Manslaughter.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5283, 13 June 1895, Page 4

Manslaughter.

PPbb Pbksb Association.! ; " WELLINGTON, Junk 12. In the case against Nicholson, the . Crown Prosecutor contended that the ; evidence aa to the violence used by the prisoner towards the woman Friend showed : that the charge of murder had been borne out, and that the medical evidence waß inconsistent with the theory of a fall set up ■'- in cross-examination. Mr Jellicoe, counael for the defence, in an address lasting over four hours, claimed that the dootors were unable to say whether the woman died firom injury, the result of a fall, or of a blow. He urged that the Crown bad failed to prove conclusively that death had resulted from a blow, whereas tbere was abundant evidence of the possibility of 7 the injury having been occasioned by a fall or by the woman while under the iniluence of drink having staggered against a vail, especially as it bad been Bhown that portions of her clothes were wet and muddy. ■ Hifl Honor summed up. After a short retirement the Jury found prisoner guilty -, ot manslaughter, and the Chief Justice passed a sentence of ten years' penal servitude. -In sentencing Nicholson, the Chief 1 Justice said that it was unnecessary in a case of this sort to refer to the enormous number of times the prisoner had been in ..„ the hands of the police for various offences. The evidence that had been adduced showed that he was a man who would give way to seta o? violence and had no control over himself, and had no pity for this poor unfortunate woman, who waß really beaten to death by him, although the actual; external injuries were not very severe. He thought there was a difference between this case and one in which a deadly instrument was used. There waa some sugi?; geation that the woman was drunk, although he (his Honor) did not think so himself. .