POISON SWEETS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 190, 20 August 1935, Page 5

POISON SWEETS

Sent to Hastings Girl

TRIAL OF PHYLLIS MARSHALL

CASE FOR PROSECUTION

(Per Press Association) NAPIER, This Day

The trial of Phyllis Leslie Tui Marshall, aged 18, on charges connected with the Hastings poisoned chocolate case, commenced at the Supreme Court before Mr. Justice Reed.

Accused was charged with the attempted murder of Alma Lorraine Keith on May 22 last and alternatively that with intent to injure Miss Keith she attempted to cause her to

take poison. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. H. B. Lusk, stated that Miss Keith received a packet through the post and found it to contain chocolates. Miss Keith’s mother became suspicious and handed the chocolates to the police. When analysed the sweets were found to contain arsenic in sufficient quantity to have caused death. Mr. Lusk said it was clear that accused had been in love with a young man named Jack Masters, who was friendly with Miss Keith. The mail contractor at Argyll East where the accused resided had posted a packet for her similar to the one received by Miss Keith.

In a statement accused had denied that she had intended to kill Miss

Keith, but said she wanted “to make her sick and give her a good fright.” Before sending the chocolates she had tried the poison on a cat, which had died.

The evidence was similar to that given in the lower Court.

There was a sensational turn during a long cross-examination of a witness by Mr. Harker, counsel for the defence, when His Honour asked whether it was being suggested that Masters had made up the parcel of chocolates and got accused to post them for him.

Mr. Harker replied that it was,

Masters was then warned by the Crown Prosecutor that he was being directly accused of poisoning the chocolates, which witness said he realised.