MITIGATED MURDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 208, 31 August 1920, Page 5

MITIGATED MURDER.

THE K_ANS_.ATJG._TER LAW. REVISION SUGGESTED. There was only one criminal charge down for hearing at the Hamilton Supreme Court, which was opened before his Honor Mr. Justice Stringer to-day. This was the ca_e in Which John Campbell Johnstone was charged w'th manslaughter resulting from the death of an elderly lady who was knocked down by Johnstone's motor caT on the night of June 26, 1920. His Honor congratulated the district upon the almost entire absence of crime during the last three months. He remarked that it was a matter for regret that these cases of death caused by negligence under such circumstances should be designated ae. manslaughter. Manslaughter in the mind of the people was generally regarded as something like mitigated murder. That being the case there was unquestionably an extreme reluctance on the part of juries to convict in cases of manslaughter when there was no intentional injury done. He considered that the law regarding i these eases should be altered, and that tlie crime of manslaughter by neglect should be changed to criminal negligence. [ Manslaughter included a wide range of : offences which might be -punishable by a fine only or might amount almost to | actual murder. In cases w!iere a convicj tion was recorded part of the penalty should be a depr'vatira of the right to further use the in-itrument .vhicli caused ■ the injury. A true bill was returned in Johnstone's case.