§ 93. Mr. Binnsasked the Secretary of State for War whether he has now reviewed cases of prisoners of war who have been sentenced for consorting with British women; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BellengerI have examined the proceedings of 27 military courts which awarded sentences of imprisonment or detention to prisoners of war for establishing relations of an amorous nature with members of the public. It is no longer an offence for prisoners of war to establish such relations but in a few cases there are additional circumstances of which I must take a serious view. Where the case involves a prisoner of war of good character and his charge is solely connected with amorous conduct, I have remitted the balance of the sentence. This has been done in some 20 cases. In three other cases in which the conduct of the men concerned has been unsatisfactory in other respects, I have suspended but not remitted the sentences. There remain four cases in which I am not prepared to take any such action as the prisoners of war concerned are involved in charges of a far more serious nature.