Two army officers were acquitted by a court martial today of the major charges against them arising from alleged robbery and mistreatment of refugees being transported to Australia for internment on the S.S. Dunera last July.
Sergeant Arthur Helliwell was cleared of three charges of assaulting internees and failing to safeguard an internee from mistreatment. The only remaining charge against him is disobeying the lawful command of a superior officer to provide an internee with blankets and water.
Sergeant-Major Charles Bowles was acquitted of nine charges of stealing and receiving property. He pleaded guilty to two minor charges. Decisions on ten remaining charges against him will be announced later.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.