ALLEGED MURDER OF A GIRL

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 191, 13 August 1931, Page 9

ALLEGED MURDER OF A GIRL

Witnesses Called by Police give Sensational Evidence.

(Special to the “Star.”)

WELLINGTON, August 13. THE COURT was again crowded to-day when the preliminary hearing of evidence against George Errol Coats, labourer, aged twenty-nine, on a charge of murdering Phillis Avis Symons was resumed. The body of the girl, who was seventeen years of age, was found buried in the Town Belt at Kilbirnie.

Mr E. Page, S.M. was on the Bench. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr P. S. IC. Macassey) conducted the case, anil the accused was represented by Mr C. A. L. Treadwell, with him Mr H. J. V. James.

Resuming his evidence, John David Glover, a machinist, said that about a fortnight after Evie left Wellington he met accused and De Maine in Adelaide Road one evening. Coats said that he was going to Melville’s to otV 1 **"■» letters. In reply to a question as to how Phillis was getting on, ... . . “ Fine.” He added that he had done something to her and “ it had come off all right.” Questioned about fyis conversation with Coats in Adelaide Road, the witness said that accused did not tell him what he had done to Phillis. One Saturday night in June witness played cards with accused at Melville’s place and walked home with him early on the following morning. Melville was living in Mein Street. When they reached accused’s house they stayed outside talking for a while. Coats said; “ I got a beauty on to Phillis the other night. I took her over to Hataitai and tapped her on the back of the head with a piece of pipe and knocked her out, and waited until she came to.” Mr Macassey: Did he say what she said when she came to? Witness: “ Oh, George, I feel cold all over.” “Was Going to Die.'* Witness said that Coats told him he had “ kidded ” Phillis she was going to die. “ Did he tell you what she said she thought about it?” asked Mr Macascey. Witness: I can't remember. Did he explain why he tapped her ever the back of the head?—Just to kno«'k her out. When he told you that, did he tell you what you should do?—He told me to keep it “ under my hat.” Did he jtell you any other person knew about it?—Yes. De Maine. Did he say where he went when he left Phillis at Hataitai?—He said he left her to go to Melville’s, and when he came back Phillis was lying on the bed and De Maine was there. The witness said that Coats told him De Maine had “ pumped ” Phillis and got out of her what had happened. On the evening of June 25 witness was playing cards in accused's room. Phillis said they were behind in the rent and were going to shift. Witness and the others went home about eleven o’clock. That was the last time witness saw Phillis alive, and the last time he saw Coats before the latter was arrested. Finding of Letter. lie called at accused’s room on the following Tuesday, June 30. There was no one in the room. lie turned the mattress on the bed over and found a letter (produced). Witness took the letter over to Melville and showed it to him at the Diamond Taxi Cab office. Witness handed the letter over to the girl’s father on Sunday morning. July 5. To Mr Treadwell, the witness said that he was quite sure the letter produced was the one he found under the , mattress. lie could not read it properly when he first found it, as he had bad eyesight. He first knew the full contents of the letter when he handed it over to Symons. Mr Treadwell: Do you remember that in the letter the girl said she had many times contemplated suicide?—l remember something about suicide, but not how many times it was mentioned. Do you remember she said Coats was doing his best to keep her in food? Yes. And that she wanted her parents’ consent to marry Coats?—Yes. Excavating a Hole. Robert Brockie, a married man living in Grafton Road, Roseneath, said that he had been employed on relief works at Hataitai. He commenced work on April 28 and worked for four days a week from Monday to Thursday, inclusive. He knew the accused Coats by sight. Coats was also employed on the same work as witness. Coats worked on the lower tip. Witness remembered the Hutt-Wellington football match played on June 3. During that week he was working on the higher tip and accused was working on the lower. During that week, he said, accused was excavating a hole in the bank. He did this every day on all occasions he was not working. The witness identified on a photograph produced the place where Coats had dug the hole. The hole was about five feet long, about three feet wide and anywhere from two feet to three feet deep. Such a hole could be very qui-kly covered up by spoil being tipped over. Mr Treadwell: llow many days do you suggest Coats was working on that hole?—For about four days, while I was there. llow far was the lower tip from where Coats was digging? About forty-five to fifty yards away. This was conducted in open during working hours?—Yes. What used you to do when it was raining very hard?—Go back to the shed. At least a quarter of a mile?—lt might be that. ‘‘For Shelter.” Sydney Penketh, a married man, living in Island Bay. another relief worker, said that Coat* was employed on the same works as witness from June 1 to June 4. Witness was working on the I lower tip with Coats as a mate. I Mr Macassey: On any of those days between the arrival of the trucks did you see accused go anywhere?—Yes, I I did. IJe was digging a hole into a bank where they were tipping spoil from the toj*. How far was that from where you were?—About fifty yards. Coats, witness said, did this digging on several occasions during the four days. Witness described the hole, but said he was unable to point out on the photograph its exact position as the face of the tip had since changed, i Coats told witness that the ho’e was to be used to shelter him from the wind, but witness never saw him in it. There was a plantation of trees nearer the tiphead than the hole which would ! have provided some shelter from the wind. One of the workers mentioned in Coats’s presence that the hole would be a good place to bury anyone. Witness could not say definitely who j

made the remark. It might have been Coats, or witness. They were the only two present. Witness remarked, “They would never find them there.** Coats said that the spoil from the truck kept coming down and filling up the hole. On one occasion one of the foremen asked Coats what he was digging the hole for and the latter replied, “To bury a dog.” Accused told witness that a chemist along the road often poisoned dogs and buried them there. Spoke of GirL During-the period they were working together accused spoke of his wife and said that she was dead and that the children were in a home. He spoke very highly of his wife. Accused said he was living with a young girl who had told him she was over eighteen, but he had found out that she was not, and that he would have to put her out before he got intt> trouble. He said that the girl used to go out to get the stores, but he would have to cut down that, as he did not have enough money. lie said he used to play caids a lot and when he returned lywne the girl was always there. John Dunsmuir, another relief works er, of Mein Street, said that on the afternpon of June 25, Coats came to where witness and another man named Cutfield were working. The accused asked witness to lend him his shovel, saying that he wanted to bury a dc% The accused asked if there was M 9 room left in the tip. Witness told him that the tip was about full and the best place to bury it was to dig a hole on top and bury it in the soft clay there. Coats said that the dog was still alive and its pedigree wai all right. “ The Humane Way.** In answer to further questions by witness and a companion, the accused said he was going to kill the dog by hitting it on the head. Witness told him that the most humane way was to drown it or give it a little poison. Did he say why he wanted to get rid of the dog?—No. By that time, witness added, it was nearly five o’clock and the accused, witness and Cutfield went home together. Before leaving, witness put the shovel under one of the trucks. He also put another shovel which had been left behind by one of the workers beside the first. lie did that to oblige the accused. Usually shovels were put in a shed overnight. The accused did not say when he was going to bury the dog. While on the way home, Coats remarked that if he could get ft job he would go to Napier. Willoughby Brassey Cutfield, ft brakesman working on trucks, corrob* orated the statement in regard to the leaving of a shovel. He said that Coats had some letters in his hand and said that he was going to Auckland for a job. He was undecided which rout« he , would take, but might go to Napier by boat. Leonard Oswald Gyde, a truck driver, was under examination when the Court adjourned for lunch. (Proceeding.)