ACCUSED MEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 June 1935, Page 12

ACCUSED MEN

ILL-TREATMENT ALLEGATIONS. MELBOURNE, May 23. During the hearing of a case in ' General Sessions to-day, in which three ijmen were charged with conspiracy, it , was alleged by the accused that they , had been bullied, ill-treated, and brows beaten by detectives into writing and • signing confessions. j Ernest Howard Kelly, 23, rubber • worker, Edward Lindsay Mills, grocer’s assistant, and John Leslie McDonald, casing worker, all of FootscrayJ were charged with conspiring to rob the State Savings Bank at Portland and the post-office at Bullengarook. Before the prisoners went into the witness box, eight detectives occupied it. in turn and swore that they had not struck, bullied, ill-treated, or interfer-

ed with the three prisoners, or seen anyone else do so. Mills said in evidence that he was pulled out of a car and' a detective punched him on the mouth. When he was in the Detective Office, a detetive stood behind him with his fist pulled back, and threatened to punch him if he did not make a statement. McDonald said he was punched as he was pulled out of the car. When a statement was being taken from him, I he was struck in the ribs if he did not, answer questions quickly enough. After the statement was completed, a detective threatened to “knock his head off” if he did not sign it, and he. signed. ' I Judge Macindoe, in his summing-up, 1 said to the jury that only too frequently the police were attacked in the j courts. “What, other defence can : there be,” he said, “if the accused pleads not guilty after having given the police a signed confession?” The jury found the three accused not guilty on both counts.