Pole Pleads Guilty to Poisoning Charge

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1948, Page 5

Pole Pleads Guilty to Poisoning Charge

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH Oct. 11 Pleading guilty to a charge that, with intent to annoy or injure June Annette Nalepa, he attempted to make her take poison on September 14, Jozef Nalepa, aged 37, a grinder, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence by Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. June Annette Nalepa, wife of the accused, said she met him in England during the war, when she was a member of the W.A.A.F. He was then attached to the Polish section of the R.A.F. After the war she returned to New Zealand and they exchanged letters. He came to New Zealand in December last and they married. They agreed to separate in March, but reconciliation was Effected until June, when finally they separated.

Returning to her flat with her mother after the pictures on September 14, witness said she saw a scrap of a paper which had been in her nuscands possession when they separated. Mill: in a cup was a flat yel-low-brown colour, as was some milk in a bottle. There was thick sediment at the bottom of the husband once threatened to cut her throat and take his own life.

11l reply to counsel, Mrs Nalepa said her husband had attempted to commit suicide when they first decided to separate. Mrs Sadie Mary Buddle, mother of Mrs Nalepa, gave corroborative evidence. She was emptying two hot water bottles on September 15. She noticed that the water was a dirty brown shade. She poured it into two jars which were later taken away by the police. Detective-Sergeant G. W. Alty said that he went with Senior Detective Brady and other officers to a house in Colombo Street, about 12.45 a.m. on September 15. Accused was asleep in bed. He was awakened and later taken to the Central Police Station where he was questioned. Nelepa said he went into his wife’s flat and put silver salts in the milk and in a tea caddy. He had bought the silver salts in England, and had used some of it for silver plating. He said he had no wish to poison his wife, but only wanted to make her sick. He knew that silver salts was a poison, and that one name for it was cyanide of potassium. In his statement, Nalepa said he was born at Cracow, Poland. He served in the Polish Army, and left Poland after the German invasion in 1940. He reached England by way of Yugoslavia, Rumania, Turkey and Greece. He served in the Polish section of the Royal Air Force. His wife wanted a separation and he did not. The witness said that accused was quite frank. He was in a distressed state of mind.

Senior Detective F. J. Brady gave corroborative evidence. He said that ! Nalepa told the police that he had put silver salts in a tea caddy. He I assured them he had not put poison , in any other articles of food, except {milk and tea. jANALYIST’S evidence i Norman Patrick Alcorn, the Government analyst, said that he exami ined a bowl of milk, a cup, a tin of tea, a milk bottle, and two glass jars I containing liquid. There was cyanide in all of the exhibits, except the cup, and there was silver in all of the exhibits including the cup. A cup of tea made from those ingredients—the water, tea, and milk would contain 1.3 grains of potassium cyanide, approximately one quarter of a minimum fatal dose. To Mr E. S. Bowie (for Nalepa): . “No one would drink a full cup of tea of that brew. The symptoms would have made themselves manifest before the whole cup was drunk. ■ Nalepa pleaded guilty to the charge { and was committed to the Supreme I Court for sentence.