The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

  BURRELL, Henry (28, stoker) ; feloniously causing certain grievous bodily harm to   William Bailey, with intent to disable him.

Mr. Leycester prosecuted.

Police-constable JOHN DEAN, 368 K. On the night of October 1 I was on duty at Over the Gates, Barking, in company with Constable Holmes. At a quarter-past eight I saw prisoner in the street. He was very drunk, standing on a doorway, throwing his arms about, shouting, and causing people to get off the footpath into the road-way. I said to him, "Well, Burrell, why don't you be quiet and go home?" He walked a few yards and then said, "Now, you f—g bastards, if you want trouble I will give it you," and made an indecent noise with his mouth. He started to run away. After a few yards he fell to the ground and I took him into custody. He then commenced to be very violent and Holmes and I caught hold of him. We took him towards the police station. In Heath Street he said, "I am not going any further," threw up his legs and fell to the ground. William Bailey, another officer, came to our assistance; prisoner wrenched his right arm free, collared Police-constable Bailey round the neck, and threw him to the ground. Prisoner then kicked Bailey on the side of the head whilst he was getting up. A hostile crowd collected, and we were obliged to take prisoner into an alley way. The crowd numbered 300 or 400 and threw bottles, bricks, and stones at us. Bailey went for assistance. An ambulance was brought, we strapped prisoner on to it, and took him to the

station. He had a cut over his eye, caused either by a bottle or a brick thrown by the crowd and meant for the police.

Police-constable WILLIAM HOLMES, 698 K, giving corroborative evidence, said prisoner was very violent and disorderly, very drunk, waving his arms about, and causing everybody to get off the footway into the roadway. In Heath Street prisoner caught hold of Bailey by the throat, threw him down, and deliberately kicked him in the left side of the head. There was a hostile crowd of about 500 people throwing bricks, stones, and bottles. Prisoner struck witness in the mouth with his fist but did not do him any harm. Witness also described how prisoner was taken to the station on an ambulance.

Police-constable WILLIAM BAILEY, 406 K. On October 1 I saw prisoner in custody of Dean and Holmes in Heath Street, Barking. He was behaving in a very violent manner, struggling with the two constables. I went to their assistance. He got his right arm free from Constable Dean, caught me by the neck, threw me violently to the ground, and then kicked me on the left side of the head. The skin was broken and the injury bled very freely. I felt very dazed about the head and eyes. I went to the station and fetched the ambulance, upon which prisoner was taken to the station. I saw the doctor that night and he put me on the sick list. I was unable to attend the police court next day and have not yet returned to duty. I was in bed a week with pains in the side of the head. I was in all thrown down three times after that and kicked in the ribs and head and in the scrotum.

  CHARLES FRANCIS FENTON , divisional surgeon. On the evening of October 1 I was called to Barking Police Station, where I saw Bailey. There was a small star-shaped laceration on the left side of his head in the temporal region; it was bleeding freely, and underneath that was a rather large contusion about the size of the palm of my hand, somewhat swollen, and he was in a very nervous and dazed state. He was no doubt suffering from concussion. I sent him home and had him put to bed, and he remained there for the greater part of the week. As to his present condition, of course, the wound has healed up but there still remains a great deal of thickening on the bone, showing that the blow was a violent one, whatever it was caused by. I do not expect any permanent injury. I shall very likely be able to return him as fit for duty in a week or two, but these injuries, as is well known, sometimes incapacitate a man for a long period. The nature of the injury is quite consistent with the evidence as to the way in which it was caused. I also attended to the cut over prisoner's eye, which was such as might have been caused by a broken brick or bottle, or anything of that kind being thrown at him. It was not serious at all.

To the Court. Prisoner was very drunk—in fact, he went to sleep while I was attending to his cut.

Verdict, Guilty of wounding with felonious intent.

Police-constable RICHARD TAYLOR, 107 K, proved a number of previous convictions for larceny, assaults, drunkenness, and wilful damage and stated that prisoner was a scurfer at the Beckton Gas

Works. He had known prisoner close upon six years, and when he was sober there was not a quieter man in Barking. He had assisted the police on two occasions and had also been given the Royal Humane Society certificate for saving life at Yarmouth, but when drunk he was a most dangerous man both to the public and to the police.

Sentence, Fifteen months' hard labour.