HC Deb 05 May 1890 vol 344 cc150-1
DR. TANNER

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has been informed, in connection with the recent trial of Captain Rye, D.L., that Constable Noonan, of Castlemore Police Barrack, Crookstown, County Cork, employed a farmer named William M'Carthy, of Crookstown, on Sunday, 16th March, to send his car to convey Jeremiah Corcoran to Farrar Court, on the 18th March last, to enable him, being wounded and unable otherwise to travel, to give evidence in the case of the "Queen v. Eye"; whether the police were requested by one or several gentlemen of position not to press Corcoran to go and give evidence before the Court, the case having been settled, and whether Constable Noonan is correctly reported to have told the car-owner, on the 17th March, that the car would not be required to take Corcoran to Court; whether District Inspector St. George was informed by the men under his command that a settlement of the case had been concluded; and whether Mr. St. George first visited Captain Eye, accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding his tenant Corcoran, prior to calling on the wounded man?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The Constabulary Authorities report that it is the case that the constable engaged a car to convey the man to Petty Sessions. No such request as that alleged in the second paragraph was made to the police. The reason for countermanding the order for the car was that the man had subsequently caused the police to be informed that he was not in a condition to attend the Court, and forwarded a medical certificate to that effect. The reply to the inquiry in the third paragraph is in the negative; to that in the fourth paragraph in the affirmative.