Corpun file 0696 at www.corpun.com

Hull Daily Mail, 29 August 1964

Fled from Approved School to draw attention to beating -- Solicitor

Head brutally assaulted boy -- Court allegation

A 16-YEAR-OLD HULL BOY broke out of an approved school because he was "brutally assaulted" by the headmaster, it was alleged at Hull Stipendiary Magistrate's Court.

The boy was one of two, aged 16 and 17, brought before the court charged with shopbreaking and attempted shopbreaking. Both admitted the offences.

For the younger boy, Mr C.N. Richardson said, "This boy ran away from approved school to bring to the attention of his parents that he had had a beating from the headmaster which was a brutal assault."

"Eight strokes"

Mr Richardson alleged, "The system in this school is that the recipient of the beating -- I will not say victim -- counts the strokes. But, because of the severity of the strokes, he lost count. The head asked him how many and an official said, 'Eight'."

"The boy says he flinched and the headmaster, anticipating an attack, said, "Raise your fists to me, would you," and started to take off his jacket."

Nine marks

Mr Richardson said that when the boy was examined at Hull City Police Station he showed nine marks of the cane and his mouth was injured by a blow.

"You know very well, sir, that if he had not run away nobody would have known about it," said Mr Richardson. He added that he hoped the boy would be sent to a different approved school.

He was punished for absconding on a previous occasion.

Wants to return

The other boy, Victor Petheridge of Bewholme-grove, Hull, said he absconded because his mail was not coming through.

"I want to go back to the school," he told the court.

Chief-Insp. Stanley Wikner said the boys broke into a shop in Waterloo-street, Hull, and stole 3s.6d. and a bottle of lemonade. They broke windows in another shop.

Headmaster silent

Petheridge asked for nine other offences to be taken into consideration and the younger boy seven. Most of the offences were committed while the boys were on the run from the school, within 24 hours.

Both boys were remanded in custody until the next Quarter Sessions to be considered for Borstal training.

The headmaster of the approved school was in court, but was not given an opportunity to speak.

Daily Express, London, 30 August 1964

Head hit me, claims runaway boy

Express Staff Reporter

(extract)

He escaped, Mr C.N. Richardson told a Hull court, in order to complain to his parents about the beating.

The boy, Malcolm Aubrey Norton, 16, of Liddell Street, Hull, and Victor Petheridge, 17, of Bewholme Grove, Hull, ran away from the Wellesley Nautical School, Blyth.