AFRICAN MURDER CASE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 124, 21 November 1929, Page 9

AFRICAN MURDER CASE

PRIVY COUNCIL JUDGMENT

CONVICTION QUASHED

British Official Wireless.

RUGBY, 19th November.

Five Law Lords, sitting as tho Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which. is the highest Court in the land, concluded to-day tho hearing of the appeal of Dr. Benjamin Knoivles against his conviction in Ashanti for the murder of his wife, Harriet Knowles, who was formerly a musichall artist known as Madge Clifton.

Lord Sankey, Chancellor, announced the decision of the Court in tho following words: "We propose humbly to advise His Majesty to allow the appeal and quash the conviction. Our reasons will be given later."

Dr. Kuowles was convicted and sentenced to death in November'last year by the Acting-Circuit Judge at Kumasi. Tho sentence was afterwards commuted by the Governor of the Gold Coast to imprisonment for life. Knowles obtained leave to appeal to the Privy Council, and was brought to England. He is at present lying ill in Maidstone Prison.

The questions before tho Judicial Committee of the Privy Council were whether there was jurisdiction to try the case without a jury and whether the verdict was justified by the evidence. According to the evidence, Mrs. Knowles was shot with a revolver while she and Dr. Knowles were in their bedroom at their bungalow. According to a dying statement made by Mrs. Knowles, put in at the trial, the affair was an accident caused by her sitting on tlio revolver. The prosecution contended that this statement was made by Mrs. Knowles. to shield her husband.