Fingerprint Evidence (Press, 3 February 1972)
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Summary: Fingerprint Evidence (Press, 3 February 1972)
In Auckland on February 2, 1972, a Supreme Court trial began involving two Royal Navy seamen, Philip Anthony Goodenough and David Albert Evans, who are accused of the murder of Ross Russell Hawley on August 24, 1971. Both men, aged 24 and 21 respectively, have pleaded not guilty. The prosecution has presented evidence including fingerprints, as testified by a fingerprint expert, indicating Goodenough's prints were found on an ashtray and a glass in Hawley's flat, while Evans's fingerprints were located on a broken bottle next to the deceased. The trial has seen testimony from 22 witnesses, and additional depositions have been read into the record from those unable to attend. Detective Sergeant Mervyn Harold Dedman reported that he discovered Goodenough’s fingerprint on the ashtray. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Raymond John Stapleton revealed he found a book titled "One In Twenty," a study on homosexuality, in Hawley's flat. A forensic scientist testified that a blood sample taken from Hawley showed a blood alcohol concentration of 10 milligrams per 100 millilitres. Anthony Richard Gestra, known as Chanelle St Laurent, an entertainer, recounted meeting Goodenough and Evans at Mojo’s Night Club on the night of the murder; he stated that Evans spent a brief time at his flat before leaving a watch behind. Testimony from Patrick Michael Durrant, a stores accountant from H.M.S. Danae, indicated that Goodenough mentioned having taken a watch after “rolling a brown hatter,” which he understood to refer to a homosexual encounter. A pathologist, Dr Francis John Cairns, provided details about Hawley’s injuries, which included bruises and cuts, a fractured nose, and significant bleeding in the brain area caused by blood leaking from the membrane surrounding it. The trial continues under Mr Justice Moller with the jury receiving more evidence.
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