OPEN THREATS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11384, 9 December 1930, Page 6

OPEN THREATS

ECHO OF SALAMAN SENTENCE

JURYMEN ABUSED

Members of the jury which tried the Salanian case at New Plymouth are asking themselves what protection tliev can obtain -against the abuse that they arc receiving from certain members of the communitj who are personally dissatisfied with the punishment meted. out to Tamilian .by the law for his crime. The topic of Salanian s sentence is still Very much discussed m iuranala. Jurymen who heard that case have been'accosted on numerous occasions—many times in public—and subjected to heated criticism, w InJe members who are in business have been threatened by former customers with discontinuance or patronage One member told an interviewed tlia-t at- least a dozen people had declared that they would take their custom elsewhere in consequence ot the man having served on the juiv which found rialaman guilty. Numbers of dissatisfied citizens have upbraided jurymen for not haviim considered the fact that Salanian has reputedly done a lot of goodSoon after the case concluded, said a gentleman who was interviewed, o e man had loudly stated Ins extieme views m a juryman’s shop. 1 don t think I’ll lose over it,’ said the iurvman, “but it is not a pleasant situation to be placed in, and thesis a prospect of losing a small amount of business through having served on that jury. We made a strong recommendation for merev aftei find ing Salanian guilty and our part should end there, although it seemed strange- that the recommendation was not mentioned in court.” . Another juryman told a similar story. “Quite a number of people have given us gentle hints that we will be made to suffer for the pai t we played in the case,’ he said. “We have been charged with not considering the good that Salanian has done. That had nothing to do with us or tlie case. As an instance, one woman ‘told me off m pnbhm and so conducted herself that, had tlie police been present, she might have been charged. The people aie talking about the case everywhere, and one is alluded to as Salanian, n(T addressed : ‘Hullo Salanian . think it is about time some action was taken by somebody to see that jurymen are freed from criticism ol the manner in which they discharge their duties,- and especially criticism in public that may prove detrimental to business.” *