MILITARY JUSTICE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 11 August 1942, Page 4

MILITARY JUSTICE

AMERICANS TO HAVE OWN CONTROL ARRANGEMENT IN ENGLAND | ‘Rec. 10.40 a.m.) Rugby Aug. 10 i Brigadier-General L. H Hedrick, assistant judge advocate general of the United States Army, will be responsible for the administration of military justice within the United States forces in the British Isles, under an agreement reached recently between the British and American Governj ments. In a statement announcing this the I headquarters of the European theatre of operations of the United States army outlines the procedure to be adopted, i In general all American military or naval personnel accused of crime or who violate British laws will be tried by American courts. Partial restoration of jurisdiction to British courts, however, is also provided for in some cases. The maximum punishments provided by United States military laws are as a rule more severe than those imposed under American civil laws. The arrangement will provide for arrest by the British authorities if necessary and the suspect will then be turned over for trial by the American army authorities. Persons found guilty by American court martials will be imprisoned in Europe, but those serving sentences of about five years or more will be sent back to penal institutions in the United States. Death sentences will be carried out in the theatre of operations by hanging or shooting. Hanging, it is stated. is considered more ignominious than shooting, and is the usual method of executing persons sentenced to death for such crimes as spying, murder or rape. The procedure lias already been put into operation, and the first American court martial held in this country met to-day. The accused was a private charged with the violation of the 92nd article of war.—8.0. W.