Folkestone Herald 15-5-1971
Local News
When 1,400 continentals visit Folkestone next Thursday
the doors of local pubs will be open to them all afternoon. On Tuesday local
Magistrates decided in favour of a second application to allow 17 pubs to
remain open especially for the visitors. They had vetoed a previous
application. The second made by publicans was amended to allow for a half-hour
break at 5.30 p.m. before their premises opened for the evening session.
Mr. J. Medlicott, for the publicans, told the Magistrates
that the visitors were delegates attending a conference in Bruges. One of its
highlights was to be a visit to England. He referred to a letter received by
Folkestone Corporation from the British Tourist Authority supporting the
publicans` application. The visit – by Dutch, Swiss, Belgians and Germans – was
a special occasion, not just a shopping expedition, said Mr. Medlicott. It had
been arranged by a Bruges tourist organisation which had particularly asked
that pubs should be open in the afternoon.
Police Inspector R. Sanders made no formal objection to
the application – but doubted whether the visit was a special occasion.
The Chairman of Folkestone Chamber of Trade, Mr. Alan
Stephenson, said later “The cross-Channel visitors` committee of this Chamber
is very pleased that this has been seen as a special occasion by the Justices. When one is reminded that this
extension is no more than happens in many market towns every week of the year,
it seems a fair request, especially as Folkestone’s image abroad could be much
influenced by the original decision not to allow the pubs to open”.
The pubs which will stay
open are; Jubilee, Ship, Oddfellows, Royal George, London and Paris, True
Briton, Harbour Inn, Princess Royal, Clarendon, Brewery Tap, Earl Grey, Prince
Albert, George, Globe, East Kent Arms,
Guildhall and Shakespeare.
Folkestone Gazette
28-2-1973
Local News
Licensee of the George Inn, George Lane, Folkestone, Mr. Dennis Herbert
Chapman, on Monday lost his High Court appeal against his conviction for
selling intoxicating drink to a youth under the age of 18. Mr. Chapman had been fined £10
when he appeared before magistrates at Folkestone.
Mr. Justice
Ashworth, sitting with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery, and Mr. Justice
Bridge, said the offence arose out of the sale of a light ale and lime to a
14-year-old youth. When the case was heard, objection was taken on behalf of
Mr. Chapman to the fact that a declaration preceding a statement made by a forensic
analyst had not been signed.
But there was no requirement that the declaration must be signed, said
the judge. It was the statement, incorporating the declaration, which had to be
signed by the witness. The justices were right to reject this objection to the admissibility of
the statement. It had also been said there was insufficient evidence to show
that Mr. Chapman had personally sold the drink to the youth, but that had not
been pressed, said Mr. Justice Ashworth.
The appeal was dismissed with costs.
Folkestone Gazette
20-2-1974
Local News
A Folkestone police inspector, fined £5 on Monday for
being drunk in Sandgate Road, told Magistrates that he had been warned that he
would be “stitched” – police jargon for a frame-up or concocted evidence
against him. Brian Francis McConnell, 29, of 21, Earls Avenue, pleaded Not
Guilty before three Cranbrook Magistrates at a special Folkestone Court. The magistrates were brought in as McConnell was, until December, court
inspector at Folkestone.
P.C. Donald Weeks said that he was on
motor patrol duty with Sergeant Ian Worledge at 1.10 a.m. on December 20. They
were parked in the police bay outside Debenham`s store when McConnell staggered
towards the car. He tapped on the window and asked about two people to whom
P.C. Weeks had spoken on the previous night. McConnell`s voice was slurred, and
he staggered backwards, collapsing on his back in Debenham`s doorway. P.C.
Weeks said “Mr. McConnell got to his feet, came back and said he was drunk, or
words to that effect. He asked for a lift home and got into the rear of the
vehicle”. They drove off, but had travelled only a little way when McConnell
told the sergeant to get out of the car. They continued to Earl`s Avenue and
stopped outside McConnell`s home, but he refused to leave the car. A call was
made to Inspector Philip Roberts, who arrived at Earl`s Avenue and ordered
McConnell to be taken to Folkestone police station.
Cross-examined by Mr. Michael Lewer,
Q.C., defending, P.C. Weeks agreed that it was an unusual matter for him to be
dealing with an inspector in a case like that. Mr. Lewer asked “You made no
record in your note book?”
P.C. Weeks: I didn`t put in any speech.
