Two boys, aged 13 and 14, were charged with stealing bananas and oranges to the value of 2s 7d at Watford on May 23.

PC Rogers deposed that at 10.10pm, a report was received at the police station from Henry Aston that a number of bananas and oranges had been removed from a cart in his shed in Albert Street. Later, witness saw one of the defendants who admitted climbing over the fence and taking the oranges and bananas while the other defendant waited outside.

Witness said he went down to see the fathers of the boys, and they both gave the boys a good thrashing.

The chairman said that as both the defendants had been thrashed, they could go, but they would be more severely dealt with if they came before the Bench again.

[From the Watford Observer of June 10, 1922]

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