Supreme Court Alternative Charges Of Robbery, Theft

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29900, 14 August 1962, Page 12

Supreme Court Alternative Charges Of Robbery, Theft

Alan Alexander Hamilton, aged 32, a painter (Mr M. G. L. laxaghnan), was charged in the Supreme Court yesterday with alternatively the robbery or theft of a wallet and £24 IQs from William Thomas Desmond Cowlishaw, aged 82, retired, at the Excelsior Hotel, Manchester street, about 6 p.m. on June 2.

Mr C. M. Roper, for the Crown, said that Cowlishaw went to the hotel about 5.30 p.m, and after a few drinks was walking down a passage to the front door when four or five men crowded him. One'grabbed his throat to stop him crying out. and he felt someone pick his back pocket When he was released, he found his wallet

was missing. Although Cowlishaw’s eyesight was not particularly good, he believed Hamilton was one of the men. The hotel's house manager would say that he watched Hamilton and three others walk up the passage from the bottle store, appearing to crowd Cowlishaw. The house manager saw Cowlishaw’s head snap back, and saw Hamilton’s hand lift the back flap of his coat and go Into the pocket. He heard Cowlishaw shout that he had been robbed, and saw Hamilton and another man rush out of the hotel. The two remaining men were searched, but did not have the wallet, said Mr Roper. Less than 15 minutes later Hamilton returned to the hotel to use the toilet. He declined to stay until the police arrived, but met them at the door as he tried to leave.

Hamilton told the police he had rushed out to shift his car, which was blocking Struthers lane, but his car was found to be still across the lane, Mr Roper said. The wallet was found in the lane two days later with two £5 notes still in it They were in a back compartment, and had apparently been overlooked. Hamilton was arrested on June 6, said Mr Roper. In evidence, CoWlishaw said he was “pretty well sure" Hamilton was the man who had crouched and grabbed at his throat Mr Justice Richmond adjourned the trial until today. Guilty Of Indecent Assault Neville Brooks Kemp, aged 26, a telephone exchange operator (Mr D. H. Stringer), was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury yesterday of indecent assault on a male at New Brighton on May 10. It was Kemp’s second trial, the jury having failed to agree at the first trial. Mr Justice Macarthur remanded Kerip in custody for sentence on Friday.