THE LILLY WHITE CASE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1533, 18 July 1901, Page 65

THE LILLY WHITE CASE

The case of Charles Lillywhite was brought under the. notice of the Government in the House of Representatives on the 9th, Mr John Hutcheson, who asked the Minister of Justice what steps he proposed to take to rehabilitate Lillywhite, wrongfully arrested for murder, and to compensate him for the mental and physical suffering he has been subjected to ? The Hon. c McGowan (Minister for Justice) said that until full particulars as to the cause of Lillywhit'e’s discharge from custody and as to the action the Colchester police, for whom the arrest was made, have taken in the matter were received, he thought it would be premature to come to any decision. The brief cablegrams received merely stated that a large number of witnesses failed to identify the prisoner as Blatch, and that Lillywhite’s brother failed at first to identify him as Lillywhite. There could, he thought, be no doubt that the man was Lillywhite and not Blatch, hut, as he was surrendered mainly on the sworn testimony of two witnesses specially sent out for that purpose by the Colchester police, the responsibility for his detention in Custody after the arrival of those witnesses in New Zealand and subsequent conveyance to England, mainly fell upon that force. He considered the presumption was that the Colchester police would, if they were satisfied the man was not Blatch, make due reparation ; if they did not, then it would be necessary for the Government to give the matter very careful consideration, and he had no doubt they would endeavour to do everything that was fair in connection with this unfortunate individual. In the meantime it was not for them to take immediate action until they had the whole facts before them and were able to go fully into the matter. Mr Hutcheson intends to ask that th© correspondence on &the subject should The laid on the table.