Police-1959-1960 — Page 34

95.

OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON

True cases Cases convicted Cases acquitted Cases undetected Cases pending... Nolle Prosequi

Accused dead, insane, etc.

1957/58

1958/59

1959/60

408

506

512

270

403

394

22

18

24

73

58

29

34

19

42

2

1

4

7

7

19

96. Compared with the preceding year, there was little change in the number of offences recorded under this class. All but 29 were detected giving a detection rate of 94% compared with 89% in 1958/59.

Murder and Manslaughter

97. Twenty five deaths by violence were recorded during the year compared with twenty eight during the year ending 31st March, 1959. Of these, one was classified as Infanticide, the woman subsequently dying as a result of the birth.

98. Nine were classified as Manslaughter and all were cleared up; one was the result of a traffic accident, while the others resulted from sudden quarrels. Of the nine persons accused, one was discharged, six convicted and two were awaiting trial.

99. The remaining fifteen cases are classified as Murder and all but two were detected. In six cases the suspects committed suicide; nolle prosequi was entered in four others; four persons were convicted and sentenced to death in two other cases and the remaining case, with one accused, is pending trial.

100. Of the fifteen murder cases, ten resulted from sudden quarrels or family disputes, one from robbery, two from love affairs, one from a suicide pact and in the other the motive is unknown. Firearms were not used in any case and poison was used in only one-the suicide pact; knives, choppers and 'blunt instruments' were the main murder weapons, while strangulation was the cause of death in the two undetected cases.

Attempted Murder

101. Three cases were recorded during the year, with two detected, compared with eleven cases, all detected, during the preceding year. The injured person in the undetected case was a police constable on duty who was taken unawares and robbed of his revolver. He gave chase to the assailant and was shot and wounded; the revolver was later

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