2
6100 [1]
1 Death Sentence.
2 Marden-nullah. 3 Normal.
Bishop of H. Kong
the matter. Council.
22.11. 34.
Requests S. of S. to go personally into
Details of the case are with Privy
(2)- (0) Extracts from "Hong Weekly Press"
Briefly the facts of the case referred to
in 1, in so far as it is possible to glean them from
the press cuttings filed at 2-10, are these:
The prosecution allege that on the 20th
June the accused threw five children into a nullah
with the result that one of them-Michael Pine-died.
As regards motive it is maintained that the accused
believed that it was a glorious thing to kill a man
and then to commit suicide. He himself jumped into
the nullah at the time of the murder.
The defence is that Michael Pine's death
was accidental and could not be attributed to the
accused. The plea that the accused was intoxicated
was apparently also put forward.
At the first hearing of the case the Jury
were unable to agree and a fresh trial was ordered.
At the second trial the jury returned a verdict of
guilty and strongly recommended mercy. The case
went on appeal to the Appeal Court by whom the
judgment was upheld.
It appears from 1 that the Governor after
felt
s unable considering the case in Executive Council
to exercise his prerogative of mercy and that the
case has been forwarded to the Privy Council on a
legal point. So far as we are aware, the papers
concerning the reference to the Privy Council have
not yet arrived in England ( 1 was sent by Air Mail
and arrived on the 7th).
I