In April of 1851, a man called John Speed was employed as a wood worker and lived in Brown Street, Sheffield. On the night of 27 April he went out for a quiet drink after finishing work. John visited several pubs in Sheffield, but around 11.30 pm, he was to be found inside Littlewood’s public house in West Street, Sheffield. John asked for a drink and after it was supplied, he looked around to see if there was anyone he knew. John quickly saw a 22 year old man called George Staley who was sat with two other men that he did not know. He acknowledged Staley with a curt nod as continued drink his ale. Accordingly, it was around midnight when John finally decided it was time to make his way home.

As it was a dark night, John was careful to walk in the middle of the road as he walked up West Street, when suddenly he heard someone behind him. Looking round he saw Staley and the two men he had been drinking with, now following him. John, fearful that the men had some criminal intentions towards him, turned around and proceeded down Holly Street, all the time increasing his pace. That was when he heard running footsteps as the men started to run towards him. Now John knew that they did indeed intend him harm, as one of them knocked him savagely at the back of his head with a heavy stick.

Fearful of his money being taken from him, John kept his hand in his left hand trouser pocket as he was determined not to let them rob him. Consequently when he fell, with his arm in that position, his shoulder was dislocated. Whilst John was writhing in pain on the ground however, the three men felt little pity towards their victim. They proceeded to beat and kick him in the head, body and ribs before finally stealing his money. Thankfully one of the Sheffield nightwatchmen was on duty in Holly Street. He was a man called John Jagger and he had earlier seen John Speed leave the Littlewood’s public house on West street and noted that at the time, he was being followed out by three other men.

Jagger knew Staley to be a suspicious character who was well known to the Sheffield police force, However seeing nothing amiss, he eventually carried on with his beat. Consequently Jagger proceeded down Bow Street, Sheffield and after progressing for about 30 yards, the watchman heard a noise which alerted him. Turning around, Jagger saw one man on the ground and noted Staley and two other men running towards him. Consequently he grabbed at the collar of Staley’s jacket as he passed, and at the same time heard him dropping something into his waistcoat pocket which sounded like coins. Staley was now struggling to free himself from the night watchman’s grip, but Jagger was relentless.

Holding the man firmly, the nightwatchman asked him what he had been up to. This question seemed to provoke his prisoner as Staley managed to finally seize hold of his prisoner. Without hesitation Staley threw Jagger down on the floor as he grabbed hold of his night stick, ran off with it. The nightwatchman immediately got himself up and then went to help the injured man on the ground, who was groaning in pain and clutching at his shoulder. Jagger saw that the injured man had bruising on his face and that both his trouser pockets had been turned inside out. The nightwatchman organised for Speed to be taken immediately to the Sheffield Infirmary where his shoulder was attended to.

Meanwhile Jagger returned back to the Town Hall and made a full report to his senior officer. The next day a statement was also taken from John Speed who gave what details he could of the robbery. He said that the men had ill-used him before they stole 18s from his pocket. He identified George Staley as being the main attacker, although he had no knowledge of who the other two young men had been. Proof of the attack was later found when another officer, searching the site the following day, picked up a half sovereign. This coin was identified by John as being one of the coins stolen from him. A warrant was taken out for George Staley’s arrest, but officers attending his home address found that the man had already absconded.

However five days later, information reached the Sheffield police that Staley had been seen at his fathers house on Meadow Street, Sheffield. The Chief Constable immediately sent a squad of officers to arrest him, under the direction of Inspector Tasker. The men would need all their strength as Staley resisted violently all the way back to the Town Hall, all the time protesting his innocence. He simply claimed that they had got the wrong man, and that he had been no where near Littlewood’s on the night of the attack. However his protestations proved useless, as John Speed correctly identified him, as did the watchman, Jagger. On Saturday 3 May, George Staley was brought before the magistrates at Sheffield charged with street robbery with violence.

Despite his protestations to the contrary, the prisoner was quickly found guilty and sent to take his trial at the York Summer Assizes. He appeared before Mr Justice Williams on Tuesday 15 July 1851 where he was defended by a Mr Foster. Mr Overend prosecuted the case and he gave an outline of the facts to the jury. He stated that the prisoner and two other men had been implicated in the case, but their names or whereabouts still remained unknown. Consequently George Staley was the only man in the dock. Mr Foster’s defence was simply that of a mistaken identity on the part of John Speed and the watchman, John Jagger.

He called a man called Samuel Gregory to give the prisoner a good character, and the witness told the court that he was a table knife manufacturer. Gregory stated that he was also a neighbour to the prisoner they both lived in Meadow Street. The witness added that he was the landlord of a public house in Gibraltar Street, Sheffield where Storey was a regular, and he described the prisoner as being a hard working and an honest man. However in an attempt to discredit the evidence given by Samuel Gregory, Mr Overend began to slowly assassinate the prisoners character. His cross-examination was calculated to denounce the prisoners moral reputation.

The prosecution asked the witness if he had knowledge that previously George Storey had cohabited with a woman called Ann Jenkinson. She was well known to be a Sheffield prostitute and Mr Overend claimed that the prisoner had, for some time lived off her earnings. Gregory told the jury that he did not know anything about that matter. Finally after hearing all the evidence the prisoner was found guilty, although his sentencing was deferred to the following day. On Wednesday 16 July 1851, George Storey was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour for the most cowardly attack.