Yorkshire Evening Post, Wednesday December 8th 1943
Not Guilty of Murder or Manslaughter of Father
After an absence of 20 minutes jury at the Assizes in Leeds today found a Conisborough youth not guilty of charges of murder and manslaughter concerning the death of his father. He was discharged. The youth John Pickering (17), haulage hand, Conisborough, near Doncaster. His father was John Pickering, alias Fred Pickering. Mr. Justice Stable, hearing the verdict, said: “It Is a perfectly right and proper verdict on the evidence.” To the accused the Judge said: It may be of consolation to you to reflect that as it turned out, you only shortened your father’s life a matter of two or three months. Mr. G. H. B. Streatfeild, K.C., prosecuting, said Mrs. Pickering, mother of the accused, was a widow when she married Fred Pickering, and had a daughter, Minnie Cope, aged 25. Fred Pickering had been much addicted to drink. He used to assault his wife and step-daughter; it was because of his violence when in drink that this tragedy came about.
Family Quarrel
On the afternoon of October 26th, he was very drunk. He went out again, and returned at 10.20. He was then, according to Mrs. Pickering, “in a terrible condition.” He talked about Sydney Thorpe, with whom Minnie Cope was keeping company, and alleged that was trying to evade military service. Accused was due shortly to Join the R.A.F. Fred Pickering said that if the accused went to the R.A.F. the girl would have to leave the house also. The stepfather went to her bedroom and struck her in the face, and when she tried to strike back, got her on the bed, and held her by the throat. Accused got chopper or axe, concealed it under his pullover, going to where his father and step-sister were, and struck his father on the head. While on the floor accused gave his father two or three more blows. Accused went to the police and told them he had killed his father with a chopper. Mr. Streatfeild said Fred Pickering had been suffering from cancer and would have died within three or four months. Police evidence was that the accused was a boy of good character.
Accused Gives Evidence
Accused, giving evidence, said he had been working years at Main Colliery, His father had been drunk pretty often, particularly week-ends. Shortly after he got into bed on October 26th, he heard his father trying to force an entry into his step-sister’s room. He found his father and sister struggling on the landing and his mother screaming. He thought if he went for the police more damage would be done so he tried to frighten his father with the chopper. When his father struck his step-sister, he hit his father with what he thought was the flat part of the chopper.
No Intention to Kill
Mr. C. Paley Scott, K.C., for the accused: Had you any intention of killing your father? – No.
Had you any intention of doing anything but protect your sister and perhaps your mother – No.
Cross-examined, accused said he did not intervene earlier because he was no match for his father.
Why didn’t you strike him with your fist? – that would have made him worse.
Why did you conceal the chopper under your pullover? – I didn’t want my mother to see it.