When the Lord Chief Justice declares, as he did on
Monday, that " once the magistrate [Miss Sybil Campbell] had convicted this woman she was functus officio" more questions than those of law are raised. Gender. gender ! It has been said that Parliament can do anything but turn a woman into a man (or is it vice versa ?). The law, it would appear. can do even that. Apart from such niceties, the case was an odd one. A person was charged before Miss Campbell with knowingly harbouring 262 pairs of American nylon stockings with intent to defraud Her Majesty of the duties thereon. She pleaded guilty, and Miss Campbell sentenced her to four months' imprisonment. Later in the day a solicitor came along and asked that the plea of Guilty should be changed to Not Guilty. The magistrate agreed, and remanded the defendant on bail. The Divisional Court, to which the Customs and Excise authorities appealed against this action, upheld the appeal. -So the case has gone back to Miss Campbell; Miss Campbell has committed the defendant to prison; the prisoner has appealed against the sentence and has again been granted bail till the Sessions.
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