The trial judge charged the jury as follows: “There is a law it is your duty to apply in this case as you do in all criminal cases. It is your duty to scrutinize the evidence of defendant before accepting his evidence as true. The reason for that is, the law is founded upon human experience and common sense. The law recognizes that human nature is weak and subject to temptations, and, therefore, the law presumes that when a man is being tried for crime he is laboring under the temptation to do whatever he thinks is necessary to clear himself. For that reason the law makes it your duty to scrutinize the evidence of defendant before accepting his testimony as true.”
The defendant excepted to the foregoing instruction. Such exception is sustained upon authority of S. v. Ray, 195 N. C., 619, 143 S. E., 143. In that case the Court said: “It has been held in a number of cases that where a defendant, in the trial of a criminal prosecution, testifies in his own behalf, it is error for the trial court to instruct the jury to scrutinize his testimony and to receive it with grains of allowance, because of his interest in the verdict, without adding that if they find the witness worthy of belief they should give as full credit to his testimony as any other witness, notwithstanding his interest.”
New trial.
ScheNCK, J., took no part in the consideration or decision of this case.