South Yorkshire Times May 2nd 1953
Thurnscoe Miner, 19, Admits Taking 900 Cigarettes
Disturbed while he was stealing cigarettes from the canteen at Hickleton Main colliery, a 19-year-old haulage hand ran away, and broke into the same building again the next night to steal the same cigarettes, it was alleged at Doncaster west riding magistrates Court yesterday when Trevor Inscoe, Church Street, Thurnscoe was committed to Quarter Sessions for trial.
He pleaded guilty to stealing 900 cigarettes and 6d, cash total value of £8 1s 3d. On April 7.
The canteen manager, Mr Albert Foster, Lidgett Lane, Thurnscoe, said he went to the canteen at 7:40 pm on Easter Monday and found the till had been interfered with. A parcel of 900 cigarettes had been removed from the shelves.
“I saw in Inscoe crouching in a recess.” Mr. Foster said,” and I gave him a lecture with regard to doing such things, I told him what a silly lad he was.
“I heard the money jingle in his pocket, and he admitted getting a few coppers out of the till.
“He told me his name was Simms. We went towards the door he had forced to get in and in the darkness he ran away from me.”
An iron plate was put over the panel broken in the door, said Mr C. Shaw, prosecuting.
“The doors were locked at 10:45 pm. When someone returned to the canteen at 10 am the next morning it was found the door had been forced again.
“The cigarettes, placed back on the shelves they had been taken from, had gone. The sheet of iron over the door panel had been forced.”
P.C. Michael Slater said in a voluntary statement, Inscoe said: “I was very short of money and had been paying a fine. I had no cigarettes either, so I decided to break into the canteen at Hickleton to see if I could get anything. After getting away from the canteen manager I went and sat in the market.
The next day I still had no cigarettes or money so I decided to go to the canteen again and get the cigarettes I had left behind. I went to the same door I had broken in previously. I am sorry for what I have done. It is because I had had no money or cigarettes.”
Inscoe had no objections to be remanded in custody.