FINGER PRINT EVIDENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1925, Page 2

FINGER PRINT EVIDENCE

— HKST K()|<M OK IPKNTIKK ATi()X. ( II R 1 ST< UK!U H. May UK I'injiur-ptint s. tlio Crown ProsocuInr. Mr A. T. nmi!!'* 11 >. s;i ill in tho Supivim.* ( null • iy, have heon <loumustrutud tn ho muto uonHuxivo tlian iinv otlu-r Inriu of evhlenuo of iden 1 iiiention. l»po;niso they admit of no possible errors whatever. No two people have linker-prints with tie* sail"* eharaoters. and t.hoy are ln«* iroin att> of the errors that may weaken any other form of evident e. A pursuit may make a mistake in ideniityiivj. another person, bill the evidence ol is hevond all doubt.

The case was a charge against a young man. Frederick hharli-s Richmond. of having broken into the office of R. W. England and Company and stolen till in silver, lie pleaded not guilty and conducted his own case.

The ('row'll Prosecutor said tin- offic • was closed on Saturday, April llli. at 1 n.m... and on the morning of April (fill il was found it had been broken into, some person, evidently, having got in through a lavatory window. In the office there were sonic knives and l'or..s. Finger-prints had been left on (wo of the knives, which were probably used to open something in the office. The finger-prints were sent to Seiiiui'-SergeaiiL Dinnio. in charge of the criminal registration branch of the Police Department, in Wellington, who found that they tallied with Rirh-iiv.-nd’s linger prints, already in that officer’s possession. Tho same result was obtained hv vomparsion with Richmond's finger-prints taken al Paparua I’ri-'-n. and there could not be any doubt as to Richmond having stolen the. money. CHANCES OF ERROR SAI ALT.. Senior-Sergeant Dinnio said tlie

chances of error in comparing fingerprint- were about li.011(1. (1110.000 to one. There were 2(i points of similarity in the two prints mi the knives and in Richmond's known prints, and 1 lie chances against error in Richmond's case were L 190,1 1fi.110,38-1.705,025 to one. Claude Montague Francis, assistant in the Criminal regi.-tration branch, said that there could he no doubt about the identification. Air Justice .'.dams said the jury! ii".-d not doubt the accuracy of the experts' stu Lemon Is. Some jurymen might remember that when a man name.| Gunn was tried for mm'ocr at Auckland. Mr Justice Chapman gave a long. learned and interesting memorandum. showing the tremendous value and eogenov ol finger-print evidence. The jury. alter retiring for about leu minutes, returned a verdict of guilt y. Richmond was remanded for sen-