Nurse Acquitted On Charge Of Administering Poison

Chronicle (Levin), 1 May 1948, Page 2

Nurse Acquitted On Charge Of Administering Poison

HAMILTON, Apri] 30. After a retiremeiit of about an hour and a-half the jury returned at 2.40 p.m. with a verdiet of not guilty on bota counts in the case in whieh Fay Roberta Phillips . was charged in the Hamilton Supreme Oourt with administering or causing to be admiuistered belladonnti or sQine aliied poison to the sub-matrou of the Taumarunui Hospital to injure or annoy. The Crown Prosecutor asked the judge for his reasons for not accepting soii'.e of the evidence to enable an appeal to be considered. The judge, who commeneed his sum- 1 ming up at noon, said the heai'ing had j been a long one. The jurv had to de l eide to the evidence placed before it. The two counts were 'alternative and x it found that accused was innocent there should be a verdiet of not guilty on both counts, while if guilty it should be 011 o ii 1 y one. He asked the jury to decide in'three stages: Was poison :ulniinistered to injtiie and annoy? What form of poison was used l Did accused j aduuuister it .' The third was the crueial | point. The Judge theu proceeded to summari.se the evidence and asked the jury to decide witliout reasonable doubt wliether accused did the deed. . Wlien tlie Court resumed todav, Mr Justice (tressou tohi the jury that !ie had lieard the evidence of DetectiveSergeant Cromwell and , had decideo that certain parts of the police otlicer's evideiy'e would not be admitted. The evidence thnt was admitted stated that wiien he visited Waikawa Beach uear Waikanae and sav Sister Phillips, who, was on holiday, accused deuied anv knowledge of the incident and added that she did not even know whai iiella on ua lookcd like. The witness tohi accused that she was seen in the dming room just before the dinner 1 eJ 1 sounded and leave shortlv afterwaid. He tohi her the glasses had no miik in theni prior to her entry, but after she left the room there was miik in a glass iu front of the snb-matron 's usual pl:u-e at the table. Accused stated that she always got on well with Sister Dennisou who had never done her an injury and she could not snggest anyone who coul l h.ave added poison to the mjlk. Xext day witness returned to Waikanae and told accused that he had a warrant for her arrest on a charge of administering poison to Sister Dennisou with intent to iujure or annoy. • No questions were asked by the defence counsel. Detective-Sergeant . J. Long, of Palmerston North, gave cor roborative evidence.