MURDER CHARGE.

Thames Star, Volume LXV, Issue 18242, 16 July 1931, Page 2

MURDER CHARGE.

NEWTON TRAGEDY. Rameka before Court. EVIDENCE OF DAUGHTER. POSED AS SISTER. ißy Telegraph—Press Association/ AUCKLAND, July 16 The hearing of the charge against Pahara Rameka Kere (George Rameka), aged 32, a labourer, began this morning. The accused is charged with murdering Mrs Gwendoline Alice Johnson at her lodgings in Randolph Street, Newton, on the morning of June 24. "Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., is on the Bench. / Detective-Sergt. Kelly prosecutedThe defending counsel was Mr W. Noble. The first witness was Queenie Rose Lawrence, aged 17, whose right arm rested in a sling. She said that deceased and her mother had been living in Auckland for four years. Her mother on June 2, 1930, married John Michael Johnson, a printer on the ship Niagara. Before the marriage her mother worked in two factories under the name of Miss Driscoll. She went under that name because she found it easier to obtain employment. Witness, at her mother's wish, always, when ib company, spoke of her mother as "Gwen, my sister." Witness and her mother met accused at a dance on April 11. Both danced with him and he accompanied them home. He told them he was a stock agent from Tauranga, and that he had two children, but that he was not married. He subsequently visited them and they visited him. Her mother became ill and was .'n bed for six weeks. Accused visited her nearly every evening. Witness visited him several times in the evening, usually going and returning in a taxi with h'fti. The case is proceeding.

Witness saiV.l that her mother, Mrs Keesing, herself and Rameka went to 'the races, and that night he called. As the result of what her mother told her, witness sent her brother down-stairs to say that her mother was not at home. He returned to the house later with a not, which witness said she had read. It was as follows: "Dear Gwen: If you want to get rid of me this way I would rather die than lose you." The following night accused called and the deceased told him that he had better go, but he insisted in coming inside the front door and said, "I am going to do it here, Gwen." He produced a bottle of poison and put it to his mouth, but Mrs Keesing pushed him outside. That night witness, with her mother and Mrs Keesing, went to a dance and next morning she was awakened by a scream and saw Rameka standing over her mother with a knife. He said: "You'll pay for this, Gwen," and struck her several times. He then produced a bottle of poison, threw some on witness' face, and then drank some himself. Her mother meanwhile was sitting up in bed, and cried: "Catch him, Queenie; he will hang!" Accused stood before witness with a knife upraised and said he would love to split her skull open. She sad: "You won't get a chance."

He brought the knife down and caught her wrist. Her mother tried to get out of bed and collapsed on the floor. Someone was banging on the door and accused then opened it and rushed out. Witness described the subsequent events. Answering Mr Noble, she said that when her mother Avas ill for six weeks, Rameka was with her mother from 7 o'clock to 11. Witness was with them most of the time. She denied that Rameka gave her mother £25. She did n6t know what was said by Aameka and her mother before she awoke on the morning- her mother died. Witness broke down after her evidence, which lasted nearly two hours.