Press Council established in 1953 by newspaper proprietors and journalists to prevent the government legislating to control the press by showing that it could responsibly self-regulate, it still fundamen- tally fulfils this role. However, in order to satisfy pressure for press control, it has had to do more. It has issued three declarations on pri- vacy, chequebook journalism and financial journalism. It receives complaints, sending these to the relevant editors. Half the com- plaints go no further. After that, committees sift the complaints and recommend solutions to the full council. Decisions are published. presumption in the law of evidence, certain assumptions either of fact, judicial decision or statute that must be rebutted, that is, con- troverted by evidence, or the assumptions will stand as effective proof. Presumptions in law include: (i) presumption in favour of life;

(ii) presumption of ordinary physical condition; (iii) pater est quem

nuptiae demonstrant, or 'the husband of the woman who has a child is presumed to be the father'; (iv) presumption of innocence in crimi- nal cases and against wrongful acts in civil matters; omnia prae- sumuntur rite et solemniter acta, or 'a presumption in favour of regu- larity and validity'; (v) presumption from business, such as donatio non praesumunitur, 'that against donation'.

Both England and Scotland presume death in certain cases. In England a person is presumed dead if he has not been heard of for seven years. In Scotland, the Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1977 provides that a person may be presumed dead if the court is sat- isfied that he has died or has not been known to be alive for a peri- od of at least seven years.

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Presumptions of fact are really no more than cases where it is rea- sonable and likely that a court will infer a state of affairs from other facts. Thus, a person in possession of recently stolen property may be presumed to be the thief, but this can be rebutted by showing that he had found them and was taking them to the nearest police station when apprehended. The maxim res ipsa loquitur ('the happening speaks for itself'), once treated as a matter of law, is no more than a very strong inference. If an accident happens, caused by something that is under the defender's control and in such a way that, if well operated, it should not have happened, then res ipsa loquitur, 'and the incident is eloquent of negligence.'

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