DIEU C DROIT
HONGKONG ,
ANNO NONO
VICTORIE REGINÆ.
No. 8 of 1845 .
Y His Excellency Sir JOHN FRANCIS DAVIS, Baronet, Governor
of the Colony of Hongkong and its
Dependencies, Her Majesty's Plenipotentiary and Chief Superinten-
dent of the Trade of British Subjects in China, with the Advice of
the Legislative Council of Hongkong.
An Ordinance to regulate Criminal Proceedings. Title.
[ 19th August, 1845. ]
I. Be it enacted and ordained , That for the purpose of bringing Indictment or Infor-
a Criminal Case under the Cognizance of the Supreme Court, an mation.
Indictment or Information , duly signed by the Attorney-General, or,
in his Absence, by the Colonial Secretary, shall be as Valid and
Effectual in all respects as if the same had been presented by a Grand
Jury.
II. And be it further enacted and ordained, That every Prisoner, Effect of Plea of
" Not guilty. "
upon being arraigned upon or charged with any Indictinent or
Information, by pleading generally thereto the Plea of " Not guilty, "
shall, without further Form, be deemed to have put himself or herself
upon the Country for Trial.
III. And be it further enacted and ordained , That if any Prisoner Refusal to Plead.
being arraigned upon, or charged with any Indictment or Information,
stand Mute of Malice, or will not answer directly to the Indictment
or Information, the Court shall, if it shall so think fit, order the
Registrar to enter a Plea of " Not guilty" on behalf of such Prisoner,
and the Plea so entered shall have the same Force and Effect as if
such Prisoner had actually pleaded the same ; or else the Court shall
thereupon cause a Jury to be impanelled to try whether the Prisoner
be of Sound or Unsound Mind ; and if he or she shall be found to be
of Unsound Mind, the Court shall make such Order touching the safe.
Custody