[771 Wt. 40552/714 50m 2/48 C.N.Ld. 748
54384/36/48.
20
C. O.
Mr. M. Jack
Mr...
Mr.
Mr.
Mr.
(13. 9. 48)
McPilni
DRAFT. S.0. LETTER.
J. B. GRIFFIN ESQ.
Single
FURTHER ACTION.
spac
Permt. U.S. of S.
Parly. U.S. S.
Minister of State
Secretary of State
Your Reference....
My dear Griffin,
PERSONA L.
The Hong Kong Prevention of Corruption Ordinance,
1938, was enacted on 29th July last. The Legal
Report is signed by Strickland, but I notice that you
signed the Objects and Reasons on the Bill.
In case you may have forgotten Section 9 -
it reads as follows
F
"Notwithstanding any rule of practice or
procedure to the contrary in the event of a
person being charged with an offence against
section 3 or section 4, a judge shall not be
required to direct the jury that it is dangerous
to convict on the evidence of an accomplice
without corroboration in a material particular
implicating the accused, but in every such case,
if the evidence of such accomplice, if believed,
would warrant a conviction the jury shall be
directed to convict if they are satisfied beyond
reasonable doubt that the evidence of such
accomplice is worthy of belief."
The principal "reason" for the provision is
that juries sometimes look upon the Judge's direction
that it is dangerous to convict on the uncorroborated
evidence of an accomplice as being equivalent to a
direction to a cquit.
/The
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