§ MR. BIGGARasked Mr. Solicitor General for Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the language used by Mr. Peter O'Brien, Q.C., Crown Prosecutor for Green Street, to Dr. Boyd, Q.C., during the Barbavilla Murder trial; whether he observed that Mr. Peter O'Brien, while withdrawing the observation complained of at the direction of the Chief Justice, refused to apologise; and, whether the Government will continue him in his office under the Crown?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. WALKER)Sir, I saw 855 at the time, in the public Press, the report of the proceedings in Green Street Court-house, that during the hearing of the Barbavilla murder cases, Mr. P. O'Brien and Dr. Boyd, having both lost their tempers—an infirmity from which lawyers are not exempt—Mr. O'Brien, in an under tone, made some observation to Dr. Boyd. Dr. Boyd called the attention of the Lord Chief Justice to the observation, and Mr. O'Brien apologized for using the expression in the presence of the Court, but declined to apologize to Dr. Boyd. I may add that both gentlemen are now excellent friends again, and the Government have no intention of interfering with Mr. O'Brien's office.
§ MR. BIGGARasked whether the attention of the hon. and learned Gentleman had been called to the fact that Mr. O'Brien had also used a very coarse epithet in reference to Judge Johnson, and whether the use of that epithet did not justify his removal from the position he held?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. WALKER)My attention has been called to that circumstance by an observation of the hon. Member for Sligo (Mr. Sexton) in debate, and I am in a position to give it a complete contradiction.