COOPER SENT FOR TRIAL ON MURDER CHARGE

Grey River Argus, 15 April 1948, Page 3

COOPER SENT FOR TRIAL ON MURDER CHARGE

Evidence of Doctor on Child's injuries

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, April 14 William Eric Cooper was committed to Supreme Court for trial by Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., when the nearing of the charge against him of murdering his step-son, Leslie James Eoswell. was concluded in the Magistrate’s court to-day. Cooper, it was alleged, murdered the child Boswell, who was aged three years, at Cniton, in Sumner, on February 9. He pleaded -not guilty. The hearing, lasting nine hours in all. was continued trom yesterday. Most of the detailed evidence to-day was that of Dr D. T. Stewart, Assistant Pathologist, at the Christchurch Public Hospital, who described injuries suffered by Boswell, and who testified that he had found bloodstains on Cooper's clothing. Mr A. T. Donnelly ana Mr A. W. Brown appeared for the Cvown. Cooper was represented by Mr J. K. Moloney, and with him Mr B. J. Drake.

Detective R. S. Smit’h corroborated evidence given by Sergeant A. R. Grant on what happenea when they interviewed Cooper. The detective said he took the suit and shoes which Cooper was wearing at the interview, and handed them to Dr Stewart.

The finding of the body of Boswell was described by Constable E. G. Dwen. who was a member of the search party on February* 11. Constable Dwen said that lie found the body about 11.30 a.m. while searching through dense broom near a standard wire fence about 30 feet from the Clifton extension roadway. The body was lying face downwards. There w.as a broken trail of bioou from the body to within a few feel of the road.

Corroboration of Sergeant Grant’s evidence concerning a visit to Sumner of a police party with Cooper on February 10 was given by Detective C. P. Burns. Burns saia that, the following day, at the Central Police Station. Cooper had told him: “1 want to get out of here. 1 should not be here. J. should be searching lor the boy. You have nothing on me. You have not charged me with murder." Dr Stewart said he was a membe: of the police party which was sent to Clifton Hill on February 11 to viev. the body. He corroborated the evidence of previous witnesses concerning the position of the body. There was a considerable amount of blooci under the face and on the right hand, and some on the grass and the ground. He identified an exhibit produced as a piece of stone which had been found in a spot just below the roaa. Vvnen found, it had blood and hair adhering to it. A fragment of bone and a piece of blood-stained grass were also found nearby. The same day, said the doctor, . he carried out a post-mortem examination of the body. Injuries to the head appeared to have been caused —by many blows by an instrument with moderately sharp jagged edges. Part of the instrument would have had a projection of about three and a halt inches long, and not wider than some two inches. The skull had been completely broken. The main penetrating wound showed on the right side of the skull. The child would have lost consciousness very shortly after the blows were struck. Injuries to the face and nock appeared to be in the nature of abrasions and scratches, such as could have been paused either by glancing blows from some instrument ,or by the face or neck being dragged by some bushes or stones. These injuries would have been caused before death. Injuries to the right arm and index finger could have been caused through the child attempting to ward off blows causing injuries. There were bruises on the upper lip, and the upper teeth were loosenea. These could have been caused by pressure over the mouth, as by a hand, or by tba face being pressed on to the ground. Bruising round injured parts and anoedema of the brain indicated that death occurred possibly some hours after the main injuries, were received. This would be consistent with the child having received the main injuries near the road where the piece of bone was found, and with its having been dragged to a point further down the traca to where the body was found. In! his opinion, death occurred more than 12 hours before noon on February 11 (when he made the examination). and not more than 36 hours before that time. The injuries might have been inflicted some hours before death. Describing the stone found a little distance above where the body was found. Dr Stewart said that it weighed about one pound. It was roughly wedged-shaped. It was five inches long, three inches deep, and one and a half inches across the broad part. There was a. jagged sharp edge opposite the broad part. Part of its curved edge projected as a curved part three and a half inches long, and about one inch through its thickest part. Repeated blows from the stone could have produced the injuries on the boy’s head. By examining hairs found on the stone .through a microscope, and comparing them with hairs taken from the head of the dead child, he was able to say that the two samples were similar, and could have been from the same head. Stains on the trousers handed to him by Detective Smith suggested that blood could be present, but tests for the definite presence of blood were negative, said Dr Stewart. He had found bloodstains in the cuff of the right left of the trousers. Several of the stains on the shoes he examined were bloodstains. Several areas of the trousers showed a high chloride content. This would indicate that these areas had been 'cleaned, or washed with some fluid with a high chloride content. Sea water could have caused this higher content. . Remarks made by Cooper in his presence were repeated by Senior Detective F. J. Brady, who was in charge of the' police investigations in the case. When witness had asked if he would care to be present at the opening of the inquest on February 12, he had replied: “Are you trying to pin the murder on to me? When charged with Murder on February 16 he had said: “Well, so I have got the charge of murder. I still say I am innocent ,and I still say I did not do it.”