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On this week in... 1903

More fool than rogue

On 21 April 1903, William Small was tried at the Perth Supreme Court for bribery with corruption after he tried to bribe the police to turn a blind eye to several Chinese gambling houses operating in Perth. Small had told Police Detective Kavanagh that he would pay him a pound a week on behalf of the Chinese merchants in charge of the lotteries if Kavanagh let him know in advance when a police raid was planned. After Kavanagh refused the bribe, Small subsequently increased the offer to a fee of one hundred pounds a year. Small’s defense counsel offered no evidence, but stated it was clear from the testimony that his client was ‘more fool than rogue’, with little conception of the seriousness of his actions. Small was found guilty and sentenced to three months hard labour.

This trial report is from The West Australian

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