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Leonard Rose

Age: unknown

Sex: male

Date: 10 Jun 1905

Place: West Hanney, Wantage

Leonard Rose died after a fight. A man was charged with his manslaughter, but no evidence was presented, and he was found not guilty at the Berkshire Assizes on 23 June 1905.

The man was indicted of the charge that he had attacked Leonard Rose in Wantage on 27 May 1905 causing injuries from which he later died of on 10 June 1905.

It was noted that Leonard Rose was a youth who had been of somewhat irregular habits at the time he met his death having just been committed to the Assizes on a charge of rape with two other people following an assault on a woman in West Hanney on 21 May 1905.

He had just been to Wantage and it was said that he seemed to have been in a very quarrelsome mood and at the trial it was said that it was a case in which the man tried should be shown some sympathy for that reason.

However, whilst it was noted that he had been provoked, it did not necessarily follow that his conduct was justified.

It was said that Leonard Rose had had too much to drink and that he had had a bit of a tussle in Wantage and that when the man saw him he said, 'You were a fool to make a bother with your brother up in town', to which Leonard Rose was said to have replied, 'I will strangle you' and that a struggle then ensued.

A man that saw the struggle said that he saw the man strike Leonard Rose and knock him down and then also strike him several more times whilst he was on the ground.

However, after hearing the evidence the judge had a conversation with the prosecution as to whether there was sufficient evidence for the case to go on after which the prosecution did not offer any evidence on the charge, and the jury brought in a formal verdict of 'Not guilty'.

The judge then noted that he had read through the depositions twice and could not see that there was anything against the man being tried other than he used the expression referred to.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Berkshire Chronicle - Saturday 24 June 1905