FATHER KILLS SON.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1921, Page 5

FATHER KILLS SON.

TERRIBLE CRIME REVEALED. TRAGEDY ON A FARM. GUILTY OF MANSLAUGHTER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. • Auckland, last Night. The second murder charge in the criminal session’s calendar was taken today before Mr. Justice Stringer and a jury at the Supreme Court, when Thoma® Needh&m, an elderly farmer, was tried for the alleged murder of hia son, William Rawlins Needham, aged 17, on January 16. Mr. (Meredith (Crown Prosecutor) appeared for the Crown, and the defence was conducted by Mr. Endean and Mr. Huband. A plea of not guilty was tendered. Mr. Meredith said accused made a savage attack on the lad, practically battering his. skull to bits. The tragedy took place on accused’s farm at Marohemo, at which there were Jiving accused, his wife, two daughters, tlie deceased son, and a lady visitor. Counsel said that after the attack accused asked one of his daughters to shoot him. Later he cut his\ throat and jumped into a well. He climbed out again and a neighbor persuaded him to go to bed. “Billie swore at me,” »was the statement Needham afterwards made to his daughter when she asked why he had made the attack, continued counsel. Then accused added: “I am sorry, girl, that I have brought you to this; give me some poison,” Winifred Edna Needham, 20 years of age, said. tfiat during milking on the morning of the occurrence her father, the accused, exclaimed to her brother: ‘You little b ;we tfont get finished this morning; you are a lot of Later, when h<j? father and her brother were in the separating room, she suddenly heard accused shout: “Doo, yon : I have got you af last.” lie shrieked and yelled and hissed, and witness rushing in saw her brother on the floor with a gash on his head, and her father striking him with a long weapon; Witness yelled until those in the house heard. She then returned to the separating room, where she saw that her brother’s head had been battered about. Her father had gone out, and she put her apron under the boy’s head, as he was still breathing. Accused wept during part of his daughter’s evidence. ' Cross-examined, the girl said her father was 06 years of age. She had heard that at the age of eleven, in England, her father fell from a tree, severely cutting his face, and he also suffered from sunstroke at the age of 29. About three years ago he had received a blow on the head fro'fri a shackle pin. At timfs her father" was far from normal, and hi® behaviour and conduct had been such that one member of the family thought he should be examined by a doctor. Before Christmas he was actually sent to town to be examined by a doctor, but he went to a chemist’s instead. After further evidence, the case for the defence was taken. Mr. Endean, addressing the jury, said medical evidence .would be given as to accused’s mental condition, and even if that were not accepted it was open to the jury to say that there had been sufficient provocation to deprive an ordinary man of his self-control. Such a finding would reduce the charge to one of manslaughter. Mrs. Needham, accused’® wife, said she had been married nearly forty years. Her husband suffered from irritability and delusions. She corroborated her daughter’s statements as to his strange conduct. Three doctors were called, and they stated that in their opinion accused was subject to fits of insanity. The prosecution called three doctom who gave evidence in rebuttal. After a retirement of one and half hours - the jury returned a verdict of guilty of manslaughter, with a strong, recommendation to mercy on account of accused’s age and Sentence was deferred.