ACCUSED’S STATEMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1940, Page 6

ACCUSED’S STATEMENT

MURDER CHARGE AGAINST CARTMAN SECOND DAY OF HEARING. EVIDENCE CONCERNING CAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WAIHI, This Day. A statement made by the accused before his arrest was produced by Detective Henry Francis Miller when the second day hearing opened this morning concerning the murder charge against Douglas Herbert Cartman, in connection with the Waikino tragedy. Accused’s statement, as produced, was to the effect that on the evening of April 2 he had tea at home at about four p.m., then drove to the Sterling Hotel, where he consumed four “handles” of beer, left before six p.m. and drove on his own to Waihi Beach, where he strolled about the beach, returning home at about 7.40 p.m. He parked his car outside the gate and went to bed. He was awakened by his mother before midnight, when he went to work. The key of the car, according to custom, he hung on a nail in his room. From an inspection of the underpart, he had formed the opinion that the car had recently passed over a large object of a yielding nature, according to scrape marks running the full length of the left hand side, Roy Albert Fitzpatrick, a bushman. Katikati, who was a former owner of the car, stated that since he had sold the car the front bumper, lamp rod and radiator casing had been dented. Witness identified a tyre lever as one of the tools left in the car when he traded it in.

In reply to Mr McCarthy, witness said he had owned the car for two years before December, 1939.