GIRL OF 15 CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 278, 24 November 1945, Page 5

GIRL OF 15 CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER

DEATH OF CHILD OF FIVE EVIDENCE ALLEGING THRASHING IN A PIG PADDOCK (P.A.I New Plymouth, Nov. 44. A charge of manslaughter of a child aged five years at Huirangi, On November 9, against Mary Conroy, a Maori, aged about 15 years, was heard in the New Plymouth Court to-dav before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M. The hearing Is to be continued on Monday.

The charge was that bv striking Girlie Pue she caused her death, thereby committing manslaughter.

Seven witnesses, including the mother of the dead child, Ada Waldon Pue and a brother of the child who found the body, gave evidence. Ada Pue said Conroy, who was her niece, had lived with her since she was a baby. She attended school, but had only reached Standard 1. A neighbour named Jimmy Nuku farm labourer, who ate his lunch with his employer, Robert James Zimmerman. in a paddock that overlooked the rue's house, said he saw Conroy walking with Girlie and then he saw her thrashing the child. She had the child in front of her and the child’s arms in between her arms. She was lifting the child up and down, and two or three times dropped her on the ground. She then threw the child’ body from side to side. Conroy lett the child on the ground and went Into the trees near the house. There were pigs in the paddock. Zimmerman, in evidence, said he saw what he thought was a woman ''■tn a sack. She banged it up and down on the ground three times, end then threw it over her shoulder and threw it on the ground three times. After this he saw her kicking It While watching the Incident he saw two small pigs in the paddock come towards her. Afterwards he saw the person drag the object towards the trees. After a few minutes he saw someone, whom he presumed was Conroy, running towards the house. Senior-Detective E C. Jarrold said that on November 9 an examination of the area about where it was alleged the body was found revealed no weapon that might have caused the injuries. When he examined the bodv in the mortuary he removed four hairs, which he presumed to be human from the child’s fare and hair, which he presumed ' as pig’s bristle, from the mouth. When Conrov was interviewed on November 15. following inquiries, she admitted being in the paddock with Girlie. She said the child took an egg belonging to one of the other’children and refused to give it to her. She ran into the paddock and Conroy chased and caught her. She hit her across the face and picked her up and threw her on the ground three or four times. The child was lying on the ground, crying, with blood coming from her nose and mouth when she left her. At this time, she said, the Digs came down and were near the child.