Friday 8 March 2013

Persistent Offenders

Every town and city will have their characters and in days long gone by, they really were persistent offenders.  Virtually all their offences would be alcohol related, and it is not a surprise back then that some of these offenders were women.  It was joked that they were in the court as much as the magistrates.

    Manchester had one "Sylvia" who was continuously arrested right up to the end of the 1940`s.  Former beat cop Tony Fletcher, as a rookie, arrested her for drunk & incapable, and took her in, which was not appreciated as she was always a mess.  Her appearance before the magistrate next morning was her 274th appearance in court.  After the hearing, she hitched a ride to Liverpool from a lorry driver.

    Bradford had it`s own resident drunk in Kate Kennedy, who had her regular beat in the town centre.  She made 225 appearances in court, and when she died, she made it on to the front page of the Telegraph & Argus.  She passed away in May 1959 aged 73.

   

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