Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 17 March 1933
Denaby Girls Caught
Thefts from Woolworth’s store at Mexboro’ resulted on Tuesday in two Denaby girls, Alice Johnson (24), and Lily Garner (22), both of Clifton Street, appearing before, the Doncaster magistrates.
They were charged with having stolen, on 27th Feb., two handkerchiefs, valued 4d., and on 3rd March a quantity of tinned fruit, a pair of socks, and a quarter pound of tea, valued at 1s. 9d.
Inspector Redfern stated that on March 9nd P.c. Haywood interviewed the girls at Mexboro’ Police Station, where they were in custody after being caught thieving at the stores. It was then that the girls admitted stealing the handkerchiefs on Feb. 27th.
Arthtir Hy. Whoulton, manager of the Mexboro’ store, said he saw the girls acting in a suspicious manner near a counter in the store on the morning of March 3rd. He saw one of thq girls pick up a pair of socks from the counter, place them in a bag, and then both the girls hurried from the store. He followed and stopped them, and on his request they went back to the store. Witness sent for the police. P.c. Aucock arrived and took the girls into custody at Mexboro’ Police Station. There Johnson said, “I took the socks for my baby.”
Asked why they had committed the offences, Garner replied, “I had no intention of walking away with the things before paying. I had paid for some of the stuff I had in my bag.” She added that she was on the “dole,” and had been for a year, having previously worked nearly four years in a Conisboro’ factory.
Johnson also said she was receiving 13s. 6d. unemployment insurance benefit a week.
The Chairman (Mr. G. B. Shiffner), imposing a fine on each girl of 30s., to be paid at the rate of 5s. a week, said, “Stop this sort of thing or else you will find yourselves in prison. This is one of the most disgraceful cases we have heard for a long time.”