Shop Robbery – Sheffield and Denaby  Men Charged at Bakewell.

November 1929

Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Saturday 30 November 1929

Shop Robbery.

Sheffield and Denaby  Men Charged at Bakewell.

At Bakewell yesterday, Frank Arnold Cruxford (26), miner, of 87, Barnborough Street, Denaby Main, Rotherham, and Edward Alec Wall Holmes Toft (19), motor mechanic, of KH, Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield, were charged with breaking and entering the shop of George Edwin Bacon, at Rowsley, on November 18th and stealing tobacco, cigarettes, three electric torches, 11 electric  batteries, three tins of salmon. 12 tins of fruit. 9 tins of tomatoes, a quantity of chocolates and sweets and other articles, to the total value of £14 10s.

They were committed for trial at the Derby Quarter Sessions on January 8th. They did not ask for bail.

George Edwin Bacon said at 9 p.m. he locked his shop securely and went home. At about 10.30, in consequence of what he was told, he returned and found it had been broken into by smashing a glass panel above the door. The shop had been ransacked and everything was in disorder. He missed a quantity of tobacco and other articles, and made a thorough examination the following morning when he missed some more tobacco, sweets, etc.

The cash till was Iying on the floor broken, but he had cleared the till out before leaving the shop. Police-constable Eley said when asked to give an account of his movements on the night of November 18th, Toft first denied all knowledge of the offence, but later said: “I might as well tell you all about it. I borrowed a car from Cohen’s Garage, went to Youlgrave and Darley Dale, and then did Bacon’s shop at Rowsley. We left a lot of stuff in the car when we ran out of petrol at Dronfield. The other stuff is knocking about here in the other rooms.”

Witness made a thorough search of the house and recovered portions of the property, with other property alleged to be the proceeds of robberies at Sheffield and Underwood (Notts). The property was in cupboards, under boeds, and behind pictures.