Gloucester Police Court: City Petty Sessions, Wednesday: Before Messrs. A. Woodward (in the chair), W. Long and J. Ward: … (continues) …
Edward Sidney Pinsent, a respectably dressed young fellow, living with his widowed mother at Coney Hill, was charged with indecent behaviour on May 23rd. Mr. Langley-Smith appeared for the prisoner, who pleaded not guilty.
From the evidence of Amy Foulkes (23) of 3, Chequer’s Lane, it appeared that about 11 o’clock on the night of the date named she was returning from the Albert Hall and when near her house, the prisoner came and stood before her and behaved in an indecent manner. Defendant ran away home.
Mr. Langley Smith, in addressing the Court on behalf of the accused, said his client was a sea-faring youth and was now resident with his mother. During his last voyage he had had an attack of malarial fever which left him with a physical weakness. He was not always responsible for his actions and was very erratic in his conduct. It was a question whether it would not be desirable to adjourn the case in order that a medical man might examine the prisoner.
Accused, on going into the witness box denied seeing Miss Foulkes on the date in question and said he was in-doors with his mother all that evening. He never remembered seeing the prosecutrix or behaving indecently towards her.
Prisoner’s mother was called and bore out Mr. Langley-Smith’s remarks. To the best of her belief her son stayed in the house all evening on Thursday and went to bed early. Prisoner, who had been fined £2 and costs at Bristol in 1898, for a similar offence in the public park, was now sent to prison for one month, with hard labour.
Mr. D. C. C. Philpott, said there were many chargers of a similar nature against prisoner, but he did not propose to go into them…
[see also Gloucester Citizen: Wednesday 29th May 1901]
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
GRO0061 Bristol: Anna Clark: 1844 – 1905
GRO0894 Bristol: William Edward Sidney Pinsent: 1876 – 1911