Is the reason that you didn`t think you
would have to recount the speech? – Yes, sir. I thought it would be dealt with
in a different way – if at all.
Asked whether McConnell had a
reputation of being something of a joker, P.C. Weeks said “It may be the case,
but I don`t know of it”.
P.C. Weeks said that on the previous
night he had been called to the George Inn, George Lane, at the request of
McConnell, who complained that there were two uninvited people at a private
party.
Sergeant Worledge agreed he helped
Inspector Roberts to put McConnell in a cell. He described McConnell as
normally a light-hearted pleasant man, but said that when he was in the police
car he seemed distraught – “very upset indeed”. “I had formed the opinion that
he was drunk”, he said. Sergeant Worledge agreed with Mr. Lewer that a drunk
was usually searched and his tie and bootlaces taken away from him. This did
not happen in McConnell`s case.
Inspector Roberts said that when he saw
McConnell in Earls Avenue, he said to him “Come on Brian, it’s time to go to
bed”. McConnell fell sideways on the back seat of the police car. At the police
station, McConnell stood against a wall and collapsed before being assisted
into a cell. At 5.30 a.m., McConnell was awake. Inspector Roberts said “I asked
him if he was feeling better and he said “That’s the safest sleep I have had
for a long time. They are trying to get me””. Told he was being taken home,
McConnell asked why. “I told him “I don`t want every copper in this station to
see you in this condition””, said Inspector Roberts.
Referred by Mr. Lewer to the police
occurrence book for the date in question, Inspector Roberts agreed that no
entry was made about McConnell being placed in a cell.
Asked if he knew McConnell well, he
replied “Inspectors are people who pass in the night”. He was aware that
McConnell had been given notice of his transfer to County Headquarters at
Maidstone and was not happy about the move.
P.C. Harry Salisbury, station officer
at the time McConnell was taken to the police station, told the Court that he
saw him leave in the morning. He did not see McConnell wink at him. Asked
whether he knew McConnell as a practical joker, P.C. Salisbury agreed that he
was once told to ring a telephone number which turned out to be that of Recipe
of the Day.
On oath, McConnell said that he had
been in the police force for seven and a half years and an inspector for 18
months. He heard in December that he was being transferred to the operations
room at County Headquarters. “I regarded it as a retrograde step. I thought it
was a bad administrative move”, he said. McConnell said that on the morning of
December 18 he slipped at the police station and hurt his knee. Throughout the
afternoon he was at Hythe, on duty as escort to Miss World, who was paying a
visit to the town. McConnell said that after Miss World had finished her
official duties, he asked her and her manager to have a drink with him. “They
wanted to find their way through Folkestone to the A20 and I invited them to
have a drink at the George. They accepted, and were there for about 20 minutes
after which I accompanied them to the A20”. Afterwards he stayed behind as a
guest of the landlord at a private party. McConnell said that on the following
day his leg was hurting so he rang the police station to say that he would not
be in. Later that day he decided to keep a lunchtime appointment. On the way
there he saw P.C. Robin Venner, with whom he had been working for 2½ years. “He
said I should be careful because there was a rumour going around the police
station that someone was going to stitch me”.
Asked what “stitched” meant, McConnell
said “To a police officer it means a frame-up or a concocted evidence job”.
McConnell went on: “I was frightened
and apprehensive so I went to the offices of the Folkestone Herald and Gazette,
where I made a telephone call. There were several reporters there and I asked
them to listen to the call to Superintendent Snelling. I asked him to make a
note in his pocket book of the time and date, so that if anything happened it
would be recorded as evidence on my behalf. Superintendent Snelling said that
he would write it down and asked me to be in his office at 2.30 p.m. to see Chief
Superintendent Pullinger from Dover. I had a lengthy interview about Miss
World, the George, my objection to transfer and my criticism of the
administration of the force. I was then asked to make a written statement.
Superintendent Snelling then asked Mr. Eric Haslam, the deputy chief constable,
to come to Folkestone from Maidstone as soon as possible”. McConnell said Mr.
Haslam arrived and there was another long interview. He eventually left the
police station at 7.15 p.m. He went for a meal and then met his girlfriend,
Mrs. Sandra Leach, at 8.30 p.m. They had two halves of lager at the George, two
or three at the Harbour Inn and two at the Princess Royal before returning to
the George. Later they stayed behind with the landlord and his wife, when, said
McConnell, he drank four or five Southern Comfort bourbon liqueurs – the drink
taken by Miss World the previous evening.
