False Pretences by a Newtonian: At a special sitting of the Plympton Petty Sessions on Thursday, Adrian Wilfred Gribble, formerly of Newton Abbot, was charged on remand with obtaining 5s by false pretences from Mr. Gerald Charles Eve, land agent, of Yealmpton. At the previous hearing evidence was given that on June 27th the prisoner told Mr. Eve that he was a relative of Mr. Hy. Tucker, of Ashburton, and that on the previous evening he had met with an accident whilst cycling, and had stayed with Mr. Mark Baker, Ivybridge. He asked Mr. Eve to lend him 5s to pay his fare to Newton Abbot, and to get food. He added that his father was Mr. Pinsent, Newton, and he promised to send on a postal order the same evening. Mr. Eve lent him the 5s, and he signed an ‘I.0.U’ in the name of “C. Pinsent”. P.C. Newbery stated that when taken into custody the prisoner said that the charge was true. Mr. William Henry Pinsent, a member of the firm of Pinsent and Co, brewers, Newton Abbot, said he knew the prisoner by sight. He was in the telegraph office ten years ago. The accused never had any connection with his firm. Mr. Henry Tucker, malster and seed merchant, of Ashburton, said he knew the accused by sight. He was not related to him, nor had the prisoner stayed with him. P.C. Rattenbery said that on June 27th at 1.15 p.m. he was at Yealmpton, where he saw the prisoner having a conversation with a stone breaker named Cawrse. As the witness approached the latter asked how far it was to Ivybridge, and the witness told him. Then he asked how far it was to Plymouth. On being told he said that he would go on to Plymouth. Accused said he was from the firm of Tucker’s seed merchants, Ashburton, and that he had been to Mr. Bastard’s and had taken the wrong turn. He then rode on his bicycle in the direction of Plymouth. Prisoner pleaded guilty and said that when he was set free a friend would send him to Canada. At the time of the offence, he was out of work, and had no food. He stoutly denied that he was convicted in London in 1894, and said he never went to London until the time of the Queen’s death. Prisoner called Mr. Pinsent to say that he was at Newton Abbot at the time and asked that the Postmaster at Newton Abbot should be communicated with. The Bench sentenced him to two months Imprisonment with hard labour. Further inquiry was made into the alleged conviction, and the prisoner said it was first preferred against him when he was convicted at Cardiff, but he denied it at the time. The Bench, in order to satisfy themselves, adopted the suggestion of Sergeant Newbery to telephone the Postmaster at Newton Abbot to ascertain whether the prisoner was at the Post office at that time and told the prisoner that if his story proved correct, they would reduce the sentence passed upon him. The result was that it was found that the prisoner was, as he stated, at the Newton Abbot post office in 1894, being there from 1892 to 1899, and the magistrates thereupon fulfilled their promise and reduced the sentence to one month’s hard labour.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0911 Devonport: William Swain Pinsent: 1843 – 1920