LOSS OF MEMORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 November 1923, Page 2

LOSS OF MEMORY

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE. A remarkable case of a young man whosd physical and mental health was so affected from hardship and starvation that he confessed to the commission of crimes which in reality he had never committed at all has been occuping the attention of the Kew and Hawthorn police (says the Melbourne

“Age”). In the early hours of the 2nd inst. Constable King, of Kew, discovered a young man, ill-clad and shivering, crouching in the doorway of a house in Denmark street. He could give no satisfactory explanation of his presence there at that hour of the night, and was taken to the police station and charged with being a He gave the name of Robert Malcolm Ross. The police questioned him about several recent robberies that had occurred in Kew. Ross admitted having broken into the KeW Golf Club premises and the house of Mr C. Robinson, in Belford Road. He was then asked if he knew anything of the robbery at the Presbyterian Church, Hawthorn, frOm which about £35 worth of plate and sacred vessels were stolen on September 3. Ross also took full responsibility" for this theft. The police naturally accepted his story, as Ross, though in poor health, appeared to be in possession of his full normal intelligence. When brought before the court Ross retracted his confession. He tried to give to the magistrates an account of his movements on the night he was arrested, but was so vague and rambling in his statement that the bench refused to accept his story, and sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment for loitering. He was remanded on the other charges. In gaol Ross’s health gradually improved, and he vigorously denied the crimes he was charged with, asserting that his mind was a blank as to the incidents that occurred on the night of his arrest, including his “confession.” Inquiries elicited nothing to connect him with two of the charges preferred against him, and they" were dropped. His admissions had been so detailed, however, with respect to the church breaking that on this charge he was remanded to Hawthorn. Further investigations led to the recovery of the articles stolen from the church, and showed that Ross had, absolutely nothing to do with the theft.

AVhen Ross was brought before Hawthorn Court Sub-inspector McCon ville withdrew the charge. He said he was convinced that Ross on the night he was arrested was suffering from loss of memory. He wrffe a different man altogether now. The bench gave Ross an honourable discharge. The question now is whether Ross is guilty of the charge in respect to which he is at present serving a sentence.