GIRL’S DEATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2580, 15 May 1923, Page 2

GIRL’S DEATH.

TWO MEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.. ALT.EGED ILLEGAL OPERATION. Blenheim, Yesterday. At the adjourned inquest into the death of Rita Violet Nicoll, aged IS, who allegedly met her death as the result of an illegal operation, before Mr E. 1. Hill, district coroner, Chief Detective lvemp represented the police, and Richard Hollis, who is under arrest on a charge of performing an illegal operation, and Thomas Viggars, charged with procuring Hollis to perform the alleged operation, were present. The depositions of the accused were taken on May 4, and *1 lie Registrar of the Supreme Court was proceeding to read them when Mr F. F. Rolling, for the accused, claimed (lie power of the Coroner to prevent publication of the evidence when matters on which it touched were sub-judice. This, said counsel, was an instance where publication should be prohibited. As the two men wore under arrest, it was desirable that the depositions should not Ih> made public, lie did not object lo them being read before tbe Coroner’s Court, and the depositions were I lien read.

The Coroner stated that lie could not prohibit publication. Had Mr Helling n<lv:UH-c<l iviismis tor opposing the reading of the depositions, he might have felt inclined to support his contention, hut it having been given in evidence in open court he could not see why publication should he prohibited.

The Chief Detective said it was the liesl instance he had ever known of a request of a similar nature being made. The Coroner said he would leave the matter lo the discretion of the press. The Coroner’s verdict was that, death was due to septic pneumonia, caused by infection of the blood stream, caused by injury inflicted by a non-surgical instrument unskilfully used. There was no evidence, apart from the girl’s depositions to show by whom the injury was caused. Both accused are now in custody on the major charge of murder, and the hearing will be before the magistrate to-day.