English: Name: Frank Bourke

Arrested for: not given
Arrested at: North Shields Police Station
Arrested on: 9 August 1907
Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-111-Frank Burke
A newspaper report of the case has been found although it contains two different spellings of the prisoner's name, making it unclear which is the right one. The Shields Daily News for 15 August 1907 reports:
"BREAKING INTO A CABIN ON THE LONG SANDS.
At North Shields Police Court today, Michael Macauley (19), labourer, Sunderland, and Francis Burke (21), brass founder, belonging to Cornwall, were charged with breaking and entering a stall on the Long Sands and stealing a quantity of biscuits and toffee and two glasses, the property of Mr A. Stephenson.
PC King stated that on Thursday last at 7am, he was examining the cabins on the sands. There was an opening in the deals of Mr Stephenson's cabin and Burke was looking out of it. He told witness that he was watching the bathers. Burke gave his address and witness was satisfied that it was correct and allowed him to come out of the cabin, and saw Macauley in a corner with two boxes of biscuits, a bottle of toffee and two bottles of lemonade with the stoppers drawn. The window of theinner cabin, in which the goods were stocked, was broken. Macauley said "I was only going to finish the biscuits." He took him into custody and later arrested Bourke, who in reply to the charge said "That is quite right."
Mr G.R. Duncan, who defended Burke, said he was a lad who had hitherto borne an excellent character, but had fallen out of employment, and getting into Macauley's company, he yielded to temptation at a time when he was very hungry. The Chief Constable has kindly promised to assist him to go to sea. Burke was bound over in the sum of £5 for six months and Macauley was remanded for a day to enable the police to make further enquiries concerning him."
These images are a selection from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 in the collection of Tyne & Wear Archives (TWA ref DX1388/1).

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