Man for trial on charges of murder and rape

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 3

Man for trial on charges of murder and rape

PA Gore Murray Stewart Mason, aged 24, was committed to the Supreme Court at Invercargill for trial on charges of murder, rape, abduction and unlawfully taking a vehicle, after the hearing of depositions in the Magistrate’s Court at Gore yesterday. Mason appeared before Mr E. B. Anderson, S.M., charged with the murder of Michael John Burnaby Curtis. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr L. E. Laing, with him Mr B. J. Slowley), produced 44 exhibits, against 42 of which defence counsel, Mr J. Clearwater, lodged formal objections. The Crown was to call 21 witnesses, but Mr Clearwater accepted the written statements of 13 of them.

Evidence given by the dead man’s fiancee, by Detective A. Mitchell, and by

Detective Senior-Sergeant B. H. Bell, was suppressed. The fiancee’s name was also suppressed.

Constable A. D. Weston was the first policeman to speak to Mason after the incidents. He said that at 6.45 a.m. on January 16 he was awakened by a member of the staff of the Forest Lodge Hotel at Tapanui where he was staying. He went downstairs, where he saw the accused. Constable Weston said he asked Mason what he wanted and was told that Mason had just killed his “best mate, Michael,” in the early hours of the morning at Gore. Mason had said that Michael’s fiancee was in the car at the back of the hotel.

According to Constable Weston, Mason said he had shot Michael Curtis with a .22 rifle. Mason then told witness that Michael Curtis's

fiancee was in a distressed condition and that she had better go to hospital. Constable Weston telephoned Gore and also arranged for the relieving manager at the hotel, Mr Desmond Dillon, to sit with the accused in the manager’s flat at the hotel. He then spoke briefly to the fiancee, who seemed to be distressed, and took her to the Tapanui Hospital. At 8 a.m. he returned to the hotel and arranged to take Mason to the Gore Police Station. On the journey the accused did not say anything but was sick twice, Constable Weston said. Mr Dillon said in evidence that while he was keeping the accused company, Mason had muttered things like: “I’ve been in the bush all night.” ... “Shot my mate.” Doctor R. K. Pears said

that on January 16 at 8 a.m. he was asked by the Gore police to go to 16 Wigan Street. He was shown the dead body of a young man.

Dr Pears said he noticed a small wound under the right clavicle. At 9.10 a.m. Dr Pears went to the Gore Police Station, where he saw the accused who was in a distressed state and incoherent. Dr Pears said he believed Mason was describing a face that he was seeing which was haunting him. A sedative was administered, and Mason was admitted to the Gore Hospital. Constable K. J. Kerohan said he found five live rounds of .22 calibre ammunition in Mason’s jeans. No plea was entered by Mason and no evidence was presented by the defence. The Magistrate said he was satisfied that a prima facie case had been established.