On This Day in Wembury — 31 October 1935: Candle grease clue fails in Wembury housebreaking trial
On this day the Western Morning News reported the Devon Assize trial of Henry Alfred Cole, a 50-year-old labourer, accused of breaking and entering Prince’s Farm at Down Thomas, Wembury parish, the home of Robert Pitts Giles. The house had been entered on 6 October by smashing a zinc window. A pink ornamental candle found inside had been lit and used by the intruder, and police claimed grease stains on Cole’s coat and waistcoat matched the substance of that candle.
Evidence was given by Sergeant Ball and an analyst from Plymouth police laboratory who confirmed that the wax samples were of the same group. Cole, represented by Mr H. Elam, denied the charge, stating he had been at the village inn from 6.35 to 10.30 that evening. He explained that grease on his clothing came from his children’s birthday cake, which just days before had been decorated with candles of several colours. The jury accepted his account and returned a verdict of not guilty, and Cole was discharged.
This case shows how forensic evidence was beginning to be used in local trials but also how tenuous such matches could be. It sits with other Wembury-area court stories, such as the 1825 Gabber Bridge assault and the 1908 Lewin housebreaking, illustrating how rural crimes were pursued through the higher courts.
Source: Western Morning News, 31 Oct 1935