MAN CAN BURN DOWN OWN HOME
SYDNEY, October 23.
A man was the ruler of his castle and could do what he liked with it. A charge of arson could not be sustained in a case in which he burned down his home unless there was proof of intent to injure. Counsel for Harold Thomas Godsell, aged 54, a market gardener, made this submission in the Sydney Quarter Sessions yesterday, when Godsell was charged with maliciously setting fire to his home with intent to injure. Acting Judge Lamara agreed with this view and directed the jury to acquit the defendant. He said that in an arson case it was necesary for the Crown to prove intent to injure or defraud. This had not been done. When questioned by the police, he said: “You have nothing on me. I can burn down my own place if I want to,” which statement was substantially true.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19471024.2.68
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Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1947, Page 7
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153MAN CAN BURN DOWN OWN HOME Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1947, Page 7
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