ACCUSED'S STATEMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 65, 7 November 1931, Page 3

ACCUSED'S STATEMENT

(Press Assn.-

DEATH OF GIRL FIFTH DAY OF HEARING OF CHARGE AGAINST COATS EYIDENCE OF POLICE

— By Telegraph — Copyright).

WELLINGTON, Friday. On the fifth day of the trial of George Errol Coats, labourer, aged 30, who is charged with the murder of the girl Phillis Avis Symons, aged 17, further medical evidence was heard. Re-examined by the Crown Prosecutor, Dr. Hector said he did not think the injuries at the back of the girl's neck had been caused by a wrench. In his opinion the girl was alive when buried, and death oecurred in the attitude in which the body was found- The mode of death, he thought, was asphyxia, due to vomit- c ing, which was caused either by £ blows on the back of the head or * smothering of earth. * Detective F. Hayhurst gave evid- £ ence relating to the finding of the 1 body. 1 Witness said the position where \ the body was buried was the deepest portion of the gully. He did not £ think it would be possible for any- c one to throw himself over the tip and i reach the bottom. If anyone did £ jump over marks would show on the i body. 4 £ When the Court resumed Detective j Hayhurst said he was present when accused was charged with murder on July 16. ' _ i Detective N. Baylis also gave evid- ] ence as to finding the body. He also 1 gave details of various routes from i Adelaide Road to the spot where the ] body was found and the times it took to walk leisurely over these routes. -j An adjournment was taken for the , purpose of argument in chambers, as ] to the admissibility of Coats's state- 3 ment to Detective Murray. His Honour stated on resumption ^ in open court that he had decided , that the statements were admissable. Counsel for accused asked that his . objection be noted. Detective Murray told the Crown , Prosecutor that at the time of the l first statement in the morning he had ■ only Symon's complaint about the girl being missing, and later that the girl had not been found. In the first , statement Coats stated that he had ' got to know the girl in August or Sep tember. About a month afterwards he started to keep company with her. . He used to go to the pictures with ; her, and met her by appointments which were often arranged in letters they used to write to each other. These letters Coats supposed could be properly referred to as love letters. Soon after they began to go out together she told him that she would be 18 on December 8, 1930. Coats's Statement "It did not strike me," Coats said, "that there was anything w!rong in the manner of our friendship, I understood that her parents knew that we were going out together as I had been introduced to her mother on one occasion and her brther knew that we were keeping company together. Intimacies began about Christmas time- Some time in February I first knew the girl was in a certain condition. It was one Sunday night, probably early in March that I returned to my room in Abel Smith Street about 6.30 p.m. and I found Phil sitting on the bed. I asked her what was the matter and she said she would tell me after she had had a cry. After crying for some time she told me she had run away from home. She said she Was making some toast when her mother hit her and her brother Murray came on the scene and hit her mother for striking her. Her other brother then came in and he and Murray had a fight. Her mother had told her to get out of it and she had left home as the result of this row and also on account of previous rows which had taken place at her home. I was working at the time and told her I did not have much money. But she proposed staying with me. I am certain it was not me who made this proposition. I consented to her staying." Would Not Have Gone Home Coats then described in his statement the various moves they had made to other places. They managed to struggle on on his small earnings from the relief works. "I did not consider that my proper course was to take the girl home to her parents because I know that she would not have gone in any case." Coats continued. "It may be that it was not the right thing for me to do to cohabit with this young girl, but I deny that I induced her to stay with me or that I ever prevented her from going home. She could have gone home at any time she liked. We lived together as man and wife because she wanted to do so- My position in the matter was that I consented to this. "On Thursday June 25, Phillis left me," Coats continued. The circumstances were that I had missed a job in the Fire Brigade at Auckland through not being on the spot . . . I told Phil I was not earning enough to keep us both and that it was best I should try to get up to Auckland. She agreed to go away then. .• . . She said she had plenty of friends to go to, but she did not tell me where she was going. She left me without my having any knowledge where she had gone. ... I asked her where she intended to go. She would not tell me" .... Signs of Nervousness Resuming his evidence, Detective Murray stated that at the closing of the talcing of the statement Coats began to tremble very noticeably and showed signs of nervousness. He asked for a drink of water and it was brought to him- Coats afterwards said "Well what are you going to do with me?" After they had lunch they all went to Coats' bedroom where under the bed were two suitcases which Coats stated contained his personal effects. There were two letters also which Coats said he had written ready for posting. • Detective Murray produeed the letters in Court. In one of them, written to his sister, Coats stated he had got rid of Phil, and in the. other, written to his moher, he said that he had "got rid of that girl." Detective Murray asked him what he meant by this ref erence. Coats said it was just his way of saying they had parted. The court adjourned at this stage until to-morrow.