The Case of the Defaulting Bank Accountant (Conclusion)

The accused would have “signed a paper to the effect that he had murdered his wife, if asked to do so, he was in such a state of mental imbecility.”–Dr. Trimble.

I’m taking this long to tell the story of George Cruickshank being charged with stealing $5000 in American gold coin from the safe of the bank where he was employed as accountant because of the story’s curious twists.

And the fact that from the start his lawyer R.B. Ring raised the issue of Cruickshank’s mental state at the time of the alleged theft, in 1863, and his signing a confession in 1865. This was almost virgin ground for colonial Victoria. Insanity was a rare defence in criminal trials, one not to be applied frivolously before the reserved magistrates in an age when criminal sentences were often harsh.

We’ve seen how Cruickshank signed a notarized confession to the theft then, upon being formally charged, recanted in a second statement. Which is where we left off, with Att.-Gen. George Cary prosecuting for the Crown and D.B. Ring acting as Cruickshank’s defence counsel before Chief Justice David Cameron.

Cary wanted to produce the first statement in court; Ring objected, insisting that Cruickshank’s mental state at the time of signing be established, and citing two precedents.

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