South Yorkshire Times September 24, 1955

Motor Van Caught Cycle
Denaby Driver Had No Licence

Standing on a grass verge on High Melton road holding her cycle, a young woman sustained slight injuries and shock when a van, driven close to the roadside, caught the cycle and pulled her into the road, it was stated at Doncaster West Riding Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

After asking if she was all right, the van driver went off, but police enquiries later revealed that the van – belonging to Denaby Main Co-operative Society – was driven by a man who had never possessed a driving licence and had taken the van without the owner’s consent.

The driver of the van, Arthur Bulcroft (34), miner of Barnburgh Street, Denaby, pleaded guilty to taking away the van without consent and using it without a licence and insurance.

He was fined a total of £9 and debarred from obtaining a driving licence for a year.

Asked by the magistrates why he took the van, Bulcroft replied: “I was depressed and had been off work with bronchitis and asthma.”

In a statement, Bulcroft said he was almost at the junction of High Melton Road when he caught the girls cycle. He asked the girl if she was all right and she told him “not to worry,” the statement went on.

Bulcroft told the magistrates he had never had a driving licence but he would like to have one.