§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in reference to the case of Robert Comerford, who was sentenced by magistrates at Belfast in July last to 29 months' imprisonment with hard labour on conviction of an offence which, if committed in England, could not be punished with a longer period than six months' imprisonment, Whether the Government will consider the advisability of extending to Ireland the provisions which make six months' imprisonment the extreme penalty in England for assaults committed on the same occasion; whether, in view of the dissimilarity of the laws in England and Ireland he will advise His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to re-consider the claim on his clemency in Comerford's case; and, whether in England, on conviction of any felony or misdemeanour, a prisoner is ever sentenced by a Judge of Assize to hard labour for a longer period that two years?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)The circumstances of this case have, on a recent occasion, been brought under the notice of the Government. I have also gone carefully into the case, and I find that five assaults were committed on five different occasions, and, in addition, that two rescues were made. Mr. Comerford is a man of bad character, who has undergone 15 previous convictions.
§ MR. M'CARTANasked if the different assaults wore not committed at the same time?
§ COLONEL KING-HARMANNo; they were not. The three assaults were 1274 committed a considerable time apart, and there was something like two months between the three first assaults and the two second ones.