Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 05 April 1927

Gaol for Constable.

Notes Stolen From Bag at Mexborough

George Yates, for 17 years member of the West Riding Constabulary, was at Doncaster yesterday sent to prison for three months with hard labour for stealing £11 Is. belonging to a Mexborough school teacher, Dennis Turnbull.

It was stated by Superintendent Minty that the money was found in the street by a boy, who took it to the police station, where Yates was in charge. The boy had found that the bag contained Treasury notes and some small amount of cash. At the police station Yates took possession of the satchel. Instead of there and then turning out the contents in the presence of the boy, he went into an adjoining office, where he examined the satchel. The officer then told the boy that the satchel contained only Is. Id., although the boy said there were some Treasury notes inside it.

Prisoner, however, persisted that the satchel contained no Treasury notes. The matter was later reported to the sergeant at the police office. The prisoner persistently denied all knowledge of any Treasury notes and was allowed to go home. After he had gone a search was made in the coal cellar at the police office, and there seven Treasury notes were found concealed under a wooden box.

Prisoner was fetched back to the police office and on being searched £4 10s. 0d. in Treasury nob’s were found in his possession. He admitted that the seven notes in the coal cellar were the proceeds of the robbery, and of the £4 10s. 0d. in his possession, £3 was stolen money.

He was detained and charged with the offence. The Chief Constable of the West Riding (Colonel Coke), said he had known Yates ever since he joined the police force. He was formerly a sergeant clerk at Skipton, but said he was sorry he could not say much for him. He had been reduced in the ranks, drinking had been his downfall, and things were not satisfactory while he was at Bradford, so they moved him to Mexborough. He had had every warning.

The chairman, Mr. G. Shiffner, in sentencing him, said: “The less said about this the better. It is a most serious case, for not only are you disgracing yourself, but you have brought disgrace upon a magnificent police force.”