§ MR. JORDAN (Fermanagh, S.)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland if he is aware that District Inspector Murnane, of Lisnaskea, when recently conducting cases for the Crown at the petty sessions in Lisbellaw, county Fermanagh, said to the Court before they decided the case under consideration that unless they gave judgment as he sought he would have a case stated for the King's Bench, Dublin; and, if so, whether this interference with the magistrates in the discharge of their duty received his sanction.
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON,) Londonderry, N.District Inspector Murnane reports that he did not recently, or on any occasion, use the language attributed to him, or any language of the like purport or effect. The district inspector, however, states that in a recent prosecution against a publican named McCreery for selling liquor to a drunken person, after the 132 justices, of whom the hon. Member was one, had erroneously dismissed the case on the grounds that the publican was not at the time of sale aware of the drunkenness of the customer, and not before that decision was given, he, the district inspector, served notices upon the justices requiring them to state a case to have this most important legal point determined. Eight of the eleven justices who heard the case did their duty and stated a case. I believe the hon. Member refused to do so. I entirely approve of the action of the district inspector as reported by him to me.