| As ever, it seemed John behaved
very well in prison and was released early. but as usual
it wasn't long before he was in trouble again. He had been discharged on 3 January 1907, supposedly into the care of the Discharged Prisoners Aid Society once again, but just over one month later he was back at Birmingham Police Court, having broken into a house and stolen various clothes and material. He received a sentence of only 18 months, but one of hard labour, which in his advancing years (he is now in his sixties) must have been tough. |
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Birmingham Daily Mail, 16 July
1909 A BAD RECORD At Aston Police Court, this morning, John
Dawson, alias Preece, Norris and Priest, no fixed
abode, was charged with loitering in Clifford
Street, Aston, with intent to commit a felony. Police Constable Sweeney gave evidence in
support of the charge. At the police station prisoner told Inspector
Wright that he had been out in the rain all the
previous night and had had nothing to eat for 32
hours. He said he must do something; he could not
starve. The Inspector gave the man some food, and
he was locked up. Deputy Chief Constable Hannah said the
prisoner, who was 70 years of age, had been
charged with housebreaking seventeen times, and
his added sentences amounted to 46 years and 8
months, whilst if other sentences were included
which ran concurrently, they would bring the total
up to 66 years and 8 months. |
18 months later, John is
released, but in a matter of weeks he has returned to
his old ways. As reported by the newspaper (left), he told the police officer that he had been out in the rain all night, and indeed hadn't eaten for over a day, and so was attempting to steal in order to provide money for food. The court heard of his now very lengthy string of previous convictions, and the huge amount of time he had spent in prison during his lifetime, and, despite his age, he received yet another 12 months of hard labour. As it turned out, this was John's final time in prison. The 1911 census finds him at the Aston Union Workhouse, on Union Road in the Erdington area of Birmingham - he is now 72, a widower, described as formerly a smith and a fitter. Two years later, John is now in Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary, and passes away on 5 October 1913, brought on by pneumonia and heart failure. His age is given as 74 (although this is probably incorrect). |
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| This brings down the curtain on a
remarkable life - 21 separate charges, with many
other offences not included in the charges, a number
of aliases used, and a total of 48 years
imprisonment all after the age of 17, indeed
sentencing totalled 69 years if you add in the
concurrent verdicts. A final summary of his Court
and Sessions appearances :- |
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