§ MR. J. DEVLIN (Belfast, W.)To ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether his attention has been called to a case heard on 16th July at Derry Petty Sessions, in which three men were charged with the larceny of a bottle of porter, value 3d., and returned for trial at the Assizes on bail; whether he could state what has been the cost of this prosecution up to the present; and whether, in view of the trivial nature of the case, he will advise that 846 some other method be adopted for dealing with similar cases in future.
(Answered by Mr. Cherry.) The three men referred to were charged with stealing porter, of the estimated value of 3d., from a barrel which was stored in a shed on the quays in Londonderry. The accused did not plead guilty or consent to be dealt with summarily, and therefore the magistrates had no power to deal with the case summarily. The prosecution was at the suit of the Derry Harbour Commissioners, and therefore no expenditure from public funds has been incurred. Persons accused of petty larceny have the right to be tried by a jury if they so elect.