FARMHAND CHARGED WITH MURDER

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5325, 11 February 1947, Page 5

FARMHAND CHARGED WITH MURDER

f Press Assn.-

•whangarei shooting HUSBAND KILLED WHEN CALLED TO WINDOW

—By Telegravh- —rJopyripht.)

■ AUCKLAND, Last Night. Arrested within two days of the shooting of a young married man, Sydney John Peachey, aged 24, at his home in Whangarei,, on 'July 14, last year, a farmhand, Regjnald Alexander Donaldson, aged 27, came* up for trial in the Supreme Court before Mr. Justice- Callan and a jury to-day on a charge of murder. Accused is an ex-service-man, who served ' in New Zealand, and the delay of seven months between arrest and trial was occasdoned by the time required by the defence in assembling his Service record. The Cfown case is being condueted by .Mr, V. R. Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, with whom is Mr. G. Speight, . Accused. is heing defended by Mr. R. K. Trimmer, with whom is associated Mr. F. McCarthy qnd Mr, D. L. Ross (Whangarei). Mr. Meredith said that the possibility of a former jealous admirer of Mrs. Peachey having committed the crime was investigated, and inquiries made -by the police prompted detectives to visit -accused who, under questioning, had broken down and admitted that he "just'had to do it." A Stehr pistol had been brought home from Austria by his brother, who had been a prisoner of war for four years. It was f ound that five of the eight cartridges remained. Accused had fired two to test the gun, and the third killed Peachey.

"It can be seen from an outline of the evidence that there was deliberate intention on accused's part to kill Peachey," contended Mr. Meredith. Dr. Howard Buckley said that death had been . almost instantaneous. Widoiv; in Evidence Rona Freda Peachey, the 20-year-old .widow, said she was -married to Peachey on Ap.ril 27. They shared the house with another young- married couple. About 6.55 on the evening of July 14, she Avas sitting on her husabnd's knee by the. Are in their sitting-room. There was a bang on the window. - "My husband got up to see what it was. He told me to stand back. He leaned over the couch near the window and pulled the curtain back. Then he said 'they've got me,' put his hand to his throat, and fell over by the sitting room door. "I screamcd for the Pattisons, with whom we shared the house. They didn't come, so I moved my husband's body away from the door and went to get them." Witness said that she did not recall having heard a shot. Asked by Mr. Meredith what the relationship with accused was, she replied that it was not very good. Al•though they ivent to the pictures and dances, they quarreled quite a lot. Cross-examined by Mr. Trimmer, Witness said that she and accused had broken off their friendship while he : was ,in the Air Force. He was very upset, but they later resumed their friendship. "I was sorry to make it up," said witness, who admitted- that she had •not really been fond of -accused'. S-he had Avritten letters in a similar strain tcT*bther hoys. Accused had wanted her to marry him, but she realised they were not suited to each other, and in October, 1944, when he came out of • the Air Force, she told him she did not Avant to see him again.

Police IritervieAV Accused Evidence of the interview with accused at his home, several miles out of Whangarei, was given by Deteetive Sergeant Finlay, of Wlha-ngarei. "I asked accused where he was -on the night of the shooting, an'd he said he Avas home in bed! He said he had gone to bed at 6.30. I asked him whether he was not in Whangarei. He made no. reply. "I then asked him what he had done with, the automatic pistol. He did not answer. When I said: 'DicLyou do it?' he replied: 'I was mad. I was mad. I~ read those letters, .and when L .read the one in which she said she woulamake it all up for me for the way she had treated me, I just felt mad. I just had to do it.' "Accused then collapsed on 'his bed," witnessed continued. "He sobbed that if his brother had been there he ■ Avould not have gone out, and it' Avould not .have happened, but his brother was away, .-and the car was in the drive, so he put on his Air Force unifor-m; loaded the pistol, and drove, to Peachey's house. On the way he stopped at a quarry and fired two shots to test the pistol as if sometimes jammed. "Acused said: 'When I got to the house I went to the window and saw them sitting there. When I saw that fellow with his arms around Rona's neck, I just felt mad. I liit the Avindow and he.came over. I fired, and he wheeled and fell. I didn't wait to see if I'-cl killed • him, hut ran away and got into the car and drove home." After a four-day search the detee-tive-sergeant said the pistol was fmally recovered from a creek near accused's home. . Cross-examined hy Mr. Trimmer, witness said accused had never been in trouble before, and his family stood in high regard in Whangarei. At this.stage the Court "adjourned. The trial \vill probably .last until Thursday.