Mr. Lewer: You were following in the
footsteps of Miss World?
“I was indeed, sir”, replied McConnell,
who said the drink affected his mood but not his speech or faculties. As he
walked home with Mrs. Leach a police car passed them on at least one occasion.
“I was annoyed”, said McConnell. “For 2½ years I had felt that I was being
followed by night duty policemen. Perhaps it relieved the boredom of night
duty. I believed that, because of my girlfriend, I was an item of curiosity at
the police station. As I walked by the police car I said “this is getting too much”,
bearing in mind the events of the day. I asked my girl friend to walk on ahead
and a police car drew alongside. I tapped on the window and spoke for some time
about the events of the previous night and of Miss World’s visit”.
Mr. Lewer: The police
say that you stepped back into the entrance to Debenhams and collapsed in the doorway.
McConnell: I told
them I had been drinking and challenged them to arrest me. I didn`t know if
they were the ones trying to stitch me. They said “There is nothing wrong with
you – go home”. I said that if I were to sit in the doorway then they could
arrest me. There was no-one at the scene and I was not making a spectacle of
myself. I was calling their hand. I know that I was foolish, but I`m not
accused of being foolish. I was accused of being drunk, which I was not.
McConnell said he
asked the sergeant to get out of the car because he was talking about getting
an inspector there. “His manner made me apprehensive”. By the time he reached
his home there were three police officers involved and he was sure he would be
reported to the superintendent. “I had reached the point of no return”, he
said. “My state of mind was not what it should have been. I was playing it
along and acting out of character. When I decided to push it to the limit, I
decided to fool around, slurring my speech and acting drunk. I was partly
apprehensive because of my fear of being stitched, and then because I thought I
was carrying a joke too far”. Asked about his reputation as a joker, McConnell
said that in a mundane job he played jokes over his personal radio. “I did not
hurt the public, and I feel that my section has the highest morale in
Folkestone”, he said. McConnell said that he was collected from his home at
10.20 a.m. the same morning and taken to Superintendent Terry Snelling who gave
him the choice of resigning on the spot or being suspended and subjected to a
police inquiry. He did not resign and was suspended.
Cross-examined by Mr.
Colin Staples, McConnell denied that he was not on official duty when he acted
as escort to Miss World. He said “Inspector John Ansell was on night duty and
passed it on to me”. Of the episode in Sandgate Road, McConnell said “If it was
a joke, I accept that I went too far”.
Mrs. Sandra Leach, of
67a, Wear Bay Crescent, Folkestone, said that she was a former barmaid and was
well able to judge whether or not a man was drunk. On the night in question
McConnell was limping badly, but was definitely not drunk.
Asked if she was his
girlfriend, Mrs. Leach said “I was at the time, but we are not seeing each
other at present”.
Mrs. June Chapman,
wife of the licensee of the George, said that when McConnell left the public
house he was “merry but capable”. She said he did not slur his speech.
Summing up, Mr. Lewer
said of McConnell: Maybe he had too much time – and who can blame him – with
Miss World and had got into hot water. Being accused of being drunk is a minor
matter to most people. This man`s career in the police force is in shreds and
tatters anyway. He is a man who has now got to pick up what he can. How he can
justify himself at a disciplinary hearing I don`t know, but in my submission
his behaviour cannot be put down to being drunk. It was just one incident in a
difficult day.
After a short
retirement, the Magistrates found the case proved, and fined McConnell £5. He
was given 21 days to pay after indicating that he would be lodging an appeal.
Folkestone Herald
9-8-1975
Local News
A Folkestone man found Guilty of assaulting a police officer was given a
six-month sentence by Folkestone Magistrates last Friday.
Roy Miller, 25, of
Thanet Gardens, who denied the offence, was also fined £5 for threatening
behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace. He was
bound over in the sum of £25 to keep the peace and was ordered to pay £7 costs.
No order for legal aid was made. James Daley, 25, of St. John’s Street, was also fined £5
for threatening behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace and bound over in the sum of £25 to keep the
peace. He too was ordered to pay £7 towards
the cost of the prosecution. He pleaded Not Guilty.
The charges arose
from an incident outside The George Inn, George Lane, Folkestone, in May. When the police arrived, a group of about a dozen young
people were scuffling in the street, the Magistrates were told.
