The Supreme Court. The Judge's Charge. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH,OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1405, 5 July 1881, Page 2

The Supreme Court. The Judge's Charge. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH,OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Auckland, Last Night. Judge Gillies said : " The cases brought on this occasion are of about the average number. Eighteen prisoners are charged with 20 offences, four of these being natives. There are six cases of offences against the person, nine against property, and three main cases, viz. : libel and perjury. None of these are of a very aggravated character, still there are several of them which are of rather grave nature ; some, on the other hand, are of a very trivial kind, such as, I think, comitting magistrates might very well have dealt with themselves instead of putting the country to the expense of sending them up for trial at this Court," Referring to the Whatawhata childbeating case, he said : ' ' There is one charge of the serious crime of perjury, which consists in giving false evidence in judicial matter. This person is charged with having given evidence that he did not beat in a certain way, a child whom he was charged before the magistrate with beating, and upon that evidence the case was dismissed. There is now the evidence of three children that he was guilty of the offence. If you are satisfied with the evidence given by these children you will find a true bill, and if you consider that they are not to be believed, you will not find a true bill. However, perjury is a difficult matter to prove, and if surroundings therefore are such as lead you to believe that the person charged is guilty, then it will be you duty to send the case to a Petty Jury, who are in a position to investigate it more narrowly. In allusion to libel cases against Wickham, he spoke very decisively about Hurst's case that a true bill must be found. In Reess case he said it was for them to consider whether it was a fair comment on the acts of a public man.