REMARKABLE TRIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1933, Page 6

REMARKABLE TRIAL

DEAN CASE RECALLED

CHARGE OF POISONING

DEATH OF THE PRINCIPAL

George Dean, the central figure l in the Sydney “Dean case” of ISOo, wh-n .he was tried I 'bn a charge of poisoning his wife,' 'convicted, mad afterwards ’pardongid, died, in the hospital at Hay, New South Wales, recently. He was buried in the Church of England burial ground. lle-’casEcl had been working for

;>l!|il,y 3’C:l'!l» «»ll labutio.l p.l'J Ijjr OlOi, lnciiii ly as'si' mechanical engineer. He was a reliable and competent workman r ‘ . The Dean case wsis one of the most remarkable criminal eases in Australia. Most of the members of th.g Bench and many'eminent mem hers of the Bar of the- period ■ were associated’- with ’the ease and events which arose out ol it. These included Messrs’ Justices Wind ever, Stephen, Simpson and Owen, and Messrs J. H. Want-, O. G. Wade, C. G. TJeydon, C. E. Pilcher, G. H. Reid, .W. P. Click, arrl-R. 1). Meagher. all of whom have died.

HISTORY OF CASE George Dean was the master of a North Shore ferry steamer —lie usually was in charge of the. all-night steamer —and was arrested on March 8, 1895, on a charge of endeavouring to poison his wife. The preliminary hearing of the charge was heard in the Police Court. Dean being represented by Air R. 1). Meagher, then a rising young solicitor and junior partner in the firm of-’Crick and Meagher. Dean was, committed for trial on.Api.il 4, aiiJ he sub. sequently appeared at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Windeyer and. a jury. : i : ; .: .. . ■ ’ Public interest in.the case had reached fe.Vor-iiC.at, and increased .as , the trial pioeeedi 1. A sensation was caused by the remarkable summing-up of Mr Justice Winde.ver, and hv his remarkable statements after tlie jury had found Dean guilty. After the jury had been out of the Court for eight (lours, Mr Justice Wind ye r resumed his seat on the Bench and recalled the jury. He informed the jurors that he had every sympathy-with -jurors when they deliberated, niost careful ly oh their Verdict. There .were eases,- he added where that. was ■ most-nececsqry aqd proper* but here the .admissions by the defence were such that it. was almost a. scandal on the irlpiihist.hutipn .qf justice., ill lit (the jury could not comet to a conclusion: The Judge indicated thqt in the ,event oft a'conviction-it was, unlikely that thevdeath-.seiitehce could be carried into-'effect.- ..r.r

DEATH SENTENCE AND PARDON

Soon afterwards the jivyy returned again ’ with ;a verdict, oft-j guilty,. with a strong reconimendatioji.To mercy. Asked if lie, had .aii3'thing-lty..S.ay why sentence of death should not bc._p.rpr.. nounced, Dean protested his innocence. 'The J ut'Jgcj %heir';gaid’’'thnt? ; ifas'""{tK' satisfied of Dean’s guilt as if lie had seen him medicine v itlfthis’’ own' ey#B. iDe sentenced jtbr.degtli,’' .stating, that he eoufdtendbvsc the recommendation to mercy! sy|;

But file drjiriiul ' was only about to ..commence.' T lye remarks, and other features .tjU ihe trial, provoked hostile, criticism',.': and a great public meeting cf protest was held in the Taw n Ha 111 On May 1 the Reid Govern--ment, bowing to public opinion, appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into, the ease. Counsel for the Crown wgs Sir .Julian Salomons, and Dean was represented bv Mr C. E. Pilcher, instructed by Messrs Crick and Meagher. I3y a majority of two to ,one the Royal •Commission recommended the liberation of Dean, anld at the end of June Dean was pardppejt and released from gaol. , Dean returned to' bis ferry steamer. Mr Meagher was -elected to Parliament. Then came-another' storm. Tn September,: the/ Attorney-General, Mr Want, react in the Legislative Assembly a statement from Sir Julian Salomons, in which it was stated that Mr Meagher, when consulting him fSir Julian Salomons) professionally some time-: ..before, bad ’confided that Dean had made to his professional adviser a confession of guilt.

DEAN SENTENCED FOR PERJURY -Dramatic speeches in the Assembly and Council respectively were made by ,g\l.r Meaghpr and Sir Julian Salomons. The outtiouie was the arrest, on OcTobey 0,-.of;Messrs Crick, Meagher and Dean, on...charges of-conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice. On October 8 Mr Crick road to the Assembly a statement that Mr Meagher had been aware of Dean’s confession of guilt, and Mr MeagVr resigned . his mat. The charges of conspiracy pooeeded. Click was discharged. Meagher and. Dean were found guilty, but subsequently on appeal to the Full Court t/ie convictions were quashed. Later, Dean was arrested' and. tried for perjury. He, ws convicted and sentenced to 1-1 years imprisonment. Ho remained in snfl until November ifl, 100-i, having served about ;iine. years. Mr Meagher was struck off the roll of solicitors, and in later years made repeated, hut unsuccessful applications to have his name restored on tthe roll. After a lapse cf 25 years Parliament passed a special Act to permit him to practise as a solicitor again. In the meantime lie hd been speaker of the Leffisjative Assembly and Lord Mayor of'Sydney.