Malicious Damage

Malicious Damage

Catherine Robinson, a soldier’s widow, meanly attired, and of dejected appearance, was charged with having on the previous evening broken a window at the Haulier’s Arms Tongwynlais. Henry West- Macott, the complainant, said that the defendant came into his house, and after offering some articles for sale used abusive language to him, and when requested to leave refused.

She was then put into the street, whereupon she smashed in rapid succession no less than six panes of glass in the defendant’s window, the aggregate value of which was 2s. 6d. In answer to the magistrates, the defendant said she had been in India and in other distant parts of the world, but she had never committed herself as in the present instance.

She had through trouble, the loss of her children, and the vicissitude of travel, contracted an affection of the brain, which made it dangerous for her to take any intoxicants. She was not sober when the offence was committed, and knew not what she was doing. She had no money to pay for the damage done, or she would have paid the amount.

The magistrates took a lenient view of the case, and sent her to prison for a week. The complainant had to pay, in addition to the loss already incurred in the demolition of his windows, the sum of 5s. 6d., the costs of the prosecution.

https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3075377/3075380/14/tongwynlais