Commonwealth of Pa. v. Ariff

Opinion by

Gawthrop, J.,

Defendant was indicted for arson, and for setting fire to a building with intent to defraud an insurance company. By direction of the trial judge he was acquitted on the arson bill. This appeal is from a sentence following a conviction on the other bill.

The sole question presented for review is whether the instructions of the trial judge on reasonable doubt were harmfully erroneous.

On this subject the trial judge said to the jury near the beginning of the charge: “Every defendant is entitled to the benefit of a reasonable doubt. A reasonable doubt is a doubt founded in…