ABSTRACT
Mr. ATHERLEY-JONES, Member for the North-Western Division of the County of Durham, rose in his place and asked leave to move the adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance – namely, the circumstances connected with the arrest of Miss Cass in Regent Street. The House of Commons debate on 5 July 1887 on the case of Miss Cass arrested for soliciting in Regent Street by Police Constable Endacott on Jubilee night 1887 was one of those rare occasions when the Government lost the vote. Miss Cass had not been convicted but the stipendiary magistrate, Newton, in discharging her had clearly indicated his disbelief in her innocence. Because there had been no finding of guilt, Miss Cass had no avenue of appeal through the courts and, at the time, there was no established system of independent investigation of complaints against police officers.
