HC Deb 17 July 1862 vol 168 cc425-7
LORD HENRY LENNOX

said, he wished to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any information had reached him respecting the recent assault on the person of a Member of that House (Mr. Pilkington); and in doing so hoped the House would indulge him for a few minutes while he stated the circumstances of the assault which had lately been made on the hon. Member for Blackburn. The hon. Member left the House at one o'clock on Tuesday morning, having been attending his Parliamentary duties up to that hour; he had reached Waterloo Place, and was passing the Guards' Monument, when an assault which reduced him to a state of insensibility was suddenly made upon him, but whence it came or by whom it was made he did not know. The hon. Gentleman remained for some time insensible on the pavement, but was at length conveyed to his hotel, where, on examination, he was found to have suffered severe personal injury, his jaw bone being much cut; there were several contusions on his head, and a suspicious pain round his throat, which indicated to the medical men the nature of the garotting instrument that had been applied to this gentleman in one of the most crowded thoroughfares. He trusted, therefore, that he should not be considered overstepping his duty if he asked the Home Secretary to give the House an asusrance that he would put himself in communication with the Chief Commissioner of Police, with a view of providing that all possible care should be taken to prevent the recurrence of such an outrage.

SIR GEORGE GREY

said, that directly he heard of the assault he called upon the police authorities for a report of the circumstances, and he found that they very much resembled the account which the noble Lord had given to the House. It appeared that no one had witnessed the assault except those who committed it. The thoroughfare where it occurred was at times crowded, but at the hour when the outrage was committed few persons were usually there. Five police constables were on their respective beats in the neighbourhood, and were totally unaware of the occurrence, until a person went up to one of them and told him that a man was lying in a state of insensibility on the pavement, not far from the monument. The police immediately went to the spot, but found no one there; the fact being that the hon. Member, though seriously injured and partly stunned by the blow, was able to find his way to his hotel; but he had but an imperfect recollection of the circumstances which had occurred. The hon. Gentleman was robbed of his watch, but not of the money which was in his pocket. It appeared that on the same night, in another part of London—in Piccadilly, between St. James's Street and the corner of Bond Street—a similar assault, almost identical in character, was committed on the son of a gentleman connected with the British Museum (Mr. Hawkins), who was robbed of his watch and not of the money he had about him. In this case a police constable was almost on the spot, but did not see the assault, though he was able to render immediate assistance. The injured person was unable to state what had occurred, his mind being in a state of confusion from the suddenness and nature of the assault. It was impossible, of course, for a policeman to be in every spot where a gentleman happened to be assaulted, but in the latter case a policeman was immediately in attendance and afforded relief. An accurate description of the two watches had been given, and he hoped this would lead to the discovery of the robber or robbers. It was not improbable that it was the same person or party who committed both assaults. It was remarkable that in neither case was any attempt made to take away the money of the person assaulted, and this seemed to show that the object was, when nobody happened to be close at hand, to inflict a blow which should stun the victim and then to seize the watch of the person assaulted without staying to rifle the pockets. Directions, however, had been given by the police authorities, and precautions taken, which it was not necessary for him to state, but which he hoped would afford additional security against the perpetration of similar outrages.