FOUND GUILTY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 248, 31 July 1937, Page 8

FOUND GUILTY.

BLOWING UP A HOUSE. | VERDICT IN THIRD TRIAL. (Special to the ,£ Guardian.”) * CHRISTCHURCH, July 30. 'On his third trial on a charge of blowing up a house at Stillwater, Maurice Moore was found guilty by a jury in the Supreme Court at Christchurch to-day. A .recommendation for mercy was made. Moore, who is a bricklayer, of Stillwater, had been tried twice on the West, Coast, but each time the jury failed to agree. The charge wa9 that on March 5, 1937, near Arnold'River bridge, on the Greymoutli-Reefton road at Stillwater, Moore wilfully damaged a. dwellinghouse owned by James Deen Brosnan to the extent of £SOO, thereby committing mischief. Mr A. W. Brown, for the Crown, said that the evidence would show that Moore purchased took them to the house, placed them in various parts of tho building, and blew it to pieces.

After the evidence had been heard, Mr C. S. Thomas, for the accused, sail the Crown’s case rested on accused’s threats and his purchase of gelignite. The only definite threat to do anything to the house was made in 1928, and it would be absurd to convict him for it nine years later. Mr Justice Northcroft, summing up, said it was true that there was uo evidence that Moore had actually been seen committing the crime alleged, but if no-one was to be convicted unless seen committing an offence, then an enormous amount of crime would go undetected. In this case the Crown depended on what was known as circumstantial evidence. There were many cases in which circumstantial evidence was stronger than evidence coming from an eye-witness. A good deal had been made irrelevantly, and lie was afraid of the earlier history of Moore s association with the house. If that earlier history woke any sympathy for the accused, then the jury should dismiss that sympathy. His Honor reviewed the evidence for the Crown under four heads. The evidence of motive, opportunity, accused’s threats and his attitude as consistent with gujlt. Someone undoubtedly had (committed this crime deliberately, and only someone with a very strong motive would have done it, because whoever it was, be was running a> very great risk. The Crown submitted that the only man with that motive was Moore. The jury retired at 4.20 p.m. and returned at 5.50 p.m. with" a verdict of guilty, and a recommendation for mercy. Prisoner was remanded for sentence.