London, Dec, 17, The difference between a riot at common law and the much more serious one under the Riot Act of 1716 was explained in the case for the prosecution at the Lewes Assizes to-day.
The occasion was the trial of Sir Oswald 'Mosley, Bart, head of the British Union of Fascists, and three others on a charge of riotous assem! arising from scenes and incident following a Fascist meeting at Worthing on October 9, when 20 persons were injured in' clashes between Black Shirts and their opponents, Sir Oswald and his fellow accused were charged with having taken part in a riot at common law.
Witnesses for the prosecution alleged that Sir Oswald and the other accused struck them and that they adopted a defiant and. pugnacious attitude, Evidence was then given that women Black Shists were among Sir Oswald's followers. behalf of the defence, Sir Patrick Hastings, K.C., said a series of fights occurred and that songs Jagainst Sir Oswald Mosley were sung the crowd. "There was a regular schemozzle, in fact," he added, and several witnesses agreed, The three men charged with Sir Oswald Mosley are Mr, William Joyce, director of Fascist propaganda; Captain Bentinck Budd, a Black Shirt officer for West Sussex; and Mr. Bernard Mullans. All. four, who appeared at the Worthing Police Court on November 15, were committed for trial, bail in the sum of £100 being allowed Sir Oswald and of £50 in the ease of each of the others—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.