MAORI CONVICTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 October 1940, Page 7

MAORI CONVICTED

ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. ACQUITTED ON MORE SERIOUS CHARGES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 21. A Maori, Mango Kato Pera, aged 55, appeared before Mr Justice Smith in the Supreme Court on charges of attempted murder and of attempted suicide. The crimes were alleged to have been committed on the evening of July 30. Mr Meredith prosecuted. He said the evidence would show that in a fit of jealous rage accused made an unsuccessful attempt to shoot his niece, Repeka Pera, and then made a twofold attempt to commit suicide. Repeka Pera, aged 18, said she lived in the same house with her uncle, accused, in the Maori settlement at Kai-k-ohe. He used to ask her to be his wife when he came home drunk. He got very angry if he saw Maori boys talking to her. On July 30 they had words at Kaikohe and he followed her home. He had a wrld look on his face. Her sister and aunt held him back while she ran out of the house. As she was running away she saw accused kneel down and point a rifle at her. She heard it go off . twice. Her uncle had had drink. He had brought her up as one of his own children. Mr Bainbridge, for the defence, said there was no evidence whatever of any intent to injure. If accused had not wounded himself, nothing more would have been heard of the case, which would have closed as a family squabble. After three-quarters of an hour the jury found accused not guilty of attempted murder or of attempting to do grievous bodily harm, but guilty of assault and of attempted suicide. He was remanded for sentence.