COURT OF APPEAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 258, 28 September 1935, Page 6

COURT OF APPEAL.

PLEA BY PRISONER. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 27. The Court of Appeal to-day heard a case, Batchelor versus the King. On February ( 14, 1934, John Black Batchelor, of Christchurch, w r as sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on a charge of perjury, and other charges. In July of the same year an application was made to the Supreme Court by the prisoner for a case to be stated for the opinion of the Court of Appeal on certain questions of law arising out of his trial. That application was not disposed of until August of this year, when Mr Justice Johnston delivered his decision, declining to reserve such questions for the Court of Appeal on the giound that the application was not made to him within the correct period of time.

From that judgment, Batchelor today appealed to the Court of Appeal, and after hearing Mr R. L. Saunders, of Christchurch, on behalf of the prisoner, and the Solicitor-General for the Crown, the Court reserved its decision. If the Court decides that Mr Justice Johnston was wrong in refusing to state a case upon _ the ground taken by; him, then it will proceed to deal with the whole question on its merits.