CHARGE OF MURDER

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 191, 13 August 1931, Page 11

CHARGE OF MURDER

Coats Before Wellington Magistrate. DEATH OF MISS SYMONS. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, August 12. The preliminary hearing of the evidence against George Errol Coats, labourer, aged twenty-nine, on a charge of murdering Phillis Avis Symons was commenced in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. Mr E. C. Page, S.M., was on the Bench. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr Macassey) appeared for the Crown, and Messrs C. A. L. Treadwell and H. J. V. James for the accused. Stephen Tooker Parker Doidge, a married man living in Brougham Street, said he was a labourer and let rooms. Coats came to stay at his place in March last, accompanied by a woman. Witness recognised the snapshot (produced) of deceased as a photograph of the woman he knew as Mrs Coats. The pair stayed only a week. Coats did not have a dog. Visited Coats’s Room. Arthur de Maine, a waiter, said he had known Coats since about 1918, when the latter was a steward. Witness was away from Wellington for some tiifie and returned last time on the fourteenth of April of this year. He renewed his acquaintance with accused who was living at 140 Adelaide Road with a girl named Phillis Symons. Accused had a sister named Evie, and witness went with her to accused’s room in Adelaide Road. Coats introduced the girl Symons as his wife for the time being. Witness visited accused almost every day. Some time after the first visit, about five weeks afterwards, accused spoke to witness about the girl Symons being pregnant. Witness and Evie and the girl Symons used to play cards at the house at night and there was also a man named Glover. Evie gave Coats certain articles. There was some remark made about one of these articles but witness could not remember distinctly what it was. Mr Page said witness gave the impression that he was not telling all he knew. He was there to tell the truth and all the truth and to answer questions put to him. “Do you understand that duty?” asked Mr Page. Witness: Yes. Mr Macassey: Do you remember Evie making any remark to Glover in the presence of accused. Witness did not answer. Can you recall that? Witness: I think there was some remark by Evie to Glover about the girl’s condition. What was it? Witness again did not reply. Mr Macassey: I submit the witness is hostile. Mr Page: I would like you to proceed a little further. You may be right about it. Just see if you can get what you want without referring to the police statement. Hit on Neck. Continuing his evidence De Maine said that Coats told him Phillis was complaing about her neck being sore. Mr Macassey: Did he tell you why her neck was sore?—Yes. Did he tell you what was the cause of it? Witness hesitated, until Mr Macassey asked him to speak up. He then said Coats said something about a hit over the neck. Did he say what with? Witness again did not answer, and the Magistrate warned him that he must answer questions. Mr Macassey: Did he say how Phillis’s neck was sore?—Yes. He said he just tapped her over the back of the neck. Did he say what with?-‘-Yes, with a bit of wood. Did he say what effect this had on Phillis?—lie said it just stunned her a little. That was all. Did'he tell you why he hit her?—l understood it was to bring about a certain result. Did he make any reference to the relief works at Hataitai the night he hit Phillis over the neck? “Good Place to Bury a Dog.” Witness was silent for some time, and when asked by Mr Macassey why he did not answer he replied, “I was just trying to think.” He then said with reference to the works at Hataitai that Coats told him it would be a good place to bury a dog. Mr Macassey. Did he say anything about Phillis at Hataitai? Witness remained silent, and was then asked did Coats make any remark about earth that came down in tipping. Witness: Yes. What was it about?—About Phillis. What did he say? Witness hesitated for some time before he replied, “Something about Phillis being there and hundreds of tons of earth coming down.” Did he say why he took her there? There was no answer. What was the connection between the earth and Phillis? Again there was no reply. Mr Macassey was given permission to refer to statements previously made by witness. Publication Prohibited. Now I want to come back. When he told you about hitting her over the head with a piece of wood at Hataitai I did he tell you what she said when J she came to?—I can’t recall. Did he tell you why he had gone over to Hataitai with Phyllis?—lie said something about —er— Mr Macassey here asked permission to refer witness to a statement he had made to the police. Witness was hostile. On Mr Treadwell’s submission the Magistrate directed that the evidence

which now followed, where portions of the statement were referred to witness, should not be published. Evidence given this way lasted about twenty minutes. Mr Treadwell said he understood from the evidence that at the time the girl was alleged to have received a tap on the back of the head she was living under the same roof as Coats and that she continued so to live as though they were a happily married couple. Witness agreed. Statements to Police. “About* these statements you made to the police, how many were there?” asked Mr Treadwell. Witness: Three. When you made the first one how long were you at the police station? —From about 8.15 p.m. to 11.15 p.m. How many were there?—There was Detective Baylis. Yes, but just tell me how many there were?—Well, a tall gentleman kept corning in And on the second occasion how long were you at the station?—From 7.39 to 12.30. Now I’m not suggesting anything improper about the police, but you were a witness this morning. What did the police say to you at lunch time directly after the adjournment?—They told me to tell the truth. Did they warn you?—They just advised me to tell the truth or it would go bad for me. With regard to these allegations of killing in the statement, how did you look upon what Coats was telling you? —I thought he was just joking with John David Glover, machinist, said, answering Mr Macassey, that he had known Coats about a year. Accused’s wife died on Anzac Day, 1930. He told witness he had six children in an orphanage.* He first mentioned. Phillis when they were working outside her place before Christmas. He told witness some time later that the girl was living with him. Questioned further witness admitted that Coats had spoken of the girl’s condition and that he gave her some pills. Later Coats moved to Kent Terrace, where he lived with Phillis. Witness visited them three or four times a week at this address. He remembered Phillis being ill there with gastric ’flu or something like that. “Did accused say anything in reference to Phillis’s condition when they were in Adelaide Road?” asked Mr Macassey. “A Good Place to Bury Her.”

Witness*. He said he’d use a needle on her, and if she did die he knew a good place to bury her. What did he say about the relief works at Hataitai? —He said hundreds of tons went over there every day. If you did put anyone there nobody would ever find them. When he talked to you like that what did you say to him?—l told him the police might find out. Did he ever say anything about low tide?—He said that if you buried a dog on the beach, in six weeks there would be nothing. Witness went on to give evidence about the period when accused’s sister Evie came down from Auckland. She had told accused not to break an instrument. It was taken down from the top of a cupboard, Coats having said that he had got an instrument “to fix up Phillis.” Witness gathered that Coats had got it from his sister. Coats also had an envelope marked “Strictly Private,” which he told Phillis to put in a drawer and not to lose. One night do you remember seeing accused with his head buried in his hands? —Yes.

llow did he appear?—Worried. Did he get up and say something to Phillis?—Yes. lie said get a needle, Phil. I’m going to do it to you now. After further evidence had been given witness said that Coats had asked him on a later occasion whether if Phillis died he would help to bury her. His reply had been “What the h do you think I am ? ” The Court then adjourned.