BURWOOD MURDER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 21 November 1927, Page 5

BURWOOD MURDER

TRIAL OF BOAKES OPENS IN SUPREME COURT. CROWN PROSECUTOR’S ADDRESS. (Per Press Association.) Christthurch. November 21. The Supreme Court was crowded to-day, when the trial began of Charles William Boakes, a taxidriver. before Mr Justice Adams, charged with the murder of Ellen Gwendoline Scarff on June 15 at Burwood. Mr Donnelly represented the Crown, and Mr Thomas, with him Mr Burns, appeared for the prisoner, who pleaded not guilty in a firm voice. Mr Donnelly said it was a savage and brutal crime. He then detailed movements of the prisoner and the girl.. Mr Donnelly said the girl had been battered to death with a heavy motor-car spanner, and the injuries to her head and face were of an exceedingly dreadful character. From the time that her watch stopped it would appear that the murder took place at 12.27 o'clock on the morning of June 15. Doctors considered that the girl lingered from eight to twelve hours after she was struck. Mr Donnelly submitted that the relationship between Boakes and the girl Scarff reasonably excluded the possibility of her murderer being any other person than the accused. The accused was, on facts that would be placed before the .jury, the only person who had motive, interest or opportunity for doing away with the girl.

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

Mr Donnelly added that the case for the Crown depended on circumstantial evidence —there was no direct evidence. There was nothing mysterious in circumstantial evidence. It varied according to the circutn stances. It was a network of facts round an accused person. Ho wished to present the ease to the Jury under three heads; the first was tho relationship of tho girl with the accused over a number of years up to the cad of last year, and from the end of last year until June 8 of this year. Under the second head he would ask the Jury to consider was the movements of the girl between June 8 and Juno 15 and her relationship with the accused during that period. The third head was the conduct of the accused and his movements and statements after the murder was committed and up to the time of his arrest. Dealing with the first heading Mr Donnelly said the girl was about 20 when she died. The accused had known her since she was a very small child.

UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT.

An unexpected development was announced when Mr Donnelly told tho Jury that a witness named King alleging he had been persuaded by Detective Bickerdike into making a false statement as to selling tho accused drugs, now denied the whole of his evidence given in the Lower Court.

Ellen Martha Scarff, mother of tho dead girl, jvas the first witness, givipe •’"idenco on the same lines as in the Lower Court.