PEACOCK'S CONVICTION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11219, 9 December 1911, Page 5

PEACOCK'S CONVICTION.

QUASHED BY HIGH COURT.

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

Press Association—Electric Teletjraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, Friday.

The High Court has quashed the conviction of Dr Peacock, who was sentenced to death for tho murder of a young woman named Davies, who died, it was alleged, as the result of an illegal operation. Tho Chief Justice found that, although there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to show that Miss Davies was dead, it was not sufficient to connect Dr Peacock with her death, there being no corroboration of tho evidence of Poke,. who was his accomplice. At the trial the Judge should have directed tho jury that there was no corroboration of Poke's evidence, and therefore it was dangerous to convict. If he had done, the jury must have returned a verdict of not guilty, and therefore a new trial would not have been granted. wM Mr Justice Barton agreed to the quashing of the conviction. He considered that there should have been a now trial. Mr Justice O'Connor agreed that there should have been a new trial. The Court ordered a new trial.