WOMAN’S DEATH

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 16, 28 March 1938, Page 4

WOMAN’S DEATH

HUSBAND CRITICISED ..'V: /• • ’ ‘ “GUILTY OF! MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE ADELAIDE, Feb. 16. Die city coroner, Mr. BJackbtiru, to-day found that . Sydney Frank Brock way, painter, of Flinders street, Adelaide, had, by his gross and culpable neglect, to provide medical attention for his wife, Matilda Brockway, aged 70, accelerated her death. He committed Brockway lor trial on a charge of manslaughter. Bail of £SO was allowed, with a surety of a similar amount. • The coroner found that Mrs Brockway died shortly after admission to the Adelaide Hospital on' February 7 of exhaustion following upon gangrene of both legs. : “1 have already expressed the opinion. that' it -must have been perfectly clear to' anyone seeing Mrs Brockway that she wiTfc in very urgent need of both medical and nursing attention, or at Jeast the care of some other woman,” said l the coroner. •‘The mere fact, that she objected to a doctor being summoned dees' not, in my opinion, excuse the culpable neglect) of which her husband had been guilty. A person may be guilty of manslaughter whether he' directly causes the death of another or whether he merely accelerates death. “There is no evidence here tlmb Brockway directly caused the death of his wife. There is, however, abundant evidence of gross and culpable neglect and failure to obtain medical and l other attention when it must have been very obvious that such attention was urgently required. With medical attention, even if death did occur, life would have been prolonged. The question of whether Brockway intended t ( > do any harm to his wife is beside the point. The only effect, of such an intention might be to change In’s mere neglect into deliberate, wilful crime.”