ARE POLICE FAIR?

Grey River Argus, 9 May 1936, Page 7

ARE POLICE FAIR?

METHODS QUESTIONED

In Motor Fatality Case (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 8. Allegations against the conduct of the police were made and complaints against the publication the Lower Court evidence were repeated to-day at the Supreme Court, in Wellington in a motor fatality ease. Mr. M. G. Neal, counsel for the defence. said that if ever an accused person had been prejudiced it was the accused. The report of the evidence in the Lower Court had occupied a good deal of space in the newspapers, fie had heard the case discussed in trams and elsewhere. .Mr. Justice Blair: You can’t give evidence. All these cases of course, are reported in the newspapers. .Mr. Neal said that the reports only gave one side of the case, lie did not suggest that any blame was attachable to the newspapers, but did complain about the police. It was within the power of the prosecution to produce all available evidence, and that had not been done. The prosecution had stood by and allowed an injustice to be done to the accused. statements had been given to the police which contradicted certain evidence, yet those statements were not produced at the inquest. That alone disclosed an injustice. His Honor said that the function of the Coroner was to ascertain the cause of death and not to apportion the blame. Mr. Neal: If there was evidence available which was not called, and I submit there was, then, an injustice was done to the accused because the reports of the inquest were not. correct reports. His 'Honor: You appear to assume that an inquest is held for the purpose of apportioning the blame. <( Nothing of the kind,’' Mr. Neal said. He added that, a witness would tell the jury that, when he suggested to the police that he should be called at the inquest, statements were made to him in derrogation of the accused’s character.

Ilis Honor: That was nothing whatever to do with this ease. I am not trying the conduct of the police, and I am not going to allow the jury to be bothered with a whole lot of irrelevances of that kind. I am not interested in the sins of the police.