Findings on Reefton triple shooting

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 3

Findings on Reefton triple shooting

Greymouth reporter

A Reefton brother and sister were shot dead by a man who later committed suicide, the Greymouth District Coroner (Mr D. H. Copeland) was told at a sitting of the Coroner’s Court at Greymouth yesterday.

Detective Sergeant J, C. Carter, giving evidence into the deaths of Maureen Silcdck, Leslie Silcock, and Keith Walker, all of the Reefton area, said he was called by the Reefton police on October 31, after three deaths were reported.

He had found that there had been a previous association between Miss Silcock and Mr Walker, which had since ended. Miss Silcock had been assaulted by Mr Walker on October 5, but a charge had not been preferred. On October 7, Mr Walker had assaulted a man who became friendly with her. This was not reported to the police. Mr Walker had later told her that if she went out with anybody else he would kill her.

Detective Sergeant Carter said he firmly believed that no-one else was involved in the two killings. The Coroner found that Maureen Silcock had died as the result of gunshot wounds to the chest and skull, Leslie Silcock from wounds to the right arm and chest, and that Mr Walker had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It appeared that Mr

Walker had driven ahead of the Silcocks’ car as they were returning home from Reef ton to Cronadun. As they approached, Mr Walker had fired a shot which passed through Miss Silcock, and struck her brother, who turned their car and tried to drive away, said Detective Sergeant Carter. About seven-tenths of a kilometre away, the Silcocks’ car left the road, careered through scrub, and went over a bank. Mr Walker had stopped his car, had gone down the bank, and fired another shot at Miss Silcock. It was believed that Mr Silcock was dead at this stage. Mr Walker had then driven on to Rotokohu about 7km away and committed suicide. TWO DROWNED

An inquest was held into the deaths of two Wellington residents who died when their Tiger Moth aircraft plunged into the Buller River, near Inangahua Junction, on December 17, after striking high-tension lines.

The Court heard that Murray Graham Leach and Jacqueline Barber were found dead in their aircraft which was partly submerged in the water.

Evidence was given that the aircraft had dived under one set of power lines, but had become tangled in a second set and crashed.

The Ccroner found that Mr Leaoh and Miss Barber had drowned. „