POLICE CONDUCT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 110, 11 May 1936, Page 8

POLICE CONDUCT

_ MOTOR FATALITY CASE COUNSEL'S ALLEGATIONS ( Per Press Association. j WELLINGTON. Mar S. 1 Allegations against, the conduct of , -h« police were made and complaints • against the publication of Lower Court | evidence repeated fio-dav iu the Su- ■ preme Court, Wellington, in a motor ' Mr M. G. Neal, counsel for the de fence, said that it ever an accused per ' >*>n bad been prejudged it was accused. Ihe report of evidence in ‘he Lower Court had occupied a good deal of space in the newspapers and he had ' heard the case discussed i ; the tram> an«i elsewhere. .Mr .lustice Blair: You can ’t g o t?' deuce. Ail these cases, of course are rep.tried in the newspaper.-*. Mr Neal said that Iho reports oniv ' gave one >’.Je. He did not suggest that any blame was attachable the newspapers but he did vomp.a.n about the ■ police. It was within the power of ' the prosecution to prodine all avail- ■ a’nie evidence and that hid not been done. The prosecution hud st od bv snd allowed an injustice to be done j to the accused. Statements had been ’ gi'en to the police which «oiitradi.ted ' certain evidence, yet those statements . were not produced at the inquest. That | alone di.A-losed an injustice. His Honour said the function of the coroner was to ascertain the cause of I death and not to apportion the blame. Mr Noa.; If theie was ct idenee avail- i ab'e which was not called, and I sub mil there was then an injustice was i done to accused because ihc reports of the inquest werp not correct reports. I His Honour: lou appear to ’ that an inquest is he d for t he purpose I of apportioning the blame. Nothin* of the kind. Mr Neal sail that a witness would I te.i rhe jury that when he suggested j to the police that he should bewailed ; ar :he inquest, statements were made .' to him inderrogation of accused’s chai ' His Honour: I bat has niching what aver to do with this ca.se. I arw not trying the conduct of the j < dice and I | tun not going to a.low the jurv to be i lathered with a whole lot of irrele- 1 vances of that kind. I am not inter ?sted in the sins of the ;»o re.