§ Viscount WOLMERasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of Alexander Burger, who was sentenced for felony at the last Southampton Quarter Sessions, having returned to England within two months of having been deported for another offence; and what steps the Government propose taking to put an end to such violations of the law?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe facts of this case are not correctly stated in the question; but it is true that an alien named Alexander Burger came before the Recorder of Southampton at the last Sessions and that he had been previously expelled from this country. He had, indeed, been expelled three times, and was liable to a sentence of imprisonment for twelve months for his repeated contraventions of the Expulsion Order. The Recorder imposed a sentence of one month's imprisonment, and I thought it right to represent to him that such a sentence was calculated to encourage this alien, and others, to return to the United Kingdom after expulsion rather than to deter them. The Recorder courteously put before me the reasons which led him to pass such a light sentence, but I remain of opinion that the imposition of the full penalty provided by the statute in this behalf is the right way to prevent these violations of the law.