Police court life

Two boys, aged 16 and 13 respectively, were charged at the Scarborough Children’s Court on Tuesday with stealing on April 8th two wood stanchions, value 10s, the property of Richard Crawford. They pleaded guilty. The magistrates on the bench were the Mayor (Mr CC Graham), Mr George Rowntree, and Mr W Sayner. The Chief Constable (Mr H Windsor) said at 7.50pm on the 8th of April PC Moore was at the Castle Dykes end of the South Foreshore road when he saw the two defendants each carrying a fairly heavy wood stanchion on their shoulders. He asked where they had got them from and they admitted getting them from an enclosure on the approach road at the south end of the Marine Drive. Defendants were taken to the police station and detained whilst some enquiries were made. Defendants admitted that they were taking the timber home. The timber had been placed in the enclosure by Mr Crawford in the latter part of 1917, and neither of the defendants had any authority to take it away.

The elder lad, in reply to the bench, said they took the timber for firewood. His mother said her son had always been honest. He was earning 12s a week in winter and 14s a week in summer and overtime.

The other boy attended school regularly, and both defendants were given good characters. The home surroundings were described by the Chief Constable as fairly satisfactory.

The magistrates bound both defendants over under the Probation of Offenders’ Act for 12 months, themselves in a bond of £5 and their parents in a similar surety of £5 each.