CONSTABLE PLEADS GUILTY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 288, 3 September 1942, Page 4

CONSTABLE PLEADS GUILTY

Attempted Murder Case EVIDENCE OF VICTIM OF SHOOTING (By Telegraph—Press Association.) KAITAIA, September 2. Charged in the Magistrates’ Court, Kaitaia, today with the attempted murder of Mate Soko Urlich, aged 38, a Dalmatian gumdigger, at Lake Ohia on July 20, Herbert Hunter Barrett, aged 41, police constable, pleaded guilty and was committed by Mr. Ferner, S.M., to the Supreme Court, Auckland, for sentence.* The evidence occupied six hours and was followed with intense interest by a large crowd, mostly Dalmatians.

Walking with -the aid. of a stick, over which he bent, Urlich gave his evidence to an interpreter, Peter Sulenta. Mr. Ferner, S.M., was on the Bench. Inspector J. Fox, Whangarei, prosecuted. Dr. McKechnie, medical superintendent of Mangonui Hospital, Kaitaia, described Urlich’s to 'hospital. He was suffering from the effects of two wounds;, caused by bullets which had entered- just below the left shoulder-blade from behind. The left kidney was lacerated and the small intestine perforated. His condition was so critical that his depositions were taken. Later the kidney had to be removed. The victim was now convalescent and would recover if his general health remained good. Mate Soko Ulich told the Court that he had known Balrrett for four or five years, the period of Barrett's term as constable at Mangonui. They had always been on friendly terms. In August, 1941, Barrett visited him, saying that he wanted a loan of £250 which he had tried unsuccessfully to obtain .elsewhere. He said he wanted it to take worries from his shoulders. Urlich said ho agreed and Barrett gave him a promissory note (produced) in exchange for the money. The date was August 29, 1941. Interest was to be paid over a three-year term at 3 per cent, every six months. On July 20, 1942, Urlich continued he was walking home when Barrett, in a car, overtook him and offered'him a ride Barrett told him he had some money for him and drove him to John Urlich’s store. Mate Urlich waited for him for about three-quarters of an hour When Barrett returned they drove up to Urlich’s camp, a corrugated iron hut, where they had. a cup of tea, and Barrett gave him £5 for interest. There was no argument and Barrett said he would pay a further £2/10/- which he owed at the end of August. Shots Fired. “Barrett said he wanted me to take him to a high ridge to take plans, continued Urlich. They went a good mile, Barrett following him. Ba" ett . m] Urlich if he had told anybody about the money, and he replied that he had not told anybody. , The nearest occupied shanty from where they were walking would be about a mile. Returning, they were passing through:some gum, Barrett following, when Urlich heard two shots behind him. He. felt a third shot pass under his arm and felt an injury strai = nt away in his back. “I started to yell out and tuined round,” Urlich said. “Barrett was about .two yards behind. He dropped a’ revolver from his hand. Aacused was going to ■nick it up, but I do not remember what happened to it. He fell into a gumhole and said not to hit him. I left there. Accused was still in the gum-hole. About a minute before he fired, accused asked how far it was from the place where 1 dig gum. After running • almost a quarter of a mile, I saw accused running behind me. I was in great pain and, feeling that accused might catch up to me, I took a different track and reached a house occupied by a man named Divich. Barrett was wearing. gumboots, while witness was wearing light shoes, continned Urlich. He left his bank-book m the mattress in his hut, and on that morning had seen it, but did not know where it was now. , ... . Cross-examined, Urlich said he did not remember he had said before that Bairett had had a revolver in his hand when he (Urlich) turned round. He was not sure if he had said before that the third shot passed under his arm. He now said the third shot had passed under his arm and that when he turned round the revolver was on the ground. Victim’s Collapse. Ivan Divich said he was collecting firewood on July 20, when he heard two shots in the distance. He •then heaid somebody yelling “Help! Help. Getting nervous, he grabbed an axe, left the wood and ran for his life. About 10 minutes later he heard somebody yeilinK again. Going to the door he saw Urlich coming out of the ti-tree from the direction from which he heard the shots. Urlich' collapsed at the gate, bleeding from wounds. Ivan Louie Jurlina,. farmer, Lake Ohia, said he accompanied Steve Urlich to the Kaingaroa post office, where he telephoned to the Mangonui police station. He told Barrett, who answered the telephone, that his mate Urlich had been shot and wanted permisison to take him to hospital. Barrett asked if Urlich had said who had done it. He replied that Urlich had not said, and that he. was only concerned with getting Urlich to hospital. Barrett told him to get the man to hospital. Witness asked Barrett to ring the doctor at the hospital and for the Kaiataia police to meet them when they arrived. Sargeant Simister, Kaitaia, said he received a telephone message from Barrett, stating he had had a telephone message that Mate Urlich had been shot. Barrett said he had just returned from makin** inquiries in the Lake Ohia district, where he had got his car stuck in a gumhole and was himself in a terrible mess. Detective-Sergeant J. B. Finlay produced a statement signed by Barrett, who during its reading, was visibily agitated. In the statement Barrett said he realized that what he had done was irreparable and that he must face inevitable punishment. He was now anxious to do what he could to assist his fellow officers in completing their investigations and as far as possible relieve his own kin, particularly his wife and children, from any further stress and strain that would be connected with a lengthy investigation and consequent trial. He hoped that this, his confession, would to some extent relieve his agony of mind. Barrett detailed what hud occurred and said it was not till Urlich got into thick scrub that a sudden urge came and he could not help himself, firing two shots into Urlich’s hack. He then realized what he had done and called out that he would get a doctor, but Urlich disappeared. When he left Mangonui that afternoon he had no intentions of shooting Urlich. It was not till he had seen him on the road it came to mind. His actions were due to financial worry, Barrett continued. He had borrowed money from a bank and 'to repay it he borrowed from Urlich. He had been financially involved since he purchased his last car. This had preyed on his mind. He. also had had domestic troubles through sickness, doctors having to be brought from Kaitaia at a cost of £7/10/- a visit. He realized the disaster he had brought on his family and was quite prepared to take his punishment like a man. No evidence was called for the defence.