APPEAL COURT.
(Per Press As so ciiat ion •}
Wellington, yesterday. The Appeal Court gave judgment to-day in the case of Rex v. Wart. Defendant was convicted of eoiiing a copy of Sydney Truth which was held to contain indecent and obscene matter. The point was whether guilty knowledge of the contents of the paper was necessary for rightful conviction. In the view of the majority of the Court—Judges Williams, Edwards, and Chapman—defendant could not be convicted unless he knew or ought to have known the nature of the matter ho was selling. Judge Williams said it was quite impracticable that a bookseller should make himself acquaiuted with the nature of the whole of the literature he sells. The Chief Justioe and Judge Cooper dissented, holding that the onus lay ou the seller of ascertaining at their peril the nature of the contents. The oonviotion was quashed and a new trial ordered. The Court adjourned till August 3rd.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GIST19050719.2.20
Bibliographic details
Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1510, 19 July 1905, Page 2
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157APPEAL COURT. Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1510, 19 July 1905, Page 2
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