FINE FOR EX-RECTOR

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4951, 4 February 1937, Page 2

FINE FOR EX-RECTOR

STORY OF STAGE OFFER TO KIOSK GIRLS. MAGISTRATES VIEW OF STATION INCIDENTS. Incidents stated to have happened at Victoria Station, London, were described at Westminster, where Harold Francis Davidson, '65, the former Rector of Stiffkey, who was described as a lecturer, of London, was charged with wilfully trespassing on and refusing to quit railway property on December 8. Prosecuting on behalf of the London Passenger Transport Board, Mr. J. A. Morley told the magistrate that on December 7 Davidson purchased a bar of chocolate cream from a refreshment kiosk, and entered into conversation with the girl in charge of the kiosk and another girl, both aged 16. He told them that he was looking for a leading lady for the stage, 1 and if they liked he could give them a trial; that they would get £6 a week, and that the play was to be produced at the Metropolitan Theatre, Edgware Road. Then it would go abroad. He showed them some photographs of a girl on the stage, and said it was his daughter". He arranged to meet them the following night to talk it over. "These young girls were somewhat taken at the time by. this marvellous offer of being leading ladies at £5," declared Mr. Morley, who went oh to say that about 9 p.m. on December 8 Davidson appeared at Victoria Station and when he saw the girls he waved to them. He suggested that they should go out with him to a cafe, arid said, "You had better go first because it does not look well for an old man to be seen going out with two young girls, and I Will follow." Went to Another Platform. The girls were frightened arid went to another platform. Davidson was about to follow, and was stopped by a railway policeman, to whom he replied that he was not travelling and had no business to do at the station. Mr. Morley explained that when told he would have to leave the station Davidson said, "I won't leave the station. Take me to the police station." This was done, and Davidson asked "Can't we come to some arrangement so I won't be put on the chargesheet " Evidence was given by Violet Olding of Westminister, that Davidson told her that he was to take the part of a doctor in the play. She had never seen him before. Davidson went into the witness-box, and just after he had started giving his testimony, the magistrate remarked to him, "Would you mind keeping your hands out of your pockets." Davidson stated that he had been to Westminster Hall and was travelling from St. James's Park Station to South Kensington. He came off the train at Victoria, as he had promised a girl to let her have a copy of a play to read over. His only reason for suggesting that they might leave the station to discuss the play was because one of the girls was employed at the station, and she might not care to be seen speaking to passengers on the station.

Going to Get a Ticket. When he was stopped by the plainclothes police officer he was going to get a ticket for South Kensington. "It was only when on the way to the police station that I found that they were railway police. I began to wonder if I had fallen into the hands of some gangsters," Davidson declared. He proceeded to say that had he known they were railway police he would have asked to see the stationmaster and have had the matter cleared up right away. Mr. Davidson alleged that some of the policemen's statements were deliberately, untrue, ,"I have heard that the police 'frame-up' cases. Now I know it. Fortunately, they are not the Metropolitan Police but only the railway police." The magistrate remarked that from the exhibition that Davidson had given in court of his temperament it was easy to understand what had happened. He seemed an excitable person, and when the officer told him to leave the station, Davidson entirely lost his temper. He had no hesitation in finding that Davidson was a trespasser when he refused to leave the station. He imposed a fine of 40s with five guineas costs, and allowed a week fn which to J>ay.