§ 50. Mr. Fellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the sentence imposed on Alice May Drury, a prisoner in Holloway prison.
§ Mr. VosperMy right hon. Friend has carefully considered this case in the light of the representations made to him by my hon. Friend. His conclusion is that he would not be justified in recommending any interference with the sentence which the court thought it right to impose and with which the Court of Criminal Appeal found no reason to disagree.
§ Mr. FellDoes my right hon. Friend realise that before putting this Question down I gave it much thought because it might set a bad precedent if every hon. 1757 Member put down Questions concerning every prisoner. On the other hand, in this case there are somewhat extraordinary circumstances. It was described as "a most tragic case" when it came up before the judge. Many counsel were of the view that the sentence imposed might well not have exceeded two or three months, whereas the sentence which was imposed was two years. Because this unfortunate middle-aged woman, who had never committed any crime before, was advised to appeal, she lost 63 days remission. Although I have the greatest respect for my right hon. Friend's right hon. Friend's judgment, I would nevertheless ask my right hon. Friend whether he will appeal to his right hon. Friend as to whether he will temper his judgment with mercy in this case. I appeal to him sincerely, particularly in view of the fact—[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] This is a personal case.
§ Mr. SpeakerI appreciate that, but the question is rather long. Perhaps the hon. Member will bring it to an end.
§ Mr. FellIf I may humbly beg you on this occasion, I have heard a number of personal cases raised in this House and, owing to the fact that they are personal cases, I have always thought there was some latitude allowed. It is very difficult to convey the circumstances of a personal case of this nature to the House unless one tells the facts of the case.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member will bear in mind that one of the objects of Questions is not the giving of information. That is not what they are for.
§ Mr. FellI apologise to you, Mr. Speaker, and to the House, for keeping you in this instance. I would merely ask my right hon. Friend to ask his right hon. Friend if he will please reconsider this case. If he wants any further information I shall be glad to see him about it.
§ Mr. VosperI agree with my hon. Friend that this is a particularly tragic case. No additional information has come before my right hon. Friend which was not before the court or the Court of Criminal Appeal and there is, therefore, no basis on which my right hon. Friend 1758 can intervene. Nor has he any discretionary power to reverse a decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal about the time spent as an appellant. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to accede to my hon. Friend's request.
§ Mr. FellAs my right hon. Friend has already told me he has discretionary powers in this case but does not feel that he can exercise them, the answer I have been given is wrong. I give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the first opportunity.