THE HOBBS CASE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 February 1925, Page 5

THE HOBBS CASE.

RECORDER ’S COMMENTS. CHARGE AGAINST NEWSPAPER. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT; LONDON, Feb. 10. The Court of King’s Bench discharged .a rule granted on February G calling upon the editor and publishers of flte Evening News to show cause why they should not be committed for contempt of' court for a : report of the Recorder’s comments' to the Grand Jury on the Hobbs case, in which he referred to the pending charge of conspiracy to he heard against Hobbs. The' Lord Chief Justice said it was too late In the day to argue that newspapers were not entitled to report charges to the. Grand Juries. It was a serious misfortune that such a charge should he delivered. It was long indeed since a judge prematurely expressed the opinion that the ultimate. verdict of n petty jury should he of a particular kind. The newspaper should not be punished for publishing an agency report, which, on the whole, was fair and accurate. The court made no order as to

eosts. [The Recorder, in charging the Grand Jury at the Old Bailey, said: “Three hundred thousand sterling may; appear to von to he a large 'sum to pay tor assailing Mrs Robinson’s virtue. Probably you think that if farthings were substituted for pounds it would more appropriate!v represent, the value ot her virtue, hut that has nothing to do with us. The point is that Sir Han Singh, for political and other reasons, was most anxious to avoid publicity. These scoundrels played on that knowledge, and were able to get two cheques. I should say there enn be no_ doubt, that. Hobbs 'was a party to a gigantic fraud, perhaps one of the most monumental and most impudent in criminal history.” The jury found a true bill against Hobbs.]