Several weeks ago I gave a talk at the Hawkesbury family History Group meeting on Scandals and crimes. As I undertook some research on the topic I thought I could share some of the results with listers over the next few weeks, some of those mentioned may be connected to your family research? Michelle Nichols <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Lucida Sans"; panose-1:2 11 6 2 3 5 4 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.s8, li.s8, div.s8 {mso-style-name:s8; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> On the 22nd November 1826, "Catharine Connor was indicted for perjury "committed before the Bench of Magistrates at Windsor" A charge of rape against Catherine Connor by John Connelly was under investigation when the truth came out. The perjury case was then tried at the Supreme Court. "It appeared in evidence, that a man named Connolly, was government servant to the husband of the prisoner, and that he (the husband), for a considerable time, suspected an improper intercourse between her and the man Connolly. On a particular day, however, Connolly obtained from his master a pass to proceed to Parramatta, and shortly after his departure the prisoner also left her home, which circumstance arousing the suspicions of her husband, he proceeded after the parties, and detected them together in the bush, at some distance on the Windsor-road. The prisoner, on seeing her husband approach, in order to screen herself, raised an outcry that Connolly had forced her off the road, and had committed a rape on her person, and on this charge he was subsequently brought before the Bench at Windsor. The prisoner there swore positively that Connolly not only forced her against her will on the occasion, but also that she never, at any other time had met him by appointment, nor allowed him to take any liberties whatever with her. A number of witnesses, however, were examined, who positively swore to the most disgraceful scenes having taken place, for months before between the parties, in consequence of which the Magistrates thought proper to dismiss the charge against Connolly, and to indict the prisoner for perjury. The trial lasted for six hours, during which a series of appointments between the prisoner and Connolly were unequivocally established by several witnesses, a number of whom also deposed to having seen them in situations which left no doubt whatever of a criminal intercourse having subsisted tor a length of time previous to the investigation before the Magistrates." Guilty-Remanded for sentence. Sydney Gazette Saturday 25 November 1826 p. 3