BOY MURDERER.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18851, 23 January 1933, Page 4

BOY MURDERER.

KILLED HIS MOTHER.

LIVED WITH BODY THREE WEEKS Doctors, university professors, and medical students were among those who llllecl Die public galleries at Leeds Assizes during one of the most amazing murder trials of recent years. In the dock stood Thomas Banner, IG, of Morley, and it was alleged that not only did tills quiet, well-groomed boy batter his widowed mother to death while she was asleep, but he lived in the safne house with her corpse for three weeks.

Mr Willoughby Jardlne, K.G., who conducted the defence, did not dispute the facts, but he established that the lad suffered from a .form of progressive insanity, one of the aspects of which is that the sufferer Imagines he has a dual personality—one being himself and the other his evil genius. The hoy was convinced that his mother was murdered by this “other being,” and the jury, accepting this view, found Banner guilty, tout insane. It was staled that the fact that Airs Banner had not been seen for some time, began to excite suspicion, and exactly three weeks after she was last seen alive, >P.C. Wintringtoam called at the house and had a conversation wilh the lad.

By a ruse the officer got the lad to take him upstairs, and there, on a blood-stained toed, he found the decomposed body or the woman. Her head had been battered with savage ferocity. A hatchet-headed hammer, the weapon which had been used, lay beneath the pillow. “Haunted by Evil Being.” In his cell Banner wrote out a remarkable explanation for the tragedy. Among the things Banner said were: “At various times I feel to be another person apart from my usual self. When in the .personality of this other 'human being I feel unafraid, saying, ‘What is life to me?' When I come back lo my normal seif the other self seems like a dream —a dream that appears realistic. ... I used to think that the other self was not a real being, and that I had only dreamed it. But it was not so. It was true.’’ Banner declared that he became afraid, “haunted by this evil being, who took liold of me in the daytime, and by night when asleep.” "in Ihe dark places where there was no escape lie would come and seize me,” lie added. “I tried to light, but could not. He then took half of my life, which made the other half more dear to me.” Declaring that he loved his mother, the lad described how lie actually witnessed iiis “other half” commit the murder.

“That other person." lie said, “came into Die bedroom with tlie chopper. He went up io my mother's bed am/ raised it (the chopper). I leapt out of bed to slop him, but he hit her Lime after lime. My fingers grasped llio chopper. I pulled it from him. Then 1 awoke with it in my hand." A sidelight on the boy’s mentality was provided by what the police found in the house after the discovery of (lie tragedy. There were a number of bottles containing various chemicals used for experimental purposes, and also many books and pamphlets relating to psychology, hypnotism, personal influence, radiant hypnotic crystals, and Oriental methods of hypnotism. Experiments on Eralns. In a bowl was found a compound which consisted of rats’ brains and certain acids. Banner said he had been experimenting with this in order to discover whether rats had the powers of thought or whether they only acted by instinct. Dr. John Humphrey, medical officer at Armley C.aol, expressed the opinion that Banner was suffering from a form of progressive insanity known ■ as dementia precox. While awaiting trial Banner had given evidence of a recurrence of such hallucinations, and had declared that his face underwent various changes from Lime to lime.

Replyiny to .Mr Willoughby Jardiive, Dr. Humphrey staled that Banner had declared that he had seen his face changed to a pirate, a judge, a redl'aeed man, a man with half a face, and a man covered with many scars. Alter Ihc jury had relumed their verdict, the judge ordered Hie lad to be detained during the King’s pleasure. ___________