resulting from the reckless use of a lethal
weapon in furtherance of robbery.
In the light of the strong feelings expressed in
the recent Parliamentary debate on the death
penalty and in view of the likely imminent
abolition of the penalty in Northern Ireland,
Sir Alec is urgently considering with his colleagues
whether the death penalty should also be abolished
in Hong Kong, a territory where the legislature
is not and cannot be elected. Sir Alec considers
that it would be wrong to allow the law to take
might its course in this case when the penalty is likely
to be abolished in the Colony in the near future.
He accordingly advises that Your Majesty should
accept the petition of the prisoner and that the
sentence should be commuted to one of 20 years
imprisonment.
M' Acland
to advise
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