THE SMALL SHIP /SCHOONER THAT KIDNAPPED MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS FROM QUEENSLAND THEY WERE ABORIGINAL FROM THAT AREA NOT ISLANDERS NOT AFRICANS The Daphne: prosecution for piracy The charges of slaving brought against Pritchard and Daggett in the Sydney Water Police Court were dismissed, as was the action to have the Daphne condemned in the Vice-Admiralty Court. A bench that, after some challenge,[40] ultimately comprised Water Police Magistrate Cloete and Mr A Learmonth JP had to determine whether Daggett and Pritchard could be tried under section 9 of the Slave Trade Act 1824 (UK), which made it piracy to carry people - knowingly and wilfully - by sea to another place for the purpose of using them as slaves. At the committal, defence counsel William Bede Dalley had the better of the Crown prosecutor, Richard Windeyer, who had only been briefed the night before.41 Questioning from both concentrated on whether the islanders had willingly boarded the ship, or consented to the ‘re-engagement’ from Queensland
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 06:57:36 +0000