The Broken Chain
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4101400309 |
| Published date | 01 July 1941 |
| Author | W. Meese |
| Date | 01 July 1941 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The
Broken
Chain
By INSPECTOR W. MEESE
City of Leicester Police
D
DRING
the months of April and May, 1935, several
offences of shop-breaking were committed in a certain
part
of Leicester, and in each instance it was a pork butcher's
shop that was entered. All these offences were committed
between the hours of
10
p.m, and 6 a.m., and the property
stolen from each shop comprised mostly legs of pork and
rabbits.
The
modus
operandi
in each case was the same. Entrance
was effected by means of the fanlight over the front door, the
fanlight having been left slightly ajar and on a chain for the
purpose of ventilation.
The
screw holding the chain was in
each case wrenched out and the fanlight let down, leaving an
aperture large enough for a person to climb through. Although
athorough examination was made at each shop, no clues were
found to lead to the identity of the culprit.
As a result of enquiries suspicion fell on a man whom we
will call K, who lived in the district where the crimes were
committed. This man was known to the Police and had been
convicted for larceny in Leicestershire a few years previously.
Extensive enquiries were made about him,
but
Police were
unable to find any conclusive evidence which connected him
with the crimes.
The
only thing that could be ascertained was
that on one or two occasions he had sold some rabbits.
This
did not prove anything, as he frequently went poaching and
the rabbits may well have been the results of his nights'
activities in this pursuit.
Yet although Police had no evidence to justify them in
making an arrest they were convinced that this man had com-
mitted this series of offences.
They
knew, however, that
it
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