§ Mr. BELLOCasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention had been called to the fact that, after the trial of Veltheim, evidence was put in by the police against the prisoner which had no relation to the trial, which the prisoner had no opportunity of meeting or rebutting, and which was peculiarly calculated to influence the case; and whether, seeing that an appeal was not then available to the prisoner, he would reconsider the matter?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Gladstone)It is the ordinary and proper practice, after conviction and before the passing of sentence, for a statement to be made to the judge as to the history und character of the prisoner. This was done in Von Veltheim's case, and he was allowed the opportunity, of which he fully availed himself, of answering the statement. I regret that I can find no grounds that would justify my re-opening the case.