HOW JUSTICE IS DEFEATED.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17193, 9 July 1921, Page 15

HOW JUSTICE IS DEFEATED.

'; —♦- v BEIBERY AND iNTDaiDATION. 'An article published in the "Age" of June 20th alleges that in Melbourne justice is being defeated by the bribery of furies, intimidating fitnesses and other evil practices. The article says: —lt.is well known to the public as well as to the police, that, in Melbourne there exists a notorious gang of criminals, headed by one or two clever and unscrupulous men, who tor a lone tame have successfully effort* to bring them to lustice. The leaders of the gang are reputed to be wealthy men. They have at their command men who are experts in the'art of corrupting juries and, what is equally bad, uitimidating witnesses. On several occasions within the last few months the police have made, arrests in connexion with serious crimes .in the city and suburbs, and although they obtained information that dispelled a" doubt as to the guilt of the men arrested, they were unable to .prove their cases in Court, because their witnesses were intimidated by threats that evil would befall them if they gave the convicting evidence. The. information received by the detectives is sufficient to satisfy them beyond all doubt that witnesses have been threatened and intimidated, but so cleverly has the criminal gang carried out its schemes that without more stringent laws to assist them, the police are powerless to check the intimidating operations. It ib urged that the .Government should lold an enquiry into the,whole position relating to the bribing of intimidating of witnesses and other practices adopted by criminals to evade justice-