Description
David Marshall became Singapore's Ambassador to France in 1978. His appointment brought to an end a remarkable legal career of more than 40 years. For most of that time Marshall, as a criminal defence lawyer, dominated the courts of Singapore and those States which now form the kingdom of Malaysia. Marshall defended many persons charged with murder and succeeded in saving many of them from taking that last short walk to the gallows. He fought for their lives with fierce sincerity. On principle he has always opposed hanging, pleading it is uncivilized and not a proved deterrent.
Marshall was more than a brilliant, tough lawyer. For a short while he was also a politician. In 1955 he became Singapore's first elected Chief Minister. This book dwells not at all on David Marshall's political activities, but concentrates entirely upon some of the more sensational trials in which he was involved. There is, as well, a brief description of Marshall the man (an emotional, friendly person without enemies), and, in the Introduction, a short explanation of how English law was brought to Singapore by Raffles, and why it has remained the basic legal code. ISBN:9789971651114
