AMERICAN COURTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1942, Page 4

AMERICAN COURTS

PROCEDURE IN BRITAIN. TRIAL OF MILITARY OFFENDERS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 10. Brigadier-General L. H. Hedrick, Assistant Judge Advocate-General of the United States Army’, will be responsible for administration of military justice within the'United States forces in the British Isles under the agreement reached recently between the British and American Governments. In a statement announcing this, the headquarters in the European theatre of operations of tire United States Arm.? outlines the procedure to be adopted. In general, all American military and naval personnel who are accused of crimes or who violate British laws will be tried by American courts-martial. The restoration of jurisdiction to the 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 the 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 courts-martial 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 and rape.

The procedure has already been put into operation, and the first American court-martial held in this country met today. Accused was a private charged with violation of the ninety-second article of war.