BRITISH JUSTICE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 259, 1 November 1932, Page 9

BRITISH JUSTICE.

JURIES MUST BE SATISFIED. SAFEGUARDING ACCUSED PERSONS SIR MICHAEL MYERS' COMMENT. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) "'■WELLINGTON, this day. The circumstances under which it is competent for a jury to find an accused person guilty of a charge laid against him were indicated plainly by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, in summing up at a trial in the Supreme Court to-day. It would be an intolerable stain on the escutcheon of the administration of British justice, said his Honor, that an innocent person should be convicted. Of course there was always the possibility, however remote, of such a thing happening. Such a thing might happen upon perjured - evidence which might deceive the Court and jury, but fortunately such things were rare in the annals of the administration of justice in this country. "Not only is it important in the highest degree that an innocent person should not be convicted, but also one against whom the Crown has failed to prove its case to the satisfaction of the jury, because that amounts to practically the same thing," said his Honor, "but it. would never do for juries to say that they had strong suspicion, and that they believed the accused might be guilty. What juries should be able to say before they convicted was, 'we are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt upon the evidence brought before us that the accused is guilty of the offence charged against him.' "