Asleep on the job

Hertfordshire Mercury, 14th February 1914

Transcript

At Cheshunt & Waltham Cross Petty Sessions on Wednesday, John Whitley (28), of Grove Road, Enfield Wash, was brought up, on remand, charged with being found on enclosed premises ie the garden of The Grange, Crossbrook Street, occupied by Mrs William Boyd, for the supposed purpose of committing a felony, on 26th January.

Arthur Henry Grange, chauffeur, and Charles Hayes, gardener, both in the employ of Mrs Boyd, repeated the evidence they had given at the earlier hearing.

Police Constable Ford said that on the day in question, he had gone to Hatton Road where he had seen some footprints, and which he had then traced to the brickfields.  He followed the prints to a cart shed in which he had seen the prisoner, who was asleep.  He took the prisoner to the police station where, when charged, the accused had said that he went into the garden to fetch a stick.  He said that he did not know there was a house there.

Detective Bradshaw, of Edmonton, said that the accused had been sentenced, on 23rd November 1907, to 7 years’ penal servitude and 3 years’ police supervision.  There were 11 previous convictions against him.

Detective Sergeant Bishop said that the accused was liberated on 10th September last when he had made a request to be sent to sea.  A place had been found for him on a boat for 9 months at a wage of £2 10s a month, but he had only made one trip.  Since his return, he had only reported himself once to the Metropolitan Police, and that had been on 11th January.

The accused said that he had tried his best to go straight, and he called a witness to prove that he had been working from 5th to 26th January.

The Bench sentenced him to 12 months’ hard labour.

This page was added on 25/09/2014.

Add your comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.

  • I think the Charles Hayes mentioned here may have been my grandfather as he was a gardener and lived in Cheshunt.

    By Gill Munro (01/10/2014)