James Ernest MERRETT

TRAIN MURDER

Defendant’s alleged admission

SYDNEY, Sun.: Ronald Vincent Holl, had admitted Shooting Olaf Perkman in the Narrandera – Sydney train on Saturday, February 20, the Police Prosecutor ( Sgt. K. B. McGrath NSWPF # 4003 ) told Central Court of Petty Sessions yesterday.

Holl, 24, laborer, of Belmore Road, Herne Bay, was charged with having murdered Perkman, 40, C.S.I.R.O. scientist, who was shot through the head.

A railway employee found Perkman‘s body when the train reached Central Station.

Allegedly near Picton

Sgt. McGrath said Holl had told police the train was passing through a tunnel near Picton when the shooting occurred.

Sgt. McGrath told Mr. C. H. Blakemore. S.M., that Detective Sgt. Fergusson and Detective-Constable F. Krahe ( NSWPF # 4530 ) had extensive inquiries to make in the Griffith area.

At Sgt. McGrath‘s request, Mr. Blakemore remanded Holl to Central Police Court tomorrow when, Sgt. McGrath said, the police would apply for another remand to the date of the Coroner’s inquest.

Holl was refused bail.

Holl was escorted into the C.I.B. and about an hour later was placed in a police car and taken to Picton, where police continued inquiries.

RAIL – CARRIAGE DEATH BEING INVESTIGATED

SYDNEY, Monday,

A C.I.B. Scientific Bureau constable described in the City Coroner’s Court today how he found the body of a C.S.I.R.O. scientist lying in a pool of blood on the seat of a railway carriage. Constable James Ernest Merrett was giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Olf Perkman, 40, research officer stationed at Griffith Irrigation Station, on February 20. Present in court, in custody, was Ronald Holl, 24, labourer, of Belmore Road, Herne Bay,; who has been charged with the murder of Perkman.

Constable Merrett said he had gone to Central railway station about 8.30 a.m. on February 20.

He told the Court he had seen the body lying full length on the seat in a compartment in the rear carriage of the South West Mail train. The body was covered with a brown checkered travelling rug.

Blood on Floor

Constable Merrett said the body was lying on its left side, with the left hand across the body and the right hand clasping the head and forehead.

There was a considerable quantity of blood on the head and the seat, and some had run down onto the floor and been partially wiped up, he told the Coroner ( Mr. E. J. Forrest ). The body was dressed in a khaki shirt, with a navy blue and orange tie, red-brown trousers, and tan rubber soled shoes.

After the Government Medical Officer had conducted an examination of the body, a search was made of the compartment.

Pockets Turned Out

Const. Merrett said a number of hairs had been found on Perkman’s right hand, on the heel of his right shoe and a long hair near his right hip pocket. He said the right and left hand trouser pockets and the fob pocket of the deceased were turned out.

The Government Analyst ( Dr. H. B. Taylor ) said he had examined blood and a piece of skin from the body. He said there was a small hole in the skin taken from the forehead of the dead man. Surrounding the hole was a black patch which was found to contain particles of carbon and nitrate, components of certain types of ammunition.

The hearing is proceeding.

The fingerprint that trapped a killer

When swarthy, slightly built Ronald Vincent Holl (24), laborer, and the father of three children, including twins, launched on a series of escapades at 13 years of age in 1943 he triggered a trap that 11 years later landed him in Central Criminal Court dock charged with murder.

As Holl came to police notice, his fingerprints were filed by the C.I.B. Holl grew older and wiser and had gone straight for a number of years when in 1952 he married a girl of 15. On Feb. 26 this year the couple had twins aged 18 months, a baby aged five months and were expecting another child when a call went out to police to bring in Holl for questioning.

Six days earlier, at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Feb. 20, railway porter Francis Ernest Vicq, of Western St., Dulwich Hill, had found the body of C.S.I.R.O. agricultural scientist Olaf Perkman (41), shot through the head in the last ‘dog box’ carriage of the South West Mail train shortly after it reached Central Station.

Perkman had been returning from the C.S.I.R.O. station at Griffith to spend the weekend with his wife and family.

