Somerset County Herald & Taunton Courier Saturday 18 Mar 1939
Page 7 Column 4
THREE
HOUSES RANSACKED
TAUNTON HOUSE-BREAKING CHARGES
ROOMS IN DISORDER
ALLEGED CONFESSIONS TO THE POLICE
Allegations that two Barnstaple men broke into three houses in Taunton, on the evening of March 2nd, were made at Taunton Borough Court on Wednesday. Three charges of house-breaking were preferred against Frederick Leslie LAVERCOMBE, unemployed baker, of 13, Newington-street, Barnstaple, and Percival Bertram LARK, motor-engineer, of 19, Corcer-street, Barnstaple.
Accused
were not legally represented.
They were first charged with
breaking and entering 103, Hamilton-road, Taunton and stealing £1
5s in money, and a leather walled belonging to Mrs Catherine BRAZELL.
Mrs. BRAZELL said she left her house at 5.45 p.m. on March 2nd, after locking the doors and securing the windows. The side-door key was on the inside. Returning at 8.45 p.m. she found the door wide open and the glass broken near the lock. She called her husband and they found that the house had been ransacked. Drawers were pulled out and her handbag was on the dresser; it had been opened and a wallet containing a £1 note and about 5s in silver and coppers were missing.
LAVERCOMBE: It makes no difference to me now what I stole, but there was only a 10s note in the bag.
SUSPICIONS.
William Clifford GILES, motor engineer, of 54, Baldwin-road, Taunton, said he met LARK in the Rose Inn, Hamilton-road, at 7 p.m on March 2nd. As a result of what LARK said he became suspicious and returned to his employer's garage near-by. Going back to the inn, he found the two men had left. He took the number of a car standing outside and saw a man 200 yards away coming towards him: it was LARK. Witness asked him if he had found his pal, and he said no. LARK got in the car, turned it, and drove towards Halcon Corner.
P.C. STANSBURY, said at 12.45 p.m. on March 4th he was on motor patrol with P.C. SMITH in High-street. He saw a saloon car (with the number given by the last witness) being driven towards the traffic circle. He turned the police car, followed it into Corporation-street and stopped it. Witness told the accused men they answered the description of two men wanted in Taunton. LARK said “Well, what is it all about?” They were taken to the Police-station in the patrol car.
“WALLET GIVEN ME.”
P.C.
BROOKS said he went to 103, Hamilton-road, Taunton at 9 p.m. on March
2nd with P.S. BLACKMORE. They made enquiries and on March 4th he saw
LARK detained at the Police-station. P.S. BLACKMORE searched LARK
and found a wallet similar to that reported missing by Mrs. BRAZELL.
LARK said, “The blue wallet which was found in my coat was
given to me by LAVERCOMBE on March 2nd at Taunton with some money in
it.”
P.S. BLACKMORE said he obtained a description of two
men possessing a motor-car. He saw the accused men at the
Police-station on March 4th. LAVERCOMBE said, “I broke the
glass in the door and entered by unlocking the door. I searched all
the rooms and found a lady's hand-bag on the dresser. I took a
wallet containing a 10s note and about 10s in silver from this bag
and left by the side-door. I then met LARK, who came up the road
with the car. I gave him all the money I had stolen - £1 2s
6d. He knew the proceeds were the result of house-breaking.”
Later witness asked LARK how the wallet came in his possession and he
said “LAVERCOMBE gave it to me.”
“I ADMIT IT.”
Witness added that he charged the accused jointly the next day. Each said, “I admit it.”
The two men made no statement to the Bench.
SECOND CHARGE
The men were then charged with breaking and entering the house of Mr. Wilfred James WHITE, of 78, Hamilton-road, Taunton, and stealing a pair of gauntlet gloves, value 25s.
Mr. WHITE stated that on March 2nd, about 4.45 p.m. he left his house with all the doors and windows locked. When he returned at 9.30 p.m. all the doors were open. The drawer of the bureau in the sitting-room had been pulled out, all the upstairs rooms ransacked, the two windows of the dining-room broken, and the drawers of the side-board opened. He did not find anything missing at that time, but two days later P.S. BLACKMORE brought him a pair of gauntlet gloves, which he identified as his property. He had last seen them in the bottom drawer of the dressing table in his back bedroom.
P.C. BROOKS said LARK, when he interviewed him at the Police-station, made a statement. In it he said that he drove the car to the Rose Inn and remained there, waiting in the car by himself. LAVERCOMBE then came along and threw a pair of fur-lined gloves into the car. Witness added that he and P.S. BLACKMORE found the gloves in the back seat of the car.
BROKE A WINDOW.
P.S. BLACKMORE said LAVERCOMBE stated: “I then went to Hamilton-road, Taunton, on the opposite side of the road and I got in by breaking the window and releasing the catch after making an unsuccessful attempt on the French window. The pair of gloves found in our car I stole from a house near the Rose Inn.” Witness stated that both defendants, when charged replied: “I admit it.”
LARK told the Bench: “I plead not guilty to breaking and entering the houses.” LAVERCOMBE said: “I have nothing to say.”
OSBORNE GROVE HOUSE RANSACKED
The third charge against LAVERCOMBE and LARK was of breaking and entering the house of Mrs. Doris Mary MARTIN, of “Rox,” Osborne-grove, Taunton, also on March 2nd and stealing £3 2s in cash and a banker's cheque for £6 8s 3d.
Mrs.
MARTIN stated that she left her house at 6 p.m., the doors and
windows being secure. When she returned after 9 p.m. her bedroom was
in general disorder and the dining-room ransacked. An envelope,
containing £3 2s in cash, and a banker's cheque for £6 8s
3d, made out to “Miss BARBER,” were missing from the
dining-room.
“RIPPED CHEQUE UP.”
P.C. BROOKS said LARK told him at the Police-station, “I am not responsible. I do not know what my pal did.” Later he made a statement in which he said that while he and LAVERCOMBE were in the car LAVERCOMBE produced a cheque. He offered it to him not stating where he had got it, and he refused it. LAVERCOMBE then ripped the cheque up.
P.S. BLACKMORE read a statement made by LAVERCOMBE in which he admitted entering the house by breaking a window near the catch. He found an envelope containing about £3 10s in cash and a cheque which he later tore up and threw away. The car was parked in a side-road and he did the house-breaking while LARK kept the car running.
P.S. BLACKMORE said both defendants when charged stated “I admit it.”
LAVERCOMBE made no statement to the Bench.
LARKE said he pleaded not guilty to house-breaking.
FOR TRIAL.
Accused were committed for trial, on all the charges, to the next Somerset Assize at Wells. They were advised to apply for legal aid at the Assize.
LARK was also charged with bigamy. A report of this case appears under a separate heading.