§ MR. HEALY (for Mr. SEXTON)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If Mr. J. A. Byrne, a Divisional Police Magistrate in Dublin, recently committed a young man named Bennett, the son of a magistrate in the South of Ireland, to stand his trial before the Commission Court; whether, after the committal had been pronounced, and the Press had left the court, Mr. Byrne again took up the case, re-opened it, cancelled the committal, and dealt with the case by summary judgment; and, what is the explanation of this proceeding, and whether any notice will be taken of it?
§ MR. TREVELYAN, in reply, said, that a young man named Bennett was charged before Mr. Byrne in Dublin Police Court, and committed for trial, bail being refused. Subsequently his counsel put in a plea of guilty. The magistrate in his discretion accepted the plea, and sentenced the prisoner to two months' imprisonment, which he considered ample. The magistrate is not aware whether reporters were present or not. Nothing occurred, at all events on his part, to prevent publicity; and, as a matter of fact, the conviction on the plea of guilty appeared at least in one of the Dublin papers. There did not appear to be anything in the transaction calling for further notice.