Burglary At Great Wymondley

Hertfordshire Mercury, 23rd June 1906

Transcript

John Collins, 28, labourer, surrendered to his bail charged with burglariously breaking into the dwelling-house of Sarah Lake and stealing a quantity of tobacco, a loaf of bread, and other articles, at Great Wymondley, on April 5th.

Prisoner pleaded guilty and also admitted a conviction for felony at the Quarter Sessions at Hertford on 11th April, 1904.

Mr Eric A. Hoffgaard appeared for the prosecution, and said that Mrs Lake kept a grocery shop at Great Wymondley. At 6.15 on the morning named it was found that the bar outside the window had been broken, the window opened, the place was in great confusion, and goods were scattered all over the shop.

About 11 o’ clock a Constable found prisoner sitting by the side of a hedge and asked him what he was doing there, and prisoner replied ”Having a rest”. The Constable then asked him where he slept the night before, and he replied that he had slept at Great Wymondley and he had a loaf which he had got from a little shop there, adding ”I got it because I was hungry and wanted something to eat. I also got two ounces of tobacco. I have eaten the loaf and here’s the tobacco”, and he handed the latter to the Constable.

PC Winterbourne said the prisoner was at work for two months and then refused to work. He was arrested on this charge on April 6th, but was allowed out on bail, and on the 25th he was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for sleeping out.

Prisoner had nothing to say in answer to the charge, and the court sentenced him to two months hard labour. The Chairman warned him that if he was brought up again for this kind of thing he would be much more severely dealt with: probably it would be a case of penal servitude.

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