Wide search

The hue and cry for the callous killer — who had cut short Perkman‘s brilliant academic career in his sleep and had then plundered his pockets — had run into a deadend.

A police search for the murder gun and clues all along the rail link from Goulburn to Sydney had proved fruitless. But Const. J. K. Hennessy, of the C.I.B fingerprint branch, had dredged up a fragmentary fingerprint on the door of the lavatory in the death carriage of the South West Mail.

Because of the minuteness, the orthodox classification of this print was impossible. With dogged patience Hennessy searched for days through thousands of individual prints in the C.I.B. records until finally he came across the print he wanted — among those of Holl.

Social misfit

Hennessy‘s work was considered by fingerprint experts to be outstandingly brilliant. The story from that stage was told Mr. Justice Clancy and jury on Tuesday at Central Criminal Court, when Holl, said by Dr. E. A. Marsden, psychiatrist, to be a social misfit, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Armed with the fingerprint identification of Holl, Det.-Sgt. D. G. Fergusson and Det. Krahe ( possibly F.C. KRAHE # 4530 ), of the C.I.B., interviewed tiny, attractive Mrs. Gloria Holl (17) at her home at Belmore Rd., Herne Bay.

The detectives then confronted Holl with the fact that he had not been home on the night of February 19 and next day had given Mrs. Holl £8, though he had been out of work for six weeks.

Eventually Holl confessed that he had shot and robbed Perkman. He said he had intended to ” do a couple of busts ” and had taken french leave with his brother’s rifle.

He had ” scaled ” on the Albury Mail train to Goulburn and was returning in the South- West Mail to Sydney when he shot Perkman.

Judge’s view

Dr. C. E. Percy, Government Medical Officer, said Perkman while lying asleep was apparently shot by Holl from a distance of between four and eight inches.

In a statement from the dock Holl admitted most of these things, then added he was not conscious of pulling the trigger.

That raised what Mr. Justice Clancy later told the jury was the only issue that stood between Holl and a guilty verdict, the defence of insanity at the time.

Called by Mr. F. W. Vizzard, the Public Defender, Dr. Marsden said Holl‘s whole history was that of a chronic mixed anxiety depressive state. Dr. Marsden said that, overcome by frenzy caused by Perkman‘s alleged attentions, Holl could have pulled the rifle trigger in a state of unconsciousness.

” No disorder “

Called in reply by Mr. L. C. Furnell, for the Crown, Dr. John McGeorge, consulting psychiatrist to the Attorney General’s Department, said his examination of Holl had failed to reveal any psychiatric disorder which would explain or excuse Holl‘s act.

The jury returned their verdict of guilty after half an hour’s retirement.

Mr. L. C. Furnell ( by the Clerk of the Peace ) for the Crown; Mr. F. W. Vizzard Public Defender ( by the Public Solicitor ) for Holl.

IN the Supreme Court of New South Wales.—Probate Jurisdiction. -In the will of PEARL ELIZABETH MERRETT, late of 82 Barton Street, Kogarah, in the State of New South Wales, widow, deceased, testate.— Probate granted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 3rd December, 1964. — Pursuant to the Wills, Probate and Administration Act, 1898-1947 ( Testator’s Family Maintenance and Guardianship of Infants Act, 1916-1938, and Trustee Act, 1925-1942 ), James Ernest Merrett and Jack Richard Merrett, the executors of the will of the said Pearl Elizabeth Merrett, who died on the 16th July, 1964, hereby give notice that creditors and others having any claim against or to the estate of the said deceased are required to send in particulars of their claims to the said executors at 17 King Street, Rockdale, on or before the 12th April, 1965, at the expiration of which time the said executors will distribute the assets, having regard only to the claims of which they then have notice.—

Dated the 10th day of February, 1965.

L. J. SHARPE & CO.,

Proctors for the Executors,

17 King Street, Rockdale.

By their City Agents, J. B. Lange & D. C. Andersen,

Proctors, 155 Castlereagh Street, Sydney.

515 — £1 12s. 6d.