Police Unable To Trace Assailant

Chronicle (Levin), 5 July 1948, Page 2

Police Unable To Trace Assailant

WELLINGTON, July 3. "1 know the police liave been to inlinite paitis ti: discover tlie identity of tliis man, but as yet tlieir ell'orts bave been of no avail, " said the Wel lington coroner (Mr. W. (1. Mellish.) when suinming up at the conelusion Oi' an inquest into the deatli of Fraiicis Phillip Minogue. The death oecurred iu hospital o-n December 25, afti'r Minogue had been 1'ound lying uneonscious in a lane next to the Opera Ilouse last Christnias Kve. M r Mellish was refei'ring to an assailant who had been xeon striking Minogue at about 7 p.m. on Christnias Kve. Kvery ell'ort has been iuade by the police to unearth the identity of tlie assailani, and although lie has siuee been seeu by oue of the witnesses of the Christnias Eve ineident, his subsequent whereabouts have reniained a mysteiv. Mr. Mellish returned an oxien verdict. Kvidence was given by several witnesses at the inquest tliat thev had' seen Minogue assaulted in Dixon Street at about 7 p.m. on Christnias Kve. Ile had fallen to the pavement with a siekening tluid, and blood had gushed from his month. The man who had hit him was described by witnesses as a half- or quarter-easte Maori, aged from 25 to 30. He was about 5ft 9in tall, of stnnly, though not bulky, build, and he had n poek-marked face. WJien last seen with the dceeased lt?. had been helping him to his feet. Oue of the •witnesses had spoken to him ati.l had tohi him to go to tlie assisfance oi Minogue. Oue oi the witnesses said tliat he had seen tlie assailant at the Trentham races 0:1 January 21. but he had dis appeared into the erowd before a conslal>le could be summoned. Another witness said tliat he saw tlie dceeased stagger across Dixon Streer prior to liis being assaulted by tlie unknown assailant. Wlien tliis witness had seen tlie dceeased he had fresli blood 011 his clothes cven before being liit by the Maori. When t'ouinJ in the lane the dceeased had been -unable to speak and his inoutli w*as full oi blood. His poeket lmd been turned out and his wallet lay alongside him 011 tlie ground. The deecused had been a liouse cook at .Silverstream Collegc. I)r. P. 1'. Kyneh (]>athologist) stated. tliat the dceeased met his death as a result oi' a hemorrhage ot' the brain, eaused by a blow or blows on the side of the liead. Thickness of tlie dceeased 's skull, said I)r. Lyneh, had been 110 grcater tliau thiek paper. Mr. Mellish said" the cause of death was abundantly clear, but the eircumslances surrounding the death wero more obseuro. Death may liave be.en eaused when the deceased fell.- to tlie footpath. There was another feature however. The deceased had had blood 011 his c.lothing prior to the ineident in Dixon Street. Whether the fatal in juries were received in Dixon Stree: or in au earlier fight was a matter for conjeeture. "It is onlv a fair assumption, " said Mr. Mellish, ' ' that whoever tbok the deceased into tlie lane robbed him. 1 have not the slightest doubt about that. ' ' This leaves me in a position where T can only record an open verdict. I find, tlierefore, that the deceased died on December "25 in the "Wellington Hospital, the cause of his death being

hemorrliage ncar the brain, bein:-. j received 011 December 2-1, there being Ino evidence to show wliat was tluj cause of the bi.jury. ' '