A Violent Trio – Constable’s Teeth Knocked Out.

September 1908

Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 01 September 1908

A Violent Trio
Constable’s Teeth Knocked Out.

Violent behaviour in connection with projected tram ride at Swinton led to police court proceedings at Rotherham yesterday.

Ted Coffey, Denaby, Wm. Whitehead, Mexbro’, and Wm. Elliott, Denaby, were charged with having been drunk and disorderly and assaulting the police. At 8.30 o’clock Friday night the three defendants attempted to enter a tramcar of the Mexbro’ and Swinton Tramways Company Milton Road, Swinton. They were drunk, and the conductor refused to admit them. P.-c. Miles, who was on duty in plain clothes, came up and lent his aid in preventing them from riding. The car having gone away, the constable asked Coffey his name, but that defendant declined to oblige him with it. He then attempted to lock him up, whereupon he (Coffey) called on the others to assist him. The constable was rushed, and in the struggle he had two teeth knocked out and his watch broken. He also sustained a sprained wrist and an injury to his thumb.

Another tramcar came up, with Arthur Rawling as driver and Albert John White as conductor. These employes helped the constable to get two of the men on the car for the purpose of conveying them to the lock-up. Elliott got away.

Coffey was very rough, and had to held down on the floor of the vehicle. Four men were afterwards required to effect the transference from the car to the police station.

Each defendant was fined 40s. and costs.