Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 01 November 1929

Police Court. “Fearful Record.”

Conisboro’ Poacher Heavily Fined.

Described as having a “fearful record,” William Hands, a miner, of Conisborough, was fined £5 at Doncaster on Tuesday for a breach of the Poaching Prevention Act, and £3 for wilful damage to the undergrowth on property belonging to Sprotborough Lime Works Ltd.

Herbert Pool, a pony driver, of Conishorough, who was similarly summoned, was ordered to pay 4s. sosts and was ordered to attend court to be bound over.

P.c. Rose stated that at about 1240 on October 13, he was in a lane at Sprothoro’ and he saw the defendants ranging about in a wood. He kept observation on them for some time, and later when they got into the lane, he noticed that they had bulky pockets. He questioned them, and on searching them found nets and other implements. He reported the damage done to the under. growth to the Sprotboro’ Lime Works.

A representative of the Lime Works estimated the damage at 4s.They did not complain so much about the damage to the undergrowth. The trouble was that poachers were pulling down the fences, and the Company had continually to put them up again. Fences were erected to prevent cattle and children from getting into an eight feet deep sludge, and there might be serious consequences If the fences were broken ‘down.

“We have men there day after day repairing the breaches,” he added.

Three Thurnscoe men were also summoned for a breach of the Poaching Prevention Act. George Green, who had a previous conviction for night poaching, was fined £3 and ordered to pay 8s. costs on a further charge of game trespass; Jesse Crookes and ,John Margison were fined £2 each and ordered to pay 8s. costs each.

Defendants pleaded guilty to the first offence, but not to that of trespassing for I game. Mr. C. L. Crawford. who prosecuted, explained that both charges arose from the same set of circumstances, and when asked why they had not pleaded guilty to trespassing for game, defendants said that they were of the opinion that rabbits were not considered as game.

The Clerk informed them otherwise.

P.C. France said that at 5-30 p.m. on Oct. 13, he saw defendants on land at Thurnscoe, and kept them under observation for some time. They left the field and crossed the railway line. He stopped them on the road and found that they had freshly-killed rabbits in their possession.

“This is becoming a nuisance, and fences are being badly damaged,” remarked Mr. C. R. Marshall, when three Goldthorpe youths were summoned for doing damage to a fence at Goldthorpe on land owned by Lord Halifax. The damage was estimated at 1s.

Mr Marshall, who prosecuted, said that the defendants, Fred Starkey, aged 17, Stanley Gardener. aged 15, and Herbert Hague, aged 16, were seen roaming on the land, and a fence was found broken. There had been a tremendous lot of damage done lately. Hague, who was the only defendant to appear, admitted being on the land, but declared that he did not break down the fencework. He was fined 10s. and the other defendants 20s