Obscene Publications.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 131, 5 December 1885, Page 6

Obscene Publications.

Judgment was delivered at Sydney, on November 15, on the appeal of Thomas Walker, Freethought leoturer, against his conviction on an information laid under the Obscene Publications Act. The Full Court unanimously, but with much regret, came to tho conclusion that, because of a technical defect in the information, the conviction could not be sustained. The appeal was, therefore, upheld ; but, whilst reversing tho magistrates' decision, their Honors made no order as to costs, and at the time • clearly intimated that the appellant would be severely dealt with if he recommitted tho offence, The case arose out of a lecture recently delivered by Walker, in the course of which he used a number of diagrams alleged to be of an obscene nature. The Chief Justice pointed out that exhibitions of this character were obscene per se, but the law made an exception in the case of medical or scientific lectures. He had no hesitation in saying that the drawings in this case were obscene, but the information was improperly drawn, and the Court had no option but to quash the conviction. Heat the same time cautioned Walker that if he repeated the exhibition of the pictures he would, if the information were properly drawn, render himself liable, not merely to a penalty, but also to a prosecution for a misdemeanour for outrageous indecency in delivering the lectures and exhibiting the pictures in connection with them. The other judges concurred.