What does "refuse informations" mean?

BottleOfSmoke

I'm reading a newspaper report from 1907, where some men are being prosecuted for stealing turf. The report finishes with this:
"This concluded the evidence, and after consultation, Mr [] announced that the court decided to refuse informations."

A bit of searching shows me other old cases with same, but I can't find a layman's explanation - could anyone help explain it for me?

nuac

O'Connor's Justice of the Peace is your only man - about 1910.

Procedure survived into Free State times.

In certain cases District Justice took evidence on deposition.

If following legal submission prima facie case deemed not to have been made out District Justice refused informations

whomitconcerns

Ie no case to answer

BottleOfSmoke

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Ie no case to answer

Thanks! I must admit I didn't follow Nuac's explanation, but thanks to you both for your time.

Peregrinus

it was an old procedure in which, when prosecuting a serious offence, the prosecution authorities had to start by satisfying a Magistrate (in British times)/a District Justice (in the Free State) that the accused had a case to answer. They'd present evidence to a magistrate who would agree "yes, there's a case to answer here" and send the evidence off to a higher court to try the accused. If they couldn't get over that initial hurdle - if the Magistrate "refused informations", in the jargon - the prosecution went no further (unless the magistrate's refusal was successfully appealed to a higher court). If they could, then the charge would be tried in the higher courts.

BottleOfSmoke

Peregrinus wrote: »

it was an old procedure in which, when prosecuting a serious offence, the prosecution authorities had to start by satisfying a Magistrate (in British times)/a District Justice (in the Free State) that the accused had a case to answer. They'd present evidence to a magistrate who would agree "yes, there's a case to answer here" and send the evidence off to a higher court to try the accused. If they couldn't get over that initial hurdle - if the Magistrate "refused informations", in the jargon - the prosecution went no further (unless the magistrate's refusal was successfully appealed to a higher court). If they could, then the charge would be tried in the higher courts.

Many thanks, that's very clear.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

NUTLEY BOY

Was this process what was once quaintly called the "laying of an information".