Pardon’ For Wilkinson

Queer Features of Extraordinary Judicial Tangle in Papua

FOLLOWING the publication of a ' statement on the Wilkinson- Bock case, of Papua, issued to le Australian Territories Minister, “wspapers and Parliamentarians, 7 the Editor of the Pacific Islands hnthly, the Papua-New Guinea dministrator, Colonel Murray, inounced on November 23 that he ad decided to grant a pardon to ancelot H. Wilkinson, who would ; released from gaol on December !.

This decision makes confusion orse confounded. If the circumances entitle Wilkinson to a irdon, why keep him in gaol until ecember 22?

Virtually, the Administrator says: : consider the 18 months’ imprisonlent imposed on Wilkinson exissive, and I accordingly reduce ,s sentence from 18 to four onths.”

The point at issue is not the verity of the sentence but hether, in view of the sharp conict of opinion by two Supreme Durt judges, Wilkinson is guilty ’ all- Two men were charged with the me crime. One judge said Wilkinn was guilty. Another judge said Dck was innocent. One of them is rong. The chances are even that ie judge in error was the judge 10 dealt with Wilkinson.

Therefore, the chances are 50 in

100 that Wilkinson is innocent, and is being wrongly held in gaol.

Why has Administrator Murray been so dainty and legalistic in his handling of this case? Why could he not show some robustness of judgment and, as soon as Judge Kelly found Bock innocent, have released Wilkinson from gaol, and ordered an inquiry into the whole judicial muddle?

Why, above all, could he not give some official attention to Judge Bignold, who, by the severity of the sentence he imposed on Wilkinson, and the extraordinary situation he created by causing the brothers Champion to be charged with contempt of Court, directs attention to a judical system that does merit some official concern?

Surely the Administrator does not imagine that this extraordinary case will end with his so-called “clemency.” If Wilkinson and his friends insist that Wilkinson is innocent (in other words, that Judge Kelly is right), then they will take steps at once to establish his innocence, and collect a large sum from the Administration for wrong ful imprisonment, To serve justice, and to resist the indifference and sloth of some high officials (who would like the case to be forgotten) we shall re-state what (Ve believe to be the facts of this, the Wilkinson-Bock Affair.