Police Constable
Arthur Morris said he saw Daley grab hold of another man`s shirt and raise his
fist. The officer grabbed hold of Daley, who told
him “This is nothing to do with you. This is family”. As they were talking, Miller ran up and told him to leave
Daley alone. Police Constable Morris said “I
saw P.C. Cox stand in front of Miller, trying
to calm him down. Miller brought up his knee between P.C. Cox’s legs; he
gasped and doubled up”.
Police Constable
Charles Cox told the court he was badly bruised and in pain for days
afterwards.
Mr. Brian Deaville,
defending, asked Police Constable Phillip Musgrave why three policemen were
needed to hold down Miller, who was
only a little chap?
“Yes, but he is wiry with it”, replied the officer.
Daley said that by the time the police had arrived, the fight was over. The police told him that if he
did not tell them the names of the people with whom he was fighting he would be
arrested. “I said.
O.K., take me now”, added Daley.
Miller told the court he definitely had not kneed P.C. Cox.
The case was interrupted when Daley’s sister, Faith, took the oath. The clerk to the court, Mr. Stanley
Winchester, stopped the proceedings to ask “Has
anyone been outside the court and talked to you about this case?”
“No”, replied Miss
Daley.
Pointing to a man in
the gallery, Mr. Winchester said “What, about that man over there?”
The man stood up and
said he had talked to Miss Daley outside, but not about the case.
(There is a further
sentence printed, but unfortunately the end of the report was not printed.)
Folkestone Herald
28-7-1979
Stroller
Drinkers have been supping their ale in Folkestone`s George Inn for more than 400 years. The George is thought to be the town`s oldest pub, and its history is
outlined in a recently published book about ancient Folkestone drinking
establishments.
The landlord, Dennis
Chapman, is proud to run the oldest pub in town. “I
knew it was old because the doors to the cellar are below ground level, but I didn’t
realise how old it was”, he said this week.
The pub, which is in
George Lane, used to be called the Cheker. It was mentioned in the town accounts
for 1525 when the mayor entertained, travelling players at the inn. A Master Kennett managed the pub and the Kennett family
has been connected with Folkestone for many centuries. It got its new name by 1729, and records show that two horses
were stolen from the George’s stable that year. The earliest official reference
to it comes in the Folkestone Sessions book for 1766 when Neat Ladd was the
licensee. “At the beginning of the present
century it was the rendezvous of the George Inn Cork Club, many of the members
of which were total abstainers”, says the book. The
book is called Old Folkestone Pubs and it is written by Dr. C. H. Bishop.
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| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
South Kent Gazette
23-4-1980
Local News
A former Scout leader propositioned two young girls
outside a pub, it was alleged in Court last Tuesday.
Folkestone Magistrates heard from a 17-year-old girl that
she was walking past the George pub, in George Lane, Folkestone, when Frank
Michael White, of Salisbury Road, Cheriton, came out. “He came put and said
“What are you two young ladies doing out at this time of night?””, said the
girl. She told the Court that White then pulled a wallet out of his pocket,
showed her a badge and a card, and said “C.I.D.”. “He started talking to us and
propositioning. He offered us money to go to the Motel Burstin with him”.
After the trial White was convicted of falsely suggesting
he was a police officer by showing a badge and a card and claiming to be a
C.I.D. member. He was fined £25 with £30 costs.
When asked by P.C. Clive Ellesmore, white admitted that
the badge and card were his, but denied propositioning the girls or offering
them money.
According to White the incident happened about 10.40 p.m.
when he was drinking with two friends at the George. One of his friends, Mr.
Ian Duff, went outside and was followed by Mr. Steven Russell, of Downs Road,
Folkestone. A short while later White went after them and said “I think you are
being a bit silly getting involved with young girls. They look too young”. And
he claimed that Mr. Duff took his wallet and started to wave it around.
Although White tried to get it back, his friend kept the wallet out of reach.
Folkestone Herald
25-4-1986
Local News
A burglar was scared away from a Folkestone pub by the
landlord in the early hours last week.
The landlord of The George, Raymond Holcombe,
narrowly missed losing over £1,000 in cash stored on the property. Mr. Holcombe said he woke at 4.30 am last Thursday to find a man dressed
in black stalking along his landing. He jumped out of bed, but the door was
slammed in his face. “By the time I had opened it the
burglar was out of the window he got through, which must be 35 feet off the
ground”, he said.
