Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 11 November 1932

Railway Thefts

Wath Miner Sentenced

Alfred Scales (29), miner. Doncaster Road, Wath, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment at Rotherham on Wednesday , when he pleaded guilty to a charge of having , stolen from a railway truck at Wath a case of salmon and a case of vegetable fat, of the value of £13 17s. 5d., on October 20th.

Scales pleaded “not guilty” to a charge of having stolen currants, raisins and margarine, valued at £2 6s. 11d., and to an alternative charge of having received these goods. These charges were dismissed, the defendant being given the benefit of the doubt.

Mr. J. McIldowie (chairman), committing Scales, said this breaking and entering was on the increase all over the country and it was their duty, when there was a clear case, E to make an example.

P.c. Flint said that at 11.15 p.m. on October 20th he was on duty at the level crossing at Wath when he met the defendant carrying a sack. He stopped him and found that the sack contained 23 tins of salmon , and nine cartons of vegetable fat. In consequence of a statement made by the defendant he searched a culvert and found a box of margarine, a box of raisins and grease paper.

Evidence was given by railway officials that a train stopped for twenty minutes at the Wath Sidings to change the engine. In connection with the second charge the train stopped at the sidings for nine minutes on October 11th, when the goods were missed. The goods had been taken from closed waggons and the defendant would have to open the door before he could get them.

The defendant denied that he had made any statement to the police officer regarding the whereabouts of the articles concerned in the second charge.