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quarters to obtain a full investigation into the disorders when the defendant managed to circumvent liim by interposing a repetition of the untruths which had been instrumental in securing the plaintiff's revesion to the ranks in 1960. The point, in each case was that the Latter published of him was ia, substance untrue and untric to the Knowledge of the defendant. That was said to have beci falsely represented in each of these reports was not merely the allegation that he was suspected of cheating but also that he borg, the chractér ascribed to him therein whereas it was known to the defndant that he was dealing · with a man who, by reason of his academic and other excellences, was of the highest calibre.
Although the plaintiff's pleadings, such as they were, implied that the plaintiff was purporting to adduce direct evidence of these matters in the event, he sought to prove his claim by evidence directed to showing three things: firstly, that there was in existence at the Police Training School during his time there a scheme to extort money from candidates for the Inspectorate.so well-established and so wide-spread that the only reasonable inference must be that the Commandant was either a party to it or else well aware of it and condoning it; secondly; thau ho, the plaintiff, was a candidate peculiarly well-equipped to succeed upch the course by virtue of his previous history and attaiments and becauso, in fact, he invariably came amongst the top three candidates in various tests and exercises which candidates upon the course were required to undergo, a fact of which the defendant, his Commandant, must have been well aware, He was that is to say, the plaiıäff vas in his own estimate, a man who would be expected to pass out with fhing colours and certainly not me to be rejected ignominiously; the third limb of his argument - oh, I should say, the third way by which he sought to prove his clain was by evidace designed to show unmerited spite or contempt directed against him by the defedant. It need hardly be said that if any substantial evidence were adduced upon any or all of these matters, an issue would arise for dtermination by the jury the issue of malice.
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The plaintiff gave fairly lengthy evidence. At no time did he allege any direct approach to him by the defendant for any corrupt or other improper purposes. He described in considerable circumstantial detail approaches which he alleged were unde to him by a Mr. Tidey, one of his instructors, and by a certain Kess Sergeant purporting to act on behalf of 12. Tidey, and, from these contacts, the plaintiff said he was led to understand that everyone in the class was obliged to contribute and that the money vas for everyone in the Folice Training School, including the Commandant. Later, he said that he understood that some of this money ment in fact right up to Headquarters. He spoke of conversations with the class instructor. Inspector IU to whom he complained and who told him that he had better watch his step and who later offered to get his, the plaintiff's contribution reduced; and he spoke of conversations in which a class-mate who eventually secured the Baton, of Honour had boasted that he had paid for it. All of these persons, save the Mess Bergeant, were present in court under subpoena and they were called to give evidace for the plaintiff. Each of then simply and without any appearance of hostility gave the lie to these assertions.
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This was the nearest the case came to hard evidence of wide-spread and syndicated corruption involving all personnel at the Police Training School and it is plain that, taken at its highest, in the testimony of
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