Fire Inquests Act 1861 No 7a (NSW)

No. X.

An Act to empower Coroners to hold Inquests

concerning Fires. [10th April, 1861.]

WHEREAS it is expedient to empower the Coroners of this Colony to inquire into the cause and origin of Fires by which property	may be destroyed Be it enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent
Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of New South Wales in Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same as follows :—
1. When any property real or personal shall be destroyed or damaged by fire the Coroner having or exercising jurisdiction at or

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in t h e place where such fire shall have happened shall if he shal l consider it a fit case for so doing m a k e an Inqu is i t ion in to t h e cause and origin of such fire.

2. I f upon any such Inqu i s i t i on t he Coroner ' s J u r y shall find

tha t any person has wilfully set on fire any such p roper ty as aforesaid it shall he lawful for t he Coroner in any case in which an indic table offence has thereby been commit ted to exercise t he l ike au thor i ty in respect to his apprehens ion examinat ion bai l commi t t a l or otherwise

as in t h e case of persons charged wi th m u r d e r or mans laugh te r .

3 . The mode of procedure in t h e summoning of j u ro r s and
witnesses a n d otherwise shall be the same u p o n Inques t s held by

v i r tue of th is Ac t as upon I n q u e s t s in cases of dea th and all laws

applicable to I n q u e s t s in cases of dea th and to t he quash ing	thereof
for sufficient	cause by the proper officer or jur i sd ic t ion in th is behalf

shall ex tend and apply to I nques t s held by v i r tue of th i s Act .