CONFESSION BY CONSTABLE
Attempted Murder Charge (P.A.) KAITAIA, September 2. Charged at Kaitaia today with the attempted murder of Mate Soko Urlich, aged 38, a Dalmatian gumdigger at Lake Ohia on July 20, Herbert Hunter Barrett, aged 41, a police constable, pleaded guilty and was committed by Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M., to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence. The evidence was followed with intense interest by a large crowd, mostly Dalmatians. Urlich told the Court that he had known Barrett for four or five years. They had always been on friendly terms. In August 1941 Barrett visited him saying he wanted a loan of £250, which he had tried unsuccessfully to obtain elsewhere. He said he wanted it to take worries from his shoulders. Urlich agreed, drew the money and handed it over to Barrett, who gave him a promissory note in exchange. Interest was to be paid over a three-year term at 3 per cent, every six monhts. INTEREST PAYMENT On July 20, 1942, he was walking home, said the witness, when Barrett told him he had some money for him and drove him to John Urlich’s store. The witness waited for him for about three-quarters of an hour. When Barrett returned they drove to Urlich’s camp, where they had a cup of tea and Barrett gave him £5 for interest. Barrett said he wanted the witness to take him to a high ridge to take plans, continued Urlich. They went a good mile. Barrett asked Urlich if he had told anybody about the money and he replied he had not told anybody. The nearest occupied shanty from where they were walking would be about a mile. On returning they were passing through some gum, Barrett following, when Urlich heard two shots behind him. He felt a third shot pass under his arm and felt an injury in his back. z “I started to call out and turned round,” Urlich said. “Barrett was about two yards behind. He dropped a revolver from his hand. The accused was going to pick it up, but 1 do not remember what happened to it. He fell into a gumhole and said not to hit him. After running almost a quarter of a mile I saw the accused running behind me. I was in great pain. Feeling that the accused might catch up to me I took a different track and reached a house occupied by a man named Divich.” Sergeant Simister, of Kaitaia, said he received a telephone message from Barrett stating that he had had a telephone that Mate Urlich had been shot. Jarrett said he had just returned from making inquiries in the Lake Ohia district, where he had got his car stuck in a gumhole and was himself in a terrible mess. , BARRETT’S CONFESSION Detective-Sergeant J. B. Finlay produced a statement signed by Barrett who, during the reading, was visibly agitated. In the statement Barrett said he realized that what he had done was irreparable and that he must face the inevitable punishment. He was now anxious to do what he could to assist his fellow officers in completing their investigations and as far as possible relieve his own kin, particularly his wife and children, from any further stress and strain that would be connected with a long* investigation and consequent trial. He hoped that his confession would to some extent relieve his agony of mind. Barrett detailed what had occurred, and said it was not until Urlich got into thick scrub that the sudden urge came. He could not help himself firing two shots into Urlich’s back. He then realized what he had done and called out that he would get a doctor, but Urlich disappeared. When he left Mangonui that afternoon he had no intention of shooting Urlich. It was not until he had seen him on the road that it came to his mind. His actions were due to financial worry. Barrett detailed car purchases to carry out his police duties, for which, he said, he received £45 a year. He borrowed money from a bank, to repay which he borrowed from Urlich. He had been financially involved since he purchased the last car. This preyed on his mind. He also had domestic troubles through sickness. Inspector Fox said Barrett was an efficient constable and in his 19 years’ service he had a clean record. Barrett held both the long service and good conduct medals.
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Southland Times, Issue 24839, 3 September 1942, Page 4
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740CONFESSION BY CONSTABLE Southland Times, Issue 24839, 3 September 1942, Page 4
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