Mexborough and Swinton Times, December 19, 1902
Wombwell Farmer Sent To Prison.
At the West Riding Assizes held at Leeds, on Friday, Henry Wolfenden (33), farmer, was indicted for having committed a criminal assault upon Alice Robinson, aged 14 years, at Wombwell, on the 26th October, and other dates within the last three months.
Mr. Alexander prosecuted, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Charles Mellor. Rawson Robertshaw (17), farm labourer, was then charged with a like offence against the same girl.
Wolfenden’s case was taken first. Prisoner is a farmer and milkseller at Wombwell, and the girl Robinson entered his service as a domestic some time in January last. On the 20th October the prisoner’s wife had gone away on a visit to some friends, and according to the girl’s story she was induced to permit the prisoner and Robertshaw to commit the offence complained of. Prisoner, she said, had frequently committed similar offences on previous occasions, in fact almost weekly.
Willingness on the part of the girl, counsel pointed out, did not affect the prisoner’s conduct. Prisoner knew the girl’s age, as he had enquired concerning it when she entered his service. When the girl left the service of the prisoner she left her box behind her at his house. When she went for the box the prisoner’s wife asked her to turn out the contents, as there was something missing. The key of the box had been left on an adjoining shelf when the girl went away. When the contents were turned out among them was found a diamond ring belonging to the prisoner’s wife. It had not been placed there by the girl, who was totally unaware of its being in the box. The girl made a complaint of the prisoner’s conduct towards her to her married sister, who waited upon prisoner for an explanation. The prisoner pretended not to understand her, but on her threatening to have the girl examined by a doctor, the prisoner exclaimed “What!” When arrested on the charge the prisoner admitted his guilt, and that he knew the girl’s age.
Prosecutrix said that she was the daughter of Amos Robinson, miner, and was 14 years old last June. She described the circumstances under which the assaults were committed.
Mr. Mellor said it seemed to him to be impossible to get over the evidence. Prisoner now desired to withdraw his plea, and plead guilty.
His Lordship said they had not heard the case fully, but from what they had heard it seemed to him to be almost as bad a case as could be.
The jury then returned a verdict of “Guilty,” and the charge against Rawson Robertshaw was preceded with. Mr. Mellor appeared for the defence.
Mr. Alexander said that the circumstances in this case were different from some of those in the previous one, but the facts were very similar. The prisoner had been in Wolfenden’s employee since July last, and had taken advantage of his presence in the house to commit the assaults upon the girl.
Prisoner went into the witness-box and said that the girl’s conduct was very frivolous. He believed her to be 17 years old.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, but strongly recommended him to mercy on account of his youth and his having been pushed forward in the commission of the offence by his employer.
Replying to the Judge, Robertshaw said he had been told by another lad that the girl was over 16.
Addressing Wolfenden, his Lordship said the case was as bad a one as it was possible to have under the statute. He was the master of the girl, the person who ought to have protected her, and taken care that she did not behave in the way he said she said she did.
He was very sorry indeed he had not been indicted for aiding and abetting Robertshaw to do it, because then there would have been two offences. The most he could give him under this statute was two years imprisonment, and he was going to give him that. If he had been indicted for aiding and abetting he should have been given him two sentences, the one to run on after the other.
Turning to Robertshaw, his Lordship told him he was in a very different position. He was young – only 17 – but he was afraid that a good many other young men did similar things. He did not think he could properly let the prisoner off altogether, but he would nearly do that. He would have to go to gaol for a month.