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 St Helens woman found not guilty of wounding 

St Helens woman found not guilty of wounding

05 Nov, 2009 07:32 AM
A ST HELENS woman has been found not guilty of unlawfully wounding her partner when she slashed his arms with a knife last year.

In the course of her two-day trial in the Launceston Supreme Court this week, jurors were told of an argument between Geraldine Leona Carter, 63, and Gregory James Conn that occurred after an evening spent at the local RSL club.

Ms Carter was apparently upset after what she thought was going to be a dinner date turned into a night of drinking.

The pair eventually returned home and an argument erupted over what Ms Carter's lawyer, Greg Richardson, described as a "variety of silly things".

"They end up in the kitchen - Ms Carter arms herself with a knife, and Mr Conn ends up with cuts on his arms," Mr Richardson told the court on Tuesday.

The wounds were serious enough to require hospitalisation and surgery.

However, the particular charge Ms Carter was facing requires the wounding be a voluntary and intentional act, and not inflicted in self- defence.

"In this state, a person's entitled to defend themselves if they believe they are going to be assaulted," Mr Richardson told jurors.

The burden of proof, he said, fell not on his client but on the Crown.

"The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was not acting in self- defence," he said.

The jury began its deliberations yesterday morning before returning a majority not guilty verdict soon after.

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