Suicide note signature ‘did not look right’, trial told

December 10, 2013 | By More

jury-boxA handwritten signature on a suicide note did not look the signature of Philip James Nisbet, his son said in evidence on the seventh day of the trial of Mr Nisbet’s wife who is charged with murdering him.

“It did not look like Dad’s signature at all,” said Zac Philip Bell. “It looked like someone had tried to write with their other hand.”

The trial of Helen Elizabeth Milner, 50, does not have the letter that Mr Bell and other witnesses say they were shown by Milner after the funeral. Instead, the prosecution has produced a letter handed to the police by Milner later, which has a typewritten signature.

Crown prosecutor Kathy Basire asked Mr Bell in detail about the contents of the first suicide letter he saw.

He said it said Mr Nisbet had learnt that his other son was not his biological son – which was not true – and told Milner to look after herself and look after the younger son. He said he could not go on.

“I was very shocked. It did not sound like him at all. He was always such a happy fellow. He would not give up on anything like that.”

He said the letter that was later handed to the police by Milner was different because it had a typed signature and it began, “My darling Helen”, while the earlier one began, “My dear Helen”. The later one ended, “All my love always.” “I don’t recall that being there either,” he said.

The defence has questioned witnesses who knew Mr Nisbet, about a power saw injury to the fingers of his left hand, which was the hand he wrote with. In cross-examination, they have suggested it changed the appearance of his handwriting.

Milner denies two charges of attempting to murder Mr Nisbet in April 2009, and murdering him a month later. The Crown alleges she dosed his food with Phenergan and then suffocated him while he was sedated. The defence says the death was a suicide.

Today is the seventh day of the trial before Justice David Gendall and a jury in the High Court at Christchurch. The trial is expected to take three weeks.

Category: News

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