SANITY QUESTIONED

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1932, Page 5

SANITY QUESTIONED

IN MURDER CHARGE * > - .. i . • • V THE CASE AGAINST. LIVEDMORE. (Per Press Association — 'Copyright.)

WELLINGTON, August 9,

Continuing his evidence in the murder charg e against Livermore, ■Dr Fenwick said that Livermore, referring to the child’s death, said .he was still of the. opinion she was better' dead. yf’.tness ■ con d got no reAson for this statement other then Livermore said that the girl was boing brought up badly. Livermore spoke of his writings and was inordinately proud of his ability as an author. ' , • •

Witness produced some. They, were of-no |commercial value. Nearly all of them were concerned with the aspect of‘death. There were points; in the boy’s history which confirmed the diagnosis of insanity. Witness obtained from prisoner a statement that on .three separate ocoasions previously h e had attempted or 1 planned to - kill people. He thought the act with which, .Livermore, was charged ,'.vas the culmination.'of an insane obsession,. and that at the time it . was committed, the youth was irresponsible.. In his opinion, Livermore was not likely to treejovar. He was iUltejy to./ Pto* gresslvaly worse,. , Dr. Marshall Macdonald, also a -specialist •in nervous diseases, in the course of his evidence in regard to Livermore’s writings, said Liyormope considered his stories • better than Edgar Wallace’s, ibut one or two of Wallace’s were better than. bis. He admitted that Livfermore said the was glad. Wallace bad died. He would have heeii. glad if. Wallace had' been, killed. Jt would hav e made, room for himWitness gave it as his conclusion from examining Livermore and h-is history, he was l suffering from a form of insanity, known as. schizophrenia. He, was living in a world. of unreality from which he would like to ..exclude all’ women and children, if ; necessary .by violence. ■ , Witness said that; Livermote was much more dangerous- now that he had tasted blood.. '•’/'.' . The Crown called Dr Williams, med-. i c al superintendent at Poriruai Mental /Hospital, who .said that in his opinipn Livermore was not insane within the meaning of the Crimes Act. ( Hb did not. thing he was suffering from any 'disease of .the i mind to prevent,.him knowing at the time, the act he was committing was wrong. He disagreed with Dr Fenwick and Di” MacDohald on the point. Witness said that * prisoner had an unfortunate temperament. Hds mind lhad not been developed as! it might have been. His,out-; look was only half mature. Witney added that prisoner, at present, was going through , a critical - period pf adolescence, a time when anyone was liable to instability, and wh in even ‘if the normal inhibitions required by society, had been acquired by 'training they were : frequently not in a condition to be .applied a*/strongly,, as was needful. ..... ... 1 \ V- A; . ' Dr Archibald Blair, assistant/.medical officer at Porifua, said that in. hs’ opinion, ‘Livermore was • not suffering from' nlental disease, and that the ®ecused had known ihe was hiding the girl,’ and that .what 'he was • doing was wrong. , Livermore was suffering from the mental instability of adolescence., but not from mental disease.

To Counsel for accused witness said that Lovermore’s instability was due principally to his heredity. The unhappiness of his early years probably had .something to do with it. The crime was "due to emotional instability. Witness did not attach much; importance to the detective.- stories written by the accused. The boy had some tastes that were not shared by .the ordinary clodhopper. ; It Was ■ pcssiib.6 for a person. to be certifiably insane, and yet not insane; within the meaning of th e term used in.'the Crimes Act. - ■The' hearing was adjourned till tomorrow. *