COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1935, Page 8

COURT NEWS

JUDGE’S CAUTION. PRIVATE DETECTIVES’ EVIDENCE. August 6. The need to consider with caution the evidence of private detectives, was emphasised by Mr Justice Callan, summing up in a divorce action heard in the Supreme Court. The evidence of several inquiry agents had been -taken during proceed ings and His Honor’s comments applied in particular to the failure of tAvo of -them to put iu brief notes made at the time of their observations. “Private defectives, gentlemen, from the very nature of their profession have not very nice minds,’’ stated His Honor, addressing th e jury. He found that he had to agree with English authorities that the evidence of paid investigators required careful examination. There were- of course, houpst private detectives and there was no reason for that not being the case in the present action. One man who bad been a. private detective had used notes concerning his observations, and

■these were of assistance, in spite of the criticism of counsel. The position was different with the evidence of two other witnesses, a private inquiry agent and his assistant. His Honor advised the jurv to consider the case as 'though neither of these witnesses had given evidence and said the ex-t’raordinan and reprehensible habit, of destroying all contemporary records had been revealed in the case of these in on.