FAILURE TO CONVICT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12256, 2 July 1909, Page 6

FAILURE TO CONVICT.

WORRY DRIVES A POLICEMAN

MAD

An extraordinary statement with regard to the effect upon a police constable of not securing a conviction was made at Marylebone Police Court, London, one day last month. In March "last Pol ice-Con stable. Patten arrested a furniture dealer named George Henry Walker, 125, Highgatcroad, on a chargo of being drunk and disorderly, but after a week's remand and a protracted hearing the charge was dismissed. Last month Mr. Walker was again charged with drunkenness, together with Thomas Edward Woodrow, a man of independent means, also residing in Highgate-road. t Both defendants strenuously denied the charge. Mr. Walker added that after ho was discharged on the previous occasion ho wrote to the Police Commissioner about the "perjured evidence" "of tho police, and he afterwards heard that the poor fellow who gave evidence (Police-Constable Patten) had gone out of his mind and had been placed in an asylum. In reply to the magistrate. Inspector Caire stated that the constable was in ho asylum, and he thought the worry of the case preyed greatly on Ins mind. Mr. Paul Taylor said that it was almost incredible that a police officer, having failed to secure a conviction in a, case, took it so much to heart that it drove him out of his senses. Why any police officer should worry himself at all abmit a case ho could not understand. If when a charge was dismissed the police thought that the magistrate cast any reflection upon them, in nine cases of" ten they formed a com pletely wrong conclusion. He regretted exceedingly to hear that Police-Con-stable Patten, a perfectly honourable and efficient officer, had fallen into this unfortunate position.