Month for Assault – Boiling Water over Crippled Soldier

November 1921

Mexborough, and Swinton Times, November 12

A Month for Assault.

Boiling Water over Crippled Soldier

On Tuesday, at Doncaster, George Murray, a miner, of Conisborough, was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm upon a crippled soldier, Fred Frank by pouring a kettle full of boiling water over him.

The case had been remanded for a week, owing to the condition of the prosecutor. The allegation against Murray was that in addition to pouring over Frank the scalding water he also bit off the end of his left thumb.

Evidence of the injuries was given by Dr Ford, who said he was called to him on the afternoon of October 29.He found him suffering from large scalds on the shoulder, abdomen, and left forearm. His left thumb nail, and the fleshy part of that member had been taken off.

Frank told of Bench said he was discharged soldier, and had lost a leg in the war. He was now employed as a lamp man at Cadeby Colliery. On the afternoon of 29 October he returned to his lodgings, at 4 Edlington Street, New Conisborough, where he lived with the prisoner’s mother, and there was some unpleasantness with Elsie Sutton, Mrs Murray’s married daughter, and she picked up a poker

While he was trying to get away from her, Mrs Murray went between them and fell to the floor. Witness, dropped onto the couch and prisoner came in and asked who had done that, upon seeing his mother on the floor. Witness replied “not me.”

Prisoner then took up a kettle full of boiling water, and poured it over him. They struggled on the floor, and prisoner bit his left thumb and off, witness retaliated by biting his nose.

In conclusion, the witness said he was sorry it had happened; they have been the best of friends all the way through.

Prisoner: What did you say when I asked you who had done it? – Frank: not me.

What language did you come out with? – None.

How much beer had you had? – I had had whisky not beer – three of four glasses.

Who knocked my mother down? – She fell down in the struggle. I never put my hands on her.

PC Weatherill said he was called to the house about 4 p.m. and saw the prisoner, who made a voluntary statement to him, in which he admitted scalding and biting the prosecutor, and alleged that the latter called him a foul name. He also said that his little sister had been and told him that Frank had hit his mother.

He had found out that Frank had not struck his mother, but that his sister Elsie had knocked her down. When witness saw Frank in bed he said he ought to be up soon, and asked him not to lock Murray up.

When charged, prisoner replied, “I deserve locking up for a fortnight for interfering. He said he had had some drink.

After a consultation with his colleagues on the Bench, Mr J Brocklesby, the Chairman, said it was quite evident there had been some provocation, and they had decided to replace the charge to one of common assault, so they could deal with the case.

Prisoner would have to go to prison for a month, with hard Labour.

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