BLACK CAP TO REMAIN
Must a judge continue to tell a woman, convicted of child murder, that she will “ hang by the neck until dead ” when she is almost certain to be reprieved? An appeal for a softening of the last grim scene in murder trials was made in the House of Commons last month by Mr Hales. He suggested that ihe_ black cap should go and that the phrasing of the death sentence to avoid unnecessary suffering to convicted persons, especially women, be altered. His appeal failed. Sir J. Gilmour, the Home Secretary, said the black cap was part of the official costume of the judge. The form of words ordinarily used in passing sentence of death was settled_ by the judges in 1903, and there were difficulties in the way of the adoption of a special form of words or procedure in particular cases.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19330920.2.12
Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 22063, 20 September 1933, Page 3
Word Count
146BLACK CAP TO REMAIN Otago Daily Times, Issue 22063, 20 September 1933, Page 3
Using This Item
Allied Press Ltd is the copyright owner for the Otago Daily Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Allied Press Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in