Alleged Threat with Darts

An 18 years old Denaby haulage hand was alleged to have threatened a 15 year old youth in a Mexborough dance hall with three darts at Doncaster West Riding Court on Friday.

The haulage hand, Frank Brown, and Frank Smith (19), soldier, both of Annerley St, Denaby, both pleaded not guilty to assaulting Jack Coates of York St, Mexborough and causing actual bodily harm. Walcott pleaded not guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and Burke guilty. Each was fined a total of £6 and bound over for a year, and each was ordered to pay 7s 9d costs.

Inspector F Brown said when Coates was in the tea bar at the dance hall he noticed Brown take three darts embedded in a cork from his pocket and as he knew there have been some previous trouble in that area with darts informed his grandfather, who was the doorman.

Later he returned to the tea bar and was approached by Brown who took the darts from his pocket and said, “These are for you.”

The inspector said Brown asked Coates to go outside and fight. When he refused he handed the darts to Smith and began prodding Coates in the chest and tapping him under the chin with his clenched fist. He then hit Coates in the face and knocked him down, got on top of him and hit him again.

Inspector Brown said Smith then joined in and Coates felt several hard blows in his side.

PC Schofield who said he was on duty the dance hall said when he went into the tea bar he saw Bucroft and Burke attacking Coates. After parting them he took them to the manager’s office and found that Burke had the three darts.

Inspector Brown told the magistrates that when Coates arrived home his grandmother found his left ear had been punctured in two places and was bleeding. He alleged that the punctures were caused by the darts.

Brown told the magistrates that he had warned Coates to keep away from his girlfriend and not dance with her.
Brown denied using the darts and said he had only tried to stop the fight.