Buntingford Petty Sessions
A Tottenham Youth's Escapade
A bright and intelligent Tottenham schoolboy, aged 13 and a half years, appeared before two magistrates on Friday last, on a charge of stealing a gent's bicycle at Braughing on 7th March. There was a further charge of stealing a bicycle at Tottenham on the same date.
The boy rode the bicycle he had stolen from Tottenham to Dassels, where he saw another gent's cycle outside a cottage and decided to leave the one he had ridden from Tottenham, and tide off on the one he saw at Dassels.
The cycle he stole at Braughing happened to belong to an ex-policeman, Mr Joseph Briden, and although the lad had a good start, Mr Briden soon had the two bicycles and the lad in his custody.
The boy was brought before Capt. H.H. Williams at an Occasional Court on Tuesday in last week, and remanded until the following Friday, when the case was heard by Mr Claud Fraser and Captain H.H. Williams.
Mr Joseph Briden, of Braughing, said on Monday, 7th March, he left his cycle outside a cottage at Dassels.
When he came out of the cottage, he found that his cycle had disappeared and that another was lying on the side of the road about 10 yards away.
On making enquiries he learned that a lad, riding a cycle too high for him, had been seen going in the direction of Ware. The witness road on, and about 1 mile from Puckeridge he saw his cycle lying on the side of the road; he also saw a lad hurrying along the footpath. Asked what he was doing, the lad admitted stealing the machine, and the witness detained him till P.C. Barker arrived.
P.C. Barker then gave evidence of taking charge of the lad at Puckeridge, and read a very concise statement which the lad made to him at the Police Station.
The lad stated that while at tea on Sunday, 6th March, his father and step-mother accused him of stealing some silk stockings, which he denied. When he returned from Church his father swore at him and sent him to bed.
During the night he made up his mind to run away, and at 6.30 a.m. the next morning, he got up and waited till his father had gone to work. He left the house at 8 a.m. and walked towards Edmonton, and turned into White Hart Lane where he saw a cycle standing outside a shop.
He took the cycle, and rode along the arterial road and on to a place called Harestreet, where he decided to turn around and go home. About 1 and a half miles from Harestreet he saw another cycle outside a cottage, and as he thought he could ride it better than the one he had he exchanged the machines; later he found he could not reach it properly, so he laid it down and walked on until he was stopped by a man, who asked him what he was doing.
Mr H.T. Cawthorne, of Walthamstowe, said the cycle stolen from Tottenham belonged to him. He valued the machine at £2.
On being charged with the offences, the young pleaded guilty. His step-mother who was in Court, told the Bench that she could do nothing with the lad - he was a real naughty boy.
After a short adjournment, the Chairman, addressing the lad, said the magistrates were very sorry to see him before them. Having regard to his age, they had decided to adopt a lenient view, and he would be placed under the supervision of Mr Andrews, the Probation Officer, for a period of two years.
The boy, wiping his tears with his school cap, siad "Thank you, Sir," to the Chairman, and left the Court with Mr Andrews.