RARE PROCEDURE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 4 February 1927, Page 7

RARE PROCEDURE

CIRCUIT COURT SITTINGS.

LOST BY QUEENSLAND TOWN.

ACTION OF JURORS SUSPECTED. BY CABLE—MESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. Received 12.15 p.m. to-day. BRISBANE, Feb. 4. The Government decided that inmsfail,' in North Queensland, is to be deprived of its circuit court sittings. The Attorney-General, in a statement, said that ib had .been represented to him on .several occasions that the action. of juror, s at ]nni.sfail had proted averse tb bringing in verdicts of guilty and that intimidation had been resorted to in some oases. A Supreme Court judge had investigated and reported that ho regarded the allegations as true and recommended that the circuit court at Innisfaal be abolished. The Government, therefore, had decided that it had no option but to deprive InnisfaiL of its court. . . This is the second time m the liistorv of Queensland that such action had been taken, the Government, over fifty years ago, haiviig deprived Rom® of the privilege in connection with an alleged cattle-stealing case, when the jury’ failed to convict despite evidence which the Crown held was indisputable. The- Roma case was inspired by the plot of Rolfie 80l firewood's “Robbery under Arms.”