Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 24 September 1921
Goldthorpe Butcher and the Children.
On Tuesday, at Doncaster, Alfred Hopkinson, a butcher, of Goldthorpe, was summoned for causing an obstruction on the highway.
He did not appear, and P.c. James said he was on duty in Doncaster road, at 7-30 p.m. on the 6th inst. dealing with traffic returning from the Doncaster races. He was experiencing difficulty in keeping the rood clear owing to people passing through throwing coppers to the children who were lining the roads.
He had just succeeded in restoring order when the defendant drove up to his shop in his car. He saw what difficulty witness ass having, but he pulled out a handful of coppers from his pocket and threw ‘them into the road, where a scramble took place among the children, right in front of the traffic. One vehicle was almost on the top of the children, but the driver managed to swerve clear of them. Witness had to divert the traffic on to the wrong side until he managed to get the children off the road. Defendant went inside his shop and started laughing at witness getting the children back on to the causeway. As soon as he got the road clear once more, the defendant came to the door and threw another handful of coppers into the middle of the road, and again the subsequent scramble held up the traffic, it was a very dangerous thing to do.
The chairman (Mr. John Brocklesby) agreed that it was very dangerous, and the magistrates considered it a serious offence, which might have had fatal consequences. Defendant would have to pay 40s.