HC Deb 22 March 1922 vol 152 cc447-8
38. Mr. RAPER

asked the Attorney-General whether it is now proposed to take steps to repeal the law by which wives charged jointly with their husbands with certain criminal offences are presumed to have acted under the coercion of their husbands, and by which juries are compelled to find a verdict of not guilty?

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Sir Ernest Pollock)

The question whether any, and if so what, alteration in the law is desirable deserves and will receive careful consideration. The Lord Chancellor proposes, after consultation with me, to set up a small but highly expert Committee to make a Report to him on the subject as a whole. The decision as to whether any alteration should be made will not be taken until such a Report has been received.