MR. KEIR-HARDIE (West Ham, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to a case tried before the Magistrates in the Derby Police Court, on Saturday 3rd June, in which a man named Joseph Walker was sentenced to pay a fine of £5 and costs, or suffer one month's imprisonment, for an alleged act of intimidation in connection with a strike; whether the person alleged to have been assaulted exonerated Walker from all blame; whether four independent witnesses, throe of whom were non-unionists, swore that Walker had no connection with the alleged assault; and whether, in view of these circumstances, he will order the sentence of the Magistrates to be quashed?
§ MR. ASQUITHMy attention has been called to the case referred to by the hon. Member, and from the information I have received it does not appear that the complainant exonerated Walker from all blame; Walker took a prominent part in egging on the crowd, though he did not, it is true, actually put the complainant in the water. The defendant was represented by a solicitor; four witnesses gave evidence for the defence, three of whom stated they were nonunion men, but the Magistrates placed greater faith in the evidence given by the five witnesses called for the prosecution. They thought that unless the defendant with others had followed the complainant as he left work, and appealed to the crowd to call him blackleg, he would have reached home without being molested. 528 The Bench considered the case fully proved, And inflicted a penalty of £5 and costs, or one calendar month's imprisonment, which amount was paid, and no notice of appeal against the decision was given. Under these circumstances, I do not think it is a case in which I can interfere.