POLICE TO PAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 273, 17 November 1936, Page 7

POLICE TO PAY.

Cabinet Refuses to Foot the • Bill in N.S.W. CASE OF WRONGFUL ARREST. (Received 12 noon.) SYDNEY, this day. The Premier of New South Wales, Mr. B. S. Stevens, announced that Cabinet has decided that the three police officers who were successfully proceeded against by Robert Manners must pay their own costs and £300 damages awarded against them. Cabinet considered the jury's verdict should be regarded as binding.

Cabinet's decision is made in spite of the fact that the Acting-Commissioner of Police, Mr.'Lynch, recommended in his report to the Government that the Crown should foot the bill. Cabinet directed that Sergeant Silcock be reverted to uniform duty and Constables Murray and Roach be retained on uniform duty.

Robert Percy Manners, a journeyman printer, was awarded £300 damages in an action against three members of the police force for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and assault oil September 18. The case created interest through New South Wales.

Manners stated that when he was going home late at night he 6aw three men bundling another man into a motor car. He began to run away, but was pursued and very roughly handled by two of the three men. His captors were Detective J. H. Silcock. Constable G. Murray and Constable G. Roach, who had been looking for a bag-snatcber. Manners established a case of mistaken identity when taken to the police station.