The incident happened the same day Mr. Holcombe was due to leave and
hand over the tenancy. He suffered another break-in less than two months ago,
when cash and property worth £250 were stolen. “I think
the burglar must have been somebody who knew I was leaving, and who thought the
premises were already empty”, he added.
Note: This does not appear in More Bastions.
Folkestone Herald
23-1-1987
Local News
A man charged with breaking two windows at a public house and with
handling stolen goods appeared before Magistrates on Friday. James Lees, 37, of Wood Avenue,
Folkestone, pleaded Guilty to both charges. He is married with four children.
The court heard that on August 14 last year Lees was drinking in the
George Inn in George Lane, Folkestone, when he became involved in a row with
other customers. During the
argument, Lees picked up a pool cue and smashed the two windows causing £50
worth of damage. He was restrained by landlord Brian Tofts and then left the
pub. On
September 18, 1986, he was arrested by police and accused of handling stolen goods received from a friend who
was later jailed for three months. When he was arrested, Lees was wearing a round-neck pullover worth £13
which was one of a number of items of clothing reported as stolen from town
centre shops in Folkestone during September.
The court heard that, until the incident in the George Inn, Lees, who
had had a serious drink problem, had not touched alcohol for four months. But the visit of a friend from Scotland
triggered the drinking session.
Magistrates adjourned sentence on Lees for three weeks and ordered a
social inquiry report. He was remanded on unconditional bail until February 6.
Folkestone Herald
3-4-1987
Local News
Mystery surrounds the closure of the George
public house in Folkestone town centre. The pub has
been closed this week, and a sign on the door says “Closed. Sorry, no beer.”
A spokesman for Fremlins Brewery admitted that
three months’ notice had been served on the landlord of the tenanted pub, Brian
Tofts. He added “The three month period has now
elapsed, and we are taking legal steps.” Fremlins were
unable to confirm or deny speculation that Mr. Tofts has locked himself inside
the George and refuses to vacate the premises.
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| Photo from Folkestone Herald |
Folkestone Herald
10-4-1987
Local News
A Folkestone publican claimed this week he has been
driven out of his pub by vicious louts. Brian Tofts, 49, the landlord of
Folkestone`s oldest pub, the George, has put up the shutters because he can no
longer cope with the activities of his clientele. He told the Herald “This is
my first pub, and when I took over last April I had the best intentions. I
ejected a certain element
who were using it to sell drugs, and the place seemed to have potential. In
just 12 months I have had to ban over 70 people, and both my stepson and myself
have incurred injuries from breaking up fights. The last straw was when
somebody stole the charity collection boxes off the bar and stole money from
the till when I was separating two individuals involved in a vicious struggle.
I have worked in Brixton Community Centre and experienced riots, muggings and
street violence, but nothing compares with this. I honestly believe this is the
roughest pub in Britain”, Mr. Tofts said.
A
spokesman for Fremlins Brewery admitted three months` notice had been served on
the tenanted pub, and as this time had been served they were taking legal steps
to reclaim the property.
Local News
A man charged with smashing beer glasses and other
property at a Folkestone bar was further remanded in custody by the town’s Magistrates
on Friday. Mr. Andrew Peter Challen, 29, of Dallas Brett Crescent, Folkestone,
is accused of damaging the glasses, ashtrays and spirit optics, together
worth £65, owned by Brian Tofts, on March 16 this year.
Folkestone Herald
10-7-1987
Local News
A pub landlord due to be barred by a brewery was given a breather this
week. Mr. Brian Tofts, the landlord of one of Folkestone’s oldest pubs, the
George, faces eviction by Whitbreads after shutting out customers in April. He barred
regulars at the town centre local in George Lane after trouble with customers
and a dispute with the brewery. At the time Mr. Tofts claimed the pub was the
roughest in Britain.
This week, Whitbreads agreed to adjourn their civil case against him for
six weeks at Folkestone County Court. The brewers claim that Mr. Tofts has
not paid any rent since March.
However, he said this week that the George had been in such a bad
condition that he had spent well over £5,000 fixing it up. After the
adjournment, Mr. Tofts said “We need a breathing space. Quite honestly I think
I have been caught by Whitbreads”. The adjournment is doubly welcome as Mr.
Tofts and his family say they have nowhere to go. “I have
got nowhere else to go and I have spent all my money on the pub”, Mr Tofts added.
When the case finally goes ahead it is expected to last about two days,
and he plans to produce photographs to support his claim that the George was
unfit for habitation, before he did it up.
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