BAILLIE-STEWART CASE

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4473, 21 November 1933, Page 5

BAILLIE-STEWART CASE

APPEAL BY MOTHER. QUESTION OF CONFESSION. (Press Association. —Copyright.) (Received 11.35 a.m.) London, November 20. Baillie-Stewart’s mother has written to the newspapers saying that she would never believe that her son had confessed, and asks, what could he gain by confessing after a sentence of five years’ penal servitude had been imposed? She is applying to the War Office for permission to see her son privately to ascertain what actually happened. After a trial by court-martial Lieutenant Norman Baillie-Stewart, of the Seaforth Highlanders, was cashiered from the Army on April 13 last and sentenced to five years’ penal servitude. A War Office communique said the court-martial found BaillieStewart guilty on seven charges. His Majesty confirmed its finding on three of them, namely, obtaining, collecting and communicating information which might be useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the State, but withheld confirmation of the remainder, which related only to subsidiary incidents, and the same transactions. The Minister of War, Viscount Hailsham, has sent a letter to Mr. J. McGovern, M.P. (Lab., Shettleston) stating: “I have seen the confession made by Baillie-Stewart (the army officer who was cashiered for revealing information likely to benefit an enemy) and have considered the contents.” The Minister adds that he shares the view of Mr. Duff Cooper, Financial Secretary to the War Office, that publication is inadvisable. It would be impossible, if Mr. McGovern was allowed to see the document, to withhold it from other members of the House of Commons which would virtually be equivalent to publication.