§ 62. Mr. Willisasked the Secretary of State for War to make a further statement on the reasons why Gunner Francis Jinks was kept in custody for five months before being tried by court-martial at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, on 22nd February, 1955.
§ Mr. F. MacleanThis was a very complicated case of stealing soldiers' mail which involved collecting 51 statements and tracing a large number of postal orders. Another soldier was implicated, and proceedings against him had first to be completedas he was an essential witness in the case of Gunner Jinks. Nevertheless, even under these exceptional circumstances this period seems much too long and I am making a detailed inquiry into the causes of this delay and into the existing machinery for the avoidance of such delays.