§ 82. Mr. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the events both inside and outside Pentonville Prison, connected with the execution of Ronald Marwood.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerAt about 9.30 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, 7th May, a number of prisoners in Pentonville began to demonstrate noisily. A few broke furniture and windows and some threw lighted pieces of paper out of the window. The cells of those prisoners who were engaged in breaking furniture were cleared of their contents, force being necessary to achieve this in six cases. One prisoner was removed to a strong cell. By 11.30 p.m. the prison was quiet, and remained so on the following day.
I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that a crowd collected outside the prison late on the evening of 7th May. There was no untoward incident and conditions returned to normal at about midnight. On the morning of 8th May people began to assemble outside the prison at 7.30 a.m. and by 9 a.m. a crowd of about 1,500 had gathered, including a small number of people carrying placards, and many representatives of the press and photographers. Police were engaged mainly in preventing obstruction of the highway. Two men were arrested, one being charged with being drunk and disorderly and the other with wilfully obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty. One man had to be 173W removed from the crowd because of his uncontrolled behaviour, but no charge was made against him.