§ MR. LOPES (Grantham)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the home Department whether, when he recently ordered the release of Elizabeth Ireland, who was sentenced in 1879 to penal servitude for life for the wilful murder of George Rolt at Spalding, he also took 1252 into his consideration the case of the two men, Henry Howitt and John Vessey, who were convicted of the same crime?
§ MR. ASQUITHYes; the case of all three persons concerned in the outrage was fully considered; but in advising the release of Elizabeth Ireland on licence I had special regard to the fact that the violence which caused the death of Rolt was inflicted by the men, and not by the woman, and that she had during her punishment been certified to be insane, and had passed nearly three years in Broadmoor. The case of the men referred to will, under ordinary circumstances, come under review again in 1895; but I am not prepared at present to make any recommendation in regard to them.