CORROSIVE SUBSTANCES BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

Mr Butterfield: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, this Bill is designed to provide specifically for a most aggravated type of assault - that is, acid throwing. It is, Sir, a type of assault which all must regard as of a most cowardly and revolting kind and one which merits severe punishment. So, Sir, what this Bill seeks to do is to create certain offences relating to the throwing of acid and to provide penalties for those offences.

First of all, Sir, and I am now referring to clause 3, the Bill seeks to make it an offence to carry any corrosive substance in circumstances which raise a reasonable presumption that the corrosive substance is to be used for the purpose of causing hurt. The penalty prescribed for that offence by clause 3 is a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years.

The second offence which the Bill seeks to create, Sir, and I now have in mind the provisions of clause 4, is the actual or attempted use of a corrosive substance for the purpose of causing hurt; and the punishment prescribed for that offence is a term of imprisonment which may extend to imprisonment for life. The clause also prescribes that the convicted person shall also be liable to whipping.

Sir, the Bill also seeks to create two further offences which are connected very closely with the two offences to which I have referred. They are the offences of consorting with, or being in the company of another committing one or other of the offences referred to in clauses 3 and 4. The consorting, Sir, must be in circumstances which raise a reasonable presumption that the person consorting intends to act, or has acted, with that other person in the commission of one of those offences to which I have already referred. In such cases, Sir, the person consorting will be liable to the same punishment as the person with whom he has consorted.

There are two other provisions, Sir, of the Bill to which I would wish to refer, and I refer to the provisions of clauses 6 and 7. Clause 6, Sir, is designed to confer wide powers of search on any police officer who has reason to believe that an offence under the Ordinance - and I refer now to the words of the clause - "has been, is being, or is likely to be committed."

The provision of clause 7, Sir, relates to statements made by accused persons. That clause provides that a statement made by any person charged with an offence under the Ordinance to any police officer of or above the rank of Inspector, shall be admissible in evidence provided that it has not been induced by any threat or improper inducement, and that the accused has been cautioned at the earliest possible time.

Members may wish to notice, Sir, that it is expressly provided by the Bill that a person accused of an offence under the Ordinance shall not be obliged to answer any questions at all.

As I said a few moments ago, Sir, the type of offence dealt with by this Bill is a most cowardly one, and I therefore ask this House to accept this Bill as a proper measure to deal with offences of that kind.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time.

Mr Speaker: Committee stage, what day?

Mr Butterfield: 12th October, Sir.