EVIDENCE OF CHILDREN

Wairarapa Age, 5 February 1927, Page 5

EVIDENCE OF CHILDREN

ITS RELIABILITY DISPUTED. POLICE METHODS ATTACKED. AUCKLAND, February 4. The value of police identification parades and the reliability of evidence given by children were again discussed in the Supreme Court to-day, when. Edgar Stanley, married, ship’s greaser, was charged with committing three acts of indecency at Whangarei. Mr. Sullivan, for the defence, criticised the methods used by the police to secure the identification of the accused by girls, all of whom except one had seen him in the road a few minutes prior to the parade, and who waited in the room together before seeing the men lined up in the police station yard. Counsel suggested that the evidence of identification given by children was not to be fully relied upon owing to their inexperience and age. Mr. Paterson, for the Crown, said there was no reason why the evidence of children could not be fully relied upon. If they were not going to hccept the evidence of children they would have one of tw'o things happen; either there would be an increase in these offences against children or parents would take the law into their own hands.*

Mr? Justice Herdman said discrepancies would be found in all evidence such as the speed of motor cars, the force of a blow, or the discriptwm of a person’s clothing or face. If they were not going to accept evidence of identification'’.because all the witnesses did not exactly agree, they would have an unruly section of the community getting the upper hand and they would have a state of affairs in this country such ag existed in Melbourne and Chicago some time ago. If such an event happened in Now Zealand, women and children would not be safe, and property would bo in danger. It was the duty of the police to hold an identification parade in this case. What better identification could bo taken he did not know.

Accused was found not guilty.— (P.A.)