Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 13 July 1934
Escape from Cell
Denaby Man’s Remarkable Exploit
Recaptured at Home
A Denaby miner, who a
ppeared at Leeds Assizes last Friday for an offence against his seventeen-year-old daughter, caused a sensation by disappearing from his cell during the lunch hour. He was at large until Sunday, when the search ended dramatically at his home in Denaby.
The man was Albert Rayner (42), Blyth Street, Denaby. After the case had been heard, Mr. Justice Macnaghten intimated that he would postpone sentence until later in the day. Rayner was accordingly taken to a detention cell, the door of which was not securely fastened. Rayner walked up the steps to the dock, which was then empty, and out of the Town Hall to liberty. The police on duty in the building did not notice his departure, and it is believed that half-an-hour elapsed before he was missed. A hue and cry was raised and Leeds and West Riding police commenced an extensive search.
It has since been learned that Rayner had a number of remarkable escapes. The first day and night he spent walking all the time, taking the by-roads around Leeds and Wakefield. When he was five miles out of Leeds he escaped detection from a police car by bending down to help a man to adjust a car tyre. While he was in the woods near Cadeby on Saturday night the police passed him several times, and he saw their flash-lamps as they trained them on the undergrowth.
On Saturday night the Conisboro’ police were informed that a man answering his description had been seen behind Cadeby Colliery, and all the available police in the district were summoned to take part in the search. About noon it was learned that he had stolen into his house. A large hostile crowd had assembled outside the house when the capture was made, and during Rayner’s mile walk to Conisboro’ police station they followed, hooting.
In an interview Rayner’s wife said: “I had only ten minutes with him before they took him away. He told me he left prison to come and see me and the family, to ask our forgiveness, and to ask us to go and see him in prison. He said he had every confidence in me. When he found the door of his cell undone he said to his fellow prisoners: ‘I am going to make a bolt, are you coming, pals?’ None of them made a move, and he then asked if they had any bread. He took four chunks of bread from them, and that is all he had from Friday until to-day, except for some tinned milk.” His first words when he came into the house were “For God’s sake, Elsie, give me a cup of tea and fetch the bobbies.”
“A Terrible Offence”
Four Years’ Penal Servitude
Rayner was brought before Mr. Justice Macnaghten for sentence on Monday morning. The judge, sentencing him to four years’ penal servitude, said: “You have pleaded guilty to this terrible offence against your own child. It would be idle to enlarge upon the enormity of your crime. The care and custody of your children will be given to your wife.”
Rayner: Thank you, my lord, for not taking the children from my wife.