POLICEMEN WHO TOOK BRIBES

Evening Star, Issue 19551, 9 May 1927, Page 8

POLICEMEN WHO TOOK BRIBES

CONVICTION AT RETRIAL STERN REMARKS BY THE JUDGE The retrial of two constables of the London Metropolitan _ Police Force accused of receiving bribes at Goodwood Races on July 28, 1926, ended at Lewes Assizes in conviction, and the officers, and tho man who bribed them, were each sentenced to six months’ hard labor. Edwin Bottom, sixty-one, laborer, was charged with making a corrupt gilt of silver coins to Police Constables Arthur Isadore Strauss Cliesshivc, fortytwo, and Joseph Lucas, thirty-six, and Chcsshirc and Lucas were indicted for receiving tho money. The case had occupied two days, and was remarkable because of the great conflict of evidence between a group of officers of tho West Sussex Constabulary and several uniformed men of tho Metropolitan Police. The three defendants had strenuously denied that any coins changed hands between them, but a sergeant and a constable of the West Sussex Constabulary were confident that from a distance of six yards they saw the gifts made. In summing up Air Justice Horridgo said that Mr St. John Hutchinson, who defended tho two constables, had emphasised tho extreme danger of finding the men guilty _ because of the positions they occupied. “It would be a bad day for English justice,” said tho judge, “when a jury were afraid to keep their oaths and decide upon the evidence. You have nothing to Jo with tho result of your verdict.” ON CHARACTER. It had further been suggested, he continued, that the men should not he convicted because they were all of such good character. was an asset to everybody, but in (Time there bad always to belt “first time.” The only bearing character had upon the caso was that in tho event of their being a serious doubt tho jury were entitled to say that the men were of such good character that they wero not likely to commit the offence. His lordship devoted some time to explaining the relevance of the piece of paper found on Bottom on which, it was alleged, were items showing that payments had at some time been made to the police. That paper, said tho judge, even if the jury thought that it showed Bottom was in the habit of bribing the police, was no evidence against the constables, and no evidence that at Goodwood Races he mado the gifts of coins. But it might be evidence against Bottom. The only possible way that paper ought to be taken into consideration was that it might show that if a man bribed the police before he would do it again. There was only one course open to tho jury—to find a verdict for or against all three, for all the defendants were involved.

Tlio jury found all three prisoners guilty. Bottom, in reply to the judge, admitted that ho had been lined £l6 and costs for gaming in another name, that he had reecived > one month’s imprisonment for obtaining money by false pretences, and that ho was-summarily convieted on three other occasirms for gaming. “ A SHOCKING CRIME.” Addressing prisoners, who took the sentence without showing much emotion. his lordship said that he entirely concurred in the verdict. “Nobody,” he said, “could have heard Sergeant Jones give his evidence without seeing that lie was speaking the truth, and speaking the truth midor very difficult circumstances for an officer doing his duty, ami charging two other constables with an offence.” Chcsshire and Lucas had violated their posts as servants under the Government. “ It is a. shocking crime,” said his lordship, “ and everybody ought to be very much indebted to- jenes for the manly way in which he has brought you to justice. It is a very bad thing for tho English police force if there are other members of this force, as I hope there are not, who take bribes. Let this case be a lesson to others, ami let us hope it will do something to purify the police force if this thing which we have been investigating takes place in other instances.” His lordship added that ho would have given the police officers a heavier sentence than Bottom, because the_ offence was far worse in their position, but Bottom had been previously convicted, and therefore ho w oulcl put them all in the same position _ and sentence them to imprisonment with hard labor for six calendar months.