Berkshire Chronicle
Dated 19th December 1840
Charles Parr, James Hosier, John Smith and John Baily, have been committed for trial upon a charge of highway robbery, under the following circumstances: - Mr. T. Cook, of Faccombe, Hants, dealer, was on his way home from Newbury, on Thursday evening last, between 8 and 9 o’clock going up the road leading to Wash Common, he observed four men cross the road, and from their conduct he had suspicion that they were upon no good purpose: and when he got to the Gun public-house, feeling alarmed, he went in to see if any one there was going his road, but as no one was going on, he left, and shortly after passing a gravel-pit on the left hand side of the road, he noticed the same four men he had seen before- as it was moonlight he could distinguish them – he spoke to them but they made no answer, but separated, two on each side of the road – one had a stick. As he was going on he was suddenly knocked down by one of the men, and another of them held his hand over his mouth; when down, they robbed him of 5/- Bank of England note and a cheque for 21s 8d. They then left him in a state bordering on insensibility and he was unable to move until a person passed by and assisted him to a surgeon. The shoes of the prisoner corresponded with different foot marks in the direction in which they went when they left Mr. Cook, and the bludgeon has also been found with which he was beaten. Some of the above parties are of notoriously bad character and it is to be hoped that the town will be ridden of their presence for some time to come.
On the 12th January 1841 Charles Parr (22) and James Hosier were found guilty of robbery with violence, they were sentenced to two years imprisonment. John Smith and John Baily were found not guilty. |
