HC Deb 10 August 1896 vol 44 cc453-4

As amended, considered.

MR. T. LOUGH (Islington, W.)

apologised for introducing Amendments at this stage; but the Bill had been brought to them from the Lords, and its stages in this House had been taken at such uncanny hours that he hoped the Attorney General would excuse him moving a few Amendments. The Bill was of a very sweeping character. For instance, it provided that— if any person receives, or has in his possession, any property, knowing it to have been stolen outside the United Kingdom, he shall be liable to penal servitude for any term not less than three years and not more than seven years. There were two classes of property which had not been sufficiently considered in drawing this very drastic Bill, and he desired to move, to insert after the word "kingdom" the words "other than warlike spoil or loot." [Laughter.]

*MR. SPEAKER

thought that "loot" was hardly a word to introduce into an Act of Parliament. [Laughter.]

MR. LOUGH

was prepared that his Amendment should end at the word "spoil." If it could be proved that King Prempeh's jewels were stolen, those people who bought them at the recent sale would be liable to three or seven years' imprisonment.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER,) Isle of Wight

wished to treat the hon. Member with all respect, but he would forgive him for saying that he had made an absurd suggestion. [Laughter.] The words of the Bill were exactly the same as those of other Larceny Bills.

MR. T. M. HEALY

said the Bill, as amended by the House of Lords, placed him in a position of great intellectual difficulty. It provided that no person without lawful excuse should receive property knowing it to be stolen. He wanted to know under what conditions one could receive property with lawful excuse knowing it to be stolen? [Laughter.] The Bill had not been drafted with the care for which the House of Lords was so distinguished. He was sure, however, there were Irish landlords who could enter into this question of property knowing it to be stolen with lawful excuse—[laughter]—the question of turbary, and so forth.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Bill read the Third time, and passed, with Amendments.