WOMAN TERRIFIED

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 May 1936, Page 14

WOMAN TERRIFIED

CALMED BY LORD CHIEF JUSTICE LONDON, March 24. A diminutive woman from the East End of London stood in the King’s Bench Divisional Court yesterday and pleaded her cause before three judges. She said she was “terrified.” The scene illustrated how accessible English justice is, even to the poorest of litigants. The woman’s almost incoherent application was listened to with careful attention by the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Justice du Parcq, and Mr. Justice Goddard. There was no attempt to suppress her or turn her out of court. In a torrent of words, the woman kept saying that although she was going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, she was terrified. - “What you have to do now,” said Lord Hewart, bending down to the woman, “is to satisfy the Master that because of poverty you are unable to retain counsel. If you can thus satisfy him, you will get counsel, and then you won’t be terrified.” “If counsel is assigned to you, then you won’t be terrified,” said Lord Hewart kindly. The Associate whispered to the judges that an order had been made that no proceedings were to be instituted by the applicant without the permission of the High Court. The woman, who seemed comforted, left the court,, still protesting that she would tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

Her application was the third personal application to which the judges had listened before the normal work of the court began. The first two were by men, and must have tried the patience of the court, although the applicants were treated with the same courtesy accorded to the woman.