Denaby Youths Wickedness and Folly – Car Rifled and Damaged

January 1935

Mexborough and Swinton Times January 11, 1935

Car Rifled and Damaged
Denaby Youths Wickedness and Folly

Doncaster County Mag Del severely on Tuesday with four Denaby miners, Charles H Willows, Eddie Dooney, James Burke and George Gillett , who was summoned for having damaged a car on or about December 1. They pleaded not guilty with the exceptional Willows, whose plea was “Guilty through drink.”

Inspector Thompson said that at 9:45 PM on November 30, Mr Donald Bates, a Doncaster company director, left his car outside the Bath’s Hall, Denaby, where a dance was in progress

About 11:15 PM the four Defendants came to the hall and were refused admission. They were under the influence of drink and were quarrelsome. At 2:30 AM Mr Bates returned to his car and found a door had been broken, the mechanism tampered with, and the lighting circuit damaged

Mr Bates said the car was only seven weeks old. He had left the doors locked, but they had been forced open and smashed, a panel badly scratched, side lights and reflectors removed, and all the damage inflicted, amounting in all to about £1

Mr William Linstead, manager of David Baths, after giving evidence of refusing Defendant admission, said that prior to that he had noticed the lights on Bates car to be on. After defendants left the hall the car’s lights went off

PC Ambler said he interviewed defendants on December 2, when they admitted switching off the cars like. When charged Burke replied, “I’m sorry. I can’t say anything more than that.”

Dooney said, “I was a fool to stop with them. I should have more sense”

Willows reply was, “I will pay anything up to £1 if there is no more trouble,” and Gilliott said, “I’m sorry.”

Dooney and Willows declined to give evidence. Burke said he entered the car but did no damage, and Gilliott denied being near the car when it was tampered with

Dooley and Burke were also summoned for having stolen a rug, valid 15 shillings from the car. Burke pleaded guilty

The evidence was that on December 1 PC Ambler recovered the rug from the house of Richard Pearson, miner75 Bamburgh Street, Denaby, to which the two defendants had taken it. When Pearson asked where they had got it from Dooney was alleged to have replied, “Mind your own business.” Burke had entered Pearson’s house with the rug draped over the shoulders, and on leaving he threw it at Pearson.

PC Ambler said that when he interviewed the youths Burke admitted the offence and Dooney said, “I was a fool to stop with him.”

There was a further charge against Willows and Gilliott of stealing a rug, value £4 5s from Mr Bate’s car. Willows pleaded “guilty through drink and ignorance” and Gilliott not guilty

PC ambler said he recovered the rug from Willows house in Edlington Street Denaby. During enquiries, Gilliott admitted he was present with Willows and added “I am not going to give away a pal.”

It was stated that Willows had five previous convictions for larceny. He was sentenced to 1 month hard labour for stealing and for the offence, while the other three defendants were fined a total of £7 pounds and given one month in which to find the money.