asked the Minister for Justice whether he is aware that a young man named James Sefton, Mill Street, Trim, was arrested on January 7th, 1926, and detained for seven days on suspicion of having taken part in an armed raid at Dunderry; that he was acquitted at the end of the seven days by District Justice Goff; whether he is aware that, as a result, Mr. Sefton, who was on his way to Queensland, missed the boat sailing from Tilbury Docks on 9th January, 1926, and that he was at a loss of a considerable sum of money, and whether he will consider compensating him.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - A TRIM ARREST.
James Sefton was arrested on a reasonable suspicion of having committed a felony, namely, armed robbery, and was duly remanded in custody by a Peace Commissioner to a District Court. The period of remand was seven days. When the case came before the Justice of the District Court, he refused informations and Sefton was discharged. It is not proposed to compensate Sefton.
Is a citizen of Saorstát Eireann, who is about to leave the country in order to better himself in a foreign State, not to be protected against information being given to the authorities of this State by persons who may, in a sense, be biased against him or have some spite against him, which they want to operate at a moment when it is very detrimental to the subject?
It may sometimes be necessary to arrest citizens of Saorstát Eireann about to leave the country, having bettered themselves in this State by questionable methods.
Would the Minister say if it would not be proper or just to produce the people who, it is alleged, gave information which led to the arrest of Mr. Sefton and make them prove the evidence they submitted?
Has a Peace Commissioner the power to return a man in custody without evidence?
Yes.
It is well to keep clear of them then.
This is a matter of great public importance and I would like to stress it. I should like the Minister to be a little more explicit.
He is explicit enough.
Let us assume that one man has an ill-feeling against another and he sees that there is an opportunity of doing that man very serious harm; let us assume, as in the case of Sefton, that the man was leaving the country to go to Queensland and that the information was given two hours before he left his native town—should that information be sufficient to detain that man so that he would lose his passage and the money that he has expended to enable him to travel to Queensland. Will the Minister say if it is proper and right that people who give information on those lines should not be produced? The Gárda Síochaná state they got information from certain persons. Why are these people not produced?