“SHOCKING LIBEL SUIT ”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23830, 9 June 1939, Page 18

“SHOCKING LIBEL SUIT ”

VICAR’S ACTION STOPPED BARKER v. PEACOCK (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON. May 2. “It is shocking that, in the circumstances of this case, a vicar should bring a libel action against his people’s warden.” Mr Justice Charles said this in the King’s Bench Division when the jury stopped a libel and slander action brought by a 65-year-old vicar. Judgment was entered for the defendant, with costs. The Rev. C. M. Barker, of Bramfleld, Suffolk, had claimed damages, alleging that Mr Jabez Arthur Peacock, of Brook Hall, Bramfleld, his people's Warden, had accused him of misappropriating 12s lid of the church funds from the vestry safe. Mr Peacock, in evidence, said the vicar upset everyone in Hie village. He turned out all the grown-up members of the choir, and the congregations were very small. There was a lot of fuss about the village school. Mr Barker had said he was the head man of the village, and wanted to be top dog in the school, as well as anywhere else. HIS OWN SCHOOL Then Mr Barker had a school of his own. “He made a lot of noise about it,” said Mr Peacock. “ There were special caps for the boys, and it ran on for three weeks or a month’, but the whole thing was so irregular that the education people stepped in and shut it up.” Mr Justice Charles: He tried to give the jury the impression that he was rather a popular parson. I doubted it myself, having read some of his extraordinary letters. Mr Quintin Hogg (defending): How did he conduct the services? Mr Peacock: He was very excitable and unstable. The whole thing was so irregular that in some cases people got up and walked out. Mr Peacock added that Mr Barker took ornaments from the communion table and gave them away to a poor old woman in the village.