Assault at the Queen's Head : landlady attacked

Hertfordshire Mercury, 2nd January 1910

Transcript

Thomas Harrison, aged 47 years and described as a barber, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to an indictment for assaulting Alice Harwood on 2nd December, 1909.

Mr Eustace Fulton, for the prosecution, stated that the prisoner entered the Queen’s Head public house at Welwyn and violently and indecently assaulted Mrs Harwood, the Landlady of the premises. Mr Fulton understood that the prisoner was hardly responsible for his actions. There were two previous convictions for larceny against him and fourteen convictions for vagrancy.

Giving evidence, P.S. Wood described the prisoner as a ‘tramping man and weak-minded’. The prisoner had just come out of Pentonville Prison where he had been officially certified as weak-minded. P.S. Wood stated that Harrison had been addicted to drink for several years.

The Chairman of the Bench said it was necessary to protect women from such assaults but as the prisoner was in a weak state of mind he would be sentenced to six months’ imprisonment without hard labour. Thomas Harrison would receive proper medical treatment whilst he was in prison.

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