Star.
London, England, 1825-01-15 00:00:00

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COURT OF KING'S BRNCH; JANi . t
tUaLICAtION Ott POLICE fiI&ORTS•
- btigCA N V. ?RENO ANL/ 04146R5.
This Was an action against the-Morning 4diireiatii
sinrilar to that brought tome time since against another
Morning Paper, fdr publishing a report of proceedings •
in 13 rw-street Police Office, in which the plaintiff, a so-
licitor before the Com t of Chancel y, was charged with
an indecent assault 'von a young girl.
Mr. Arronsat-GerreeAo—The plaintiff, a young
man, brought this action to vindicate his character,
and to obte.iir damages for a libel of the grossest na..
me. Character' was of peculiarvalue to a solicitor.
The defendants were printer, raihlisher, and propriettir
of the Morning Atbertiser. The public press was a
most poe erful engine either for good or evil. The
proprietor, unless he gave up his author, was as re-
sponsible as if he were the author. The libel consisted
of a prole.sed report horn Bo— -street. It had been
decided over and over again, that if any libellous re-
flection tierm an individual appeared in such report, the
party was amenable to the law. The libel began " Bow-
street—a scene of deprar i y." (The Learned Gentleman
read ail the particulars of
sthe charge of attempted
rape upon Ann Chandler, a girl of 13 years of age,
whose mother lived in Middlesex-street, Somers' Town.
The plaintiff was stated to have denied the greatest
part, to have pleaded intoxication, and to have given
bail for 2001.)—This publication made no mention of
' the plaintiff's name, but the publication of the 16th
of July did mention his name. If a justification had
been pleaded, every part of this would be proved to
be false. Money could not repair wounded honour, but
the amount of money was the only evidence of the opi-
nion entertained by aJury of the injury done to character.
Evidence having been examined to prove Mr. Dun-
can's respectability, and the publication of the libel,
Mr. BROUGHAM addressed the Jury.—lt was very
evident why evidence was not given more fully upon
the point just decided. Plaintiff durst not call any
clerk of Duncan's, or any person who could disclose the
truth of this action. The alleged libel was as true and
correct as decency permitted. In another action a jus-
tification was entered, and therefore the plaintiff had
no intention in this world to bring, it to trial. Because
no justification was entered here, the plaintiff hoped to
get a verdict and to pocket the costs of the action. He
agreed as to the evils of the press when wielded by
impure hands, or directed by malice and falsehood.
Scourge was not too strong a word, when,perveited to
purposes of private spite, to hold up virtuous charac-
ters in colours that do not belong to them. But was
this case of such a description ? This man of pure
character, who could never excite a blush in the face
of innocence, " the defendant, denied the greater part
of the charge, but admitted that be might have been a
little imprudent. He was a little elevated with wine."
In the morning ? If he regarded character, if he re-
garded his damages; his damages as his own client, his
costs as his own attorney, could anything be more im-
portant, could anything be easier than to prove all this
a fiction P But there was internal evidence of the truth.
There was internal proof that there was no malice. At
first no name appeared : nor till matters assumed a
permanent shape, and parties were bound over to pro-
secute—then the name was given; but not one observa•
tion upon the charge, either one way or other. Naw
he would advert to police reporting, a subject of the
utmost importance and delicacy. At the time of this
publication, there was a general, an almost universal
belief, that there was a right to publish proceedings in
a public police office. In consequence of proceedings
brought by this plaintiff, the question came before the
Cow t of King's Bench on the pleadings in the action
against the Morning Herald. So far as he understood
it, the decision of the Court was unfavourable to pub-
lication. But it was a question of great difficulty ;it
had not before been so decided, and an opinion_ pre-
vailed that the Reporter, as one of the public, had a
right to publish the proceedings. This opinion was
generally entertained in Westminster Hall. When this
publication took place, no such decision of the Court
was given or anticipated. With all due deference to
that decision, given after much consideration, he would
take leave to say, that, notwithstanding the public
were enlightened by the decision of the Court, and the
grounds of it, their opinion of the usefulness of the
publication of police reports was not only not changed,
but it was rather strengthened. Still it was the opi-
nion of many in Westminster Hall, that such publica-
tion was legal as well as salutary. The decision of
their Lordships too was in course of being brought
under the review of a higher tribunal. In conclusion,
he begged the Jury to keep constantly in mind 'that
this action was brought by the plaintiff in preference
to one in which a justification was pleaded: that it was
one of many actions in which he was his own attorney ;
and that there was no malice, no falsehood, no -misre-
presentation, on the part of the defendants. •
The Loeb Cuter JUSTICE summed up.—When no
justification was pleaded, it was admission that the
matter of the libel was not true. Tire defendants
might have pleaded that the statement was true, or
they might have pleaded that it was a correct report
of prriceedings at Bow-street, which was a very dif-
ferent plea. It was scarcely contended for the defendant
that the verdict must not
.go against him. The da-
mages scene for the Jury. He would say, as on all other
occasions, let their verdict satisfy the public that it was
unbiassed, moderate, and temperate.
The Jury turned round for five minutes, and then
returned their verdict for the defendants.
oox v. KEAN.
Some discussion occurred respecting the place this
cause should occupy in the paper, in respect to the con-
venience of Mr. SCARLET?, who was indisposed with a
severe cold. At length it was agreed that it shall stand
at the bottom of the paper, for this day (Saturday), so
that probably it will not be tried before Monday.

MA RUM—Thursday, at Homey Church, the Rev. Dr. Ma.
noel, of the Scots Church, Loodou.wall, to Miss Perram, of Stoke
Newington-road. ____

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