HUSBAND CHARGED WITH MURDER

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 195, 16 May 1944, Page 6

HUSBAND CHARGED WITH MURDER

Auckland Trial Begins SEQUEL TO TRAGEDY AT OTAHUHU (Hv Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 10. The trial of Thomas Phillip Haworth, aged 32, foreman chrome tanner, on a charge of murdering his wife, Patricia Florence Haworth, at Otahuhu on March 10, was begun before Mr. Justice Callan and a jury today, Messrs. A. IL Meredith and E. O. Williams appeared for the Crown and Mr. Terry represented accused, who pleaded not guuty. ~ Outlining the Crown ease, Mr. Meredith said it appeared that accused and his wife had met an American soldier at a party late in February, and erican had become a frequent their home. On the hnday before the tragedy he had. gone t the Haworth's and stayed there till Sunday morning. Apparently some degree of affection had arisen between Mrs. Haworth and the American. On the Friday night she had said she and the American were fond of each other and .“ere had been some discussion about it on the Saturday. Accused had virtually been told that his wife and the American had arranged to get married when the American got a divorce from 'lnsjif* Accused was understood to say that he would give her a divorce one month after the American got his. Th’s discussion had proceeded all night and till o.JO on Sunday morning. The American had then slept on a couch till about 8 a.m., when accused had wakened him asi he was due back in camp. Mrs. Haworth annarentlv had heard him going and had gone out to the gate and asked him not to "o. On the following Wednesday the American came back afternoon and had met her that : night in Otahuhu and brought her back about 11 p.m., but had not gone into the house. On Thursday morning accused ha J left his work about 10 a.m. A tvoman living next door to Haworths would say that she heard a commotion in thebedroom facing her kitehen and Haworths voice calling, “You do not love me any more. It’s all up,’’.and then ?° ise ® Mrs. Haworth screaming for help. Goin, nnrosq the road, the woman asked a nei ? n hour to go foi the police. On coming back everything was quiet, and. she saw Haworth leave the house and ride away on his bicycle. She then went and looked fbrnn"h the bedroom window and, saw Mrs. Haworth lying on the floor, her face and arms covered with blood. The police arrived and f°™d Mrs. Haworth lyiflg in a Mattered skull having apparenty been battered in. Evidence would be given of 1" ® e P ara _ l j fractures. She was still breathing and • received medical attention, but died in Jhe ambulance on the way to hospital. There were bloodstains in various parts of the room, and a bloodstained doubleheaded hammer was also found on the floor. In the kitchen were found a pair of does and working trousers also bloodSta& and in were found a singlet, underpants, and shirt _ with bloodstains on them. A post-mortem examination showed that the womans hands were bruised and ones of her fingers broken and a ring twisted ana would be given that accused had gone to an hotel, where he told the licensee he had killed Ms We. Detec five McLean had seen accused at the hotel and asked him what was wrong, accused, replying: A. bloody Yank. When charged with the murder of his wife, he had made a statement in whic he said the Yank was the cause of it all. He said she had been out with the Yank and would not tell him where she tad been. She had said the Yank had ■taken her,” and accused then said. .You know what that means.” Accused said had a hazy recollection of getting the hammer, going' home and hittin„ nis "*Mr. Meredith said the only legal ground on which a charge of murder could be reduced to manslaughter was provocation of such a nature as would cause the person to lose his self-control and act on it suddenly before h is passion had time to cool. A person could not nurse a grievance and then act upon it at a later stage. • . _ A nlimber‘of witnesses gave evidence on the lines of the prosecutor s openingMrs. Florence Lawrence said that on the Thursday morning about J 0.1& accused came to her house. He said, Fat has gone.' Will you get Philip and take him to'my. mothers’?”/When she asked where Pat had. gone; he had replied, “She’s just gone.” Witness said Philip was Haworth’s boy, aged about seven years. Accused then left and rode away on his bicycle. .. . n». The licensee of the fetor Hotel, Otahuhu, Charles Claude Nicholson, said that on March 16 he noticed accused, in the bar and said: “Hullo, Tommy, having a day off? Not feeling too well today? “He beckoned me over and said, Something dreadful has' happened.’ When 1 asked him what was wrong, he said: I ve killed mv wife? Accused looked, to me like a man on the verge of collapse. 1 did not believe him and thought he had gone off his head. I asked him. how he had killed his wife and he said: I killed her with a hammer. She was rotten to the core. She was no.good? / Witness said he tried to get the police and then went to accused’s home. He found them already there, and returned to the hotel with a detective. Accused ' was still sitting in the bar. The hearing was adjourned.