morning. Her reported symptoms throughout Sunday and Monday were consistent with the effects of a further dose. He considered that from the time she fell asleep, after going to the lavatory, until the arrival of Dr. Dreadon, she was in continuous coma. She possibly had three doses. There may have been one on Friday night, one on Saturday morning, and one early on Sunday morning, probably just before the lavatory incident. Possibly she had only two doses, and none on Friday night. From the evidence he did not think it possible that she could have taken veronal herself between the time she awoke and the time she called Freda Stark on Saturday evening. A further dose would have produced sleep very rapidly, for she already had some veronal in her system. Replying to Mr O'Leary witness said he had not listened to Mr O’Leary’s cross-examination of Freda Stark. . Mr O'Leary: Why did you not listen to it??—l formed my opinions on the evidence in chief of Miss Stark and listened to your cross-examined of her at the last trial. And have you not done me the courtesy of listening to my cross-exam-ination on this occasion? I have read part of it, but cannot give you any particular answer that Freda Stark gave you.

Witness agreed that whereas she had said during her evidence that Mrs Mareo was awake from four to four and a half hours on the Saturday night, his estimate at the previous trial was two hours. Detective's Evidence Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn described in detail his activities in the Mareo home when he arrived there about 8 o’clock on the night of Mrs Mareo’s death. Replying to his questions Mareo said he had bought three lots of veronal from chemists within the previous three weeks. Witness asked him if had given his wife any and Mareo replied: ‘‘Do you think I am a murderer?” Accused said he had got veronal for sleeplessness, and remarked: "Do I look like a drug addict?" Detective-Sergeant Meiklejohn told how Mareo had made comments while he was reading the statement he had made. He said “I feel like a cad saying all this about my wife, but I have to protect myself.” He also said “Is there anything in this to hang me? I feel like going and hanging myself, bringing all this veronal into the house.” Another statement Mareo made verbally was “I do not want this to go down, but between us my wife was fonder of women than of men. You know what I mean.” Statements made by Mareo to the police dealing with the purchase of veronal were next read by witness. Recounting further investigations witness said that on May 20 he found on an ash heap at the back of the house in Tenterden Avenue the burnt portion of an insurance policy with the name “Thelma” and the policy number. Visits made to Mareo at various times were described and statements made by him read by witness. He described the arrest of Mareo at Eleanor Brownlee’s room in Wynyard Street on September 2 by himself and Detective Hamilton. When witness read the warrant to him charging him with the murder of his wife Mareo said: “Really! On What evidence? This is ridiculous. What evidence have you got?” The hearing was adjourned.