DEATH AFTER BEATING

Chronicle (Levin), 14 July 1949, Page 4

DEATH AFTER BEATING

Press Assoclatioiaj

Boy's Younger Brother On Serious Cbarge

(Per

BOTOBUA, July 13. Evidence that she had seen her nine-v'ear-old adopted son striking his 11--ear-old brother with what appeared to be a broom hatidle, on tlie morning ox the day when the latter died of miuries, was given by a woman in the lotorua Magistrate's Court this mornng- when the young boy was cliarged before Mr. W. H. Freeman, S.M., svitn the manslaughter of his brother. Witness said her husband went to .vork at about 8.30. The boys were geiting ready for school. Shortlv after ?he heard a banging noise in the boys' room. Aceused was caljing out and was growling at deceased. Witness calJed lut: "What's wrong with you two f'; Witness found out later that the boys were arguing as aceused was expressing m objection to his brother 's irregular aoeturnal habits. "The next tliing I heard," continuea witness, "was the aceused out? in the back ward talking loudlv to deeeased, [ looked out of mv bedroom window and I saw deceased with no elotlies on, 'n the blaekberrv bushes. Aceused was ffanding up. 'He was hitting deceased. with something like a broom handle. 1 'ould not sav how many times he hit 'iim. I- went out to the yard to ston it md when I feached the back verandah" 1 called to aceused to .stop hittinpr. " Witness said nothing to accnsed but setween them they -Tiicked up deeeasea who was lying on hjs side. His eves yere open. With help deceased walked *-o a tnb in the yard. . He fell down on Lhe way. "We put him in the tub but he lidn't speak to me,"* witness eontinued. "He kept shaking his head. I sent aceused to a tap to get some cold water. When he returned I got him to pour a bueket of cold -water over deceased 's head." After that wifness and accnsed took leceased inside the house. He wasdried. "I saw his bodv was covered with ' bruises and in some parts bleeding, " she stated. He was rmt by the fire and he re-1 Fused to take hot milk. Witness could! not see any cuts on his head and there ; was not much blood but she saw a cnt an his side. All the morning .deceased appeared to he sleeping. "When mv husband eame home at noon I told his deceased was si>k but T did not tell him about aceused hitting his brotheT." witness eontinued. "Mv husband did not take anv notice. He had lunch and went back to work. Soon after aceused came back. T told him his brother was sick and asked him what he had done to him to rut him on ! f-he side. Accnsed auswered that he had hit hiin with a shovel which he produced. It was a small coal shovel." Witness then described how later, onnoticing that the sick bov was verv white, she went across to where her husband worked. The injured bov was taken to hospital. Later, at the hosni-' tal, -witness was told that the nolice wanted to see her. "At the poliee staHtor'I 'was told tlrO boy diad diedjh'-vshe added. Aceused had always been a bright boy but deceased was subnormal. Witness had not hit deceased on this occasion. The accnsed often had to clean up the deceased and his bed in the morning 's. Accnsed obieeted to this as it made him late for school. The next witness was the boy's father, emnloved as a labourer coalman on the railwavs. He rdated how he was told bv his wife at lunch time that (--jeeeaspfT was verv ill and how later at ahr>"f 3 p.m. she eame to his work and told him that the bov would have to go to hospital. "I asked accnsed if he had hit deceased like that. He hung his head and auswered ves but said he did not mean to do it." It was later at the police station that accusecl told him that he had hit his brother first with sticks and then with a broom handie. Later that night he added that he had; used a shovel. The boys were normally: good friends. Frederick Charles Davidson, painter. who was a neighbonr of the family, said he had never seen a real fight between the bovs, both of whom he knew.