Mexborough and Swinton Times, July 29th, 1932
Alone With A Hostile Crowd
Trouble At Thurnscoe
How a Thurnscoe policeman was prevented from making an arrest by a hostile crowd, was described at Doncaster on Thursday, when George Hibbert, miner, Thurnscoe, was summoned for having been drunk and disorderly and for having assaulted the police.
P.c. France said that at 10-15 p.m. on July 1st he was in Winter Street, Thurnscoe, where he saw the defendant drunk and disorderly and attempting to get at a man being taken away by some other men. Defendant was wanting to fight, and he (witness) advised him to go home quietly. Defendant’s reply was, “I will kill him.” Witness told him that he would have to report him, and defendant shouted, “Leave the bobby to me. I will settle him.”
Fifteen minutes later witness walked into Lidgett Lane and again saw defendant with a number of men. Witness again cautioned Hibbert and was walking away when he received a stunning blow at the back of the head. He turned, and defendant struck him on the cheek. They closed and defendant aimed a number of blows at witness’s head. To defend himself, witness drew his truncheon, struck defendant on the head, and knocked him to the ground.
In the meantime, a hostile crowd had gathered round and prevented witness from detaining defendant. Witness blew his whistle but could get no assistance and Hibbert was taken away by his friends. Dr. McColm came along with his car and took witness to his surgery for attention to wounds he had received at the back of the head. The doctor also took witness for assistance. They picked up two other officers, and all went to defendant’s house to arrest him, but owing to the hostility of the crowd around the house, and the fact that the door was kept locked, they could not get to the defendant.
Mr. A. S. Furniss (defending): The crowd were expecting you to find the man dead, weren’t they: – No, sir.
Answering further questions, the officer said he could point to people in court that day who deliberately interfered with him on July 1st. He could not get the slightest assistance from the crowd.
The officer added that he had been in Thurnscoe eight years, and on three occasions had reported men for assaulting him. All were convicted. On the night of July 1st there were “fights all over the district,” and he was working there alone.
A Shafton colliery banksman, Gordon Wardle, said he saw the assault on P.c. France in Lidgett Lane, and heard the constable blow his whistle a dozen times. No one in the crowd would go to the officer’s assistance. On the contrary, men in the crowd stopped the constable from arresting the man.
Mr. Furniss: Why didn’t you go to the help of the constable?
Witness: What! with a crowd of hooligans round like they were. Should I have had a chance? Would you have done?
Joseph Wm. Mason, miner Thurnscoe, said he saw the constable and defendant “fighting and wrestling” and then the officer hit the man on the head with his truncheon.
Describing the police visit to the defendant’s home, Sgt. Charlesworth said there was a crowd of 200 there when the police arrived. The doctor was admitted but the police were refused admission
Mr. Furniss said the defendant would tell the magistrates that he was not in Winter Street on the night of the alleged assault, he was in Lidgett Lane about 10-30p.m. when the constable went to him in a domineering manner, pushed him and said, “Get off home, you guttersnipe.” Defendant was not drunk, but the constable put himself in a fighting attitude and the two closed. Defendant resisted arrest, as he was entitled to do. The officer struck him with his truncheon and made a gaping wound on his head.
Mr. Furniss added that a mountain had been made out of a molehill. The crowd really thought the man was dead when he was carried away. He had six witnesses to support his story.
Defendant in evidence said he struggled with the officer for five minutes before he was struck on the head with the truncheon. Then he remembered no more.
Committing Hibbert to prison for three months for the assault and dismissing the other case, the chairman of the magistrates (Mr. J. Dymond) said the police had to be protected in the execution of their duty. The constable did not seem to have received any assistance from the crowd in this case.