Crime

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

‘Nothing To Do With Me’

For driving an agricultural tractor with thresher attached without lights at Landcross on December 18th, Merlin Glover, of Ebber Down, Frithelstock, was fined £1 by Bideford County Magistrates.

Police Inspector E H Turner said he overtook the tractor at 5.20pm on December 18th, forty-four minutes after lighting up time. There was a considerable amount of traffic on the road and the night was dark. When asked why he was driving without lights, Glover said ‘It’s nothing to do with me, you had better ask the boss.’

Glover told the magistrates the lights had failed to work.

Gazette article dated 26 January 1951

Bideford tops the crime polls

Bideford Top For Crime?

For a town of its size Bideford has one of the worst crime rates in the country, Woman Police Sergeant Rowe, of Barnstaple, told Bideford WI. She talked about her job as juvenile liaison officer and told how the police in conjunction with the Social Services deal with problem families and runaways and work to combat juvenile delinquency. Mrs Beaumont thanked her.

Mrs Poore reported on the inaugural meeting of a proposed Bideford Amenity Society.

The competition – decorated birthday cake – was won by Mrs Peake, with Mrs Leigh and Mrs Davies second and third. But as another entry was said by the judge to be the best sponge it was agreed that she should make the cake for competition at Bideford and Mrs Peake should ice it. A tablecloth made by Mrs Davies for the group meeting was on display. Mrs Lewis won a raffle.

Gazette article dated 25 March 1977

Langtree Man Fined At Torrington

A larch pole, six feet long, was carried into Torrington County Magistrates Court. Pleading ‘guilty’ to the larceny of the pole, Barnabas Box, of The Village, Langtree, was fined 10s with £1 4s 10d costs.

Police Inspector H Burrows explained that the owner’s (Mr Vanstone’s) property adjoined the defendant’s garden. On January 28th the larch pole was in the yard with other timber. A Mr William Johns saw defendant standing in his garden path. With a four-pronged dung fork he was putting the pole over the hedge into his own garden. Mr Johns reported the matter, and on going back found the pole was lying in defendant’s garden path. Johns recovered the pole.
Defendant, said the inspector, admitted taking the pole, saying he wanted some firing for the children.
Gazette article dated 24 February 1950