Salesman On Charge Of Attempted Murder

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30979, 8 February 1966, Page 3

Salesman On Charge Of Attempted Murder

(A’rir Zealand Press Association> WELLINGTON, February 7. As the result of an incident in a flat at Ngaio in the early hours of Christmas Day, when a woman suffered severe injuries to her throat, Adrian James Scurr, a 21-year-old salesman, is standing trial in the Supreme Court on a charge of having attempted to murder his wife, Hillary Vonda Scurr.

There are two alternative charges against Scurr, of having wounded his wife with intent to do her grievous bodily harm and injuring her in such circumstances that if death had been caused he would have been guilty of manslaughter.

The Chief Justice, Mr H. R. C. Wild, is presiding. Mr W. R. Birks, with him Mr W. B. Horton, represent the Crown, and Mr M. A. Bungay is appearing for Scurr. Mr Birks outlined the evidence to be called by the Crown in support of its allegations.

He said that Scurr and his wife had lived together from 1964 and had married in September, 1965. They lived in a basement flat in a house owned by Mrs Scurr’s mother, Mrs Archer. Mr Birks said that on Christmas Eve, Mrs Scurr had met some friends by appointment at a city hotel. They drank together and then Mrs Scurr went to a city coffee

lounge. The proprietor of the coffee lounge, who knew Mrs Scurr, would say that she was under the influence of liquor. Mrs Scurr returned to the flat in Ngaio in the early hours of Christmas morning and Mrs Archer, who lived in the flat above would say that she heard Mrs Scurr cry out. “No, Jim, I can explain.” Shortly afterwards, said Mr Birks, Mrs Archer heard Scurr say. “What have I done? Don’t die, Hillary' ” Taken To Hospital The evidence of Mrs Scurr and the next door neighbour would be that they found Mrs Scurr lying in a pool of blood in the bathroom with her throat cut. The police were sent for and she was removed to hospital by ambulance. There an operation was performed to repair the wounds to her throat. The accused, who was in a shocked and dazed condition, was also taken to hospital where he was found to be suffering from reactive depression, but was not in need of psychiatric treatment, said Mr Birks.

John Charles Koolman. manager of the coffee lounge, said he saw Mrs Scurr in the

lounge on Christmas Eve. She told him that should her husband telephone, Koolman was not to say that she was there.

Koolman said that later in the evening, Mrs Scurr became hysterical and began screaming. “I slapped her face several times, after which she came to.” Voice Amplified Hillary Vonda Scurr, whose voice was amplified to the jury and counsel because of her difficulty in speaking because of throat surgery, described her movements after her husband had gone to work on Christmas Eve. She said that she first kept an appointment to meet some friends at a city hotel, where she had about two bottles of wine. She reached the coffee lounge with a male friend about 7 p.m. She did not remember much of subsequent happenings that night Mrs Scurr said that after her return home in the early hours of Christmas morning, her husband noticed some

scratches on her left wrist. There were also some old scars on her left wrist as the result of her trying to commit suicide four years previously. She said that Scurr said to her: “So you have been at it again. I’ll help you out. I’ll cut your throat.” "I tried to protect my throat, but could not and he took a razor blade off the shelf,” said Mrs Scurr. “I saw his hand come across and down and felt blood running down the back of my neck.” Cross-examination Mrs Scurr was cross-exam-ined at length by Mr Bungay. She told him that after a much earlier “tiff” with Scurr she had reported him to the police as a deserter. He was imprisoned and deported, but came back of his own free will later to be with her. Mrs Scurr admitted to Mr Bungay that she had been previously married—in the United States—but that marriage had been annulled. She admitted to counsel that she had attempted to commit suicide on three

occasions by using a razor blade on her wrists. The first occasion was four

years ago when on a ship in port. On that occasion she slashed her wrists twice and was taken to hospital. She had also cut her wrists with

a safety razor blade in the toilet of a Wellington hotel, and had done the same thing again at the hotel where the Beatles were staying. “They were not attempts to commit suicide. They were only to attract attention,” Mrs Scurr said. Again to Mr Bungay she admitted that on the application of her parents she had once been committed to Porirua Hospital. She remained there three months. She agreed with Mr Bungay that she drank alcohol and admitted to taking vodka, brandy and occasionally whisky. She had been at the coffee

lounge three nights last week, she told counsel. Mr Bungay: Do you still love the accused? Do you want him back?—Yes, I do, if we possibly can. The hearing will continue tomorrow.