Blandford Weekly News. — 1886-06-05 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

OUTRAGE ON YOUNG LADIES.  A young man named Frederick George Fuller, of Sloane-street, Chelsea, has been charged at Greenwich police-court with assaulting Evelyn Clara Hooper, aged 16, and Florence Ethel Jones, 14 ; further, with attempting to indecently assault the elder girl, and stealing from her the sum of RI 13s. Mr. Janes, solicitor, of Lee, father of the younger girl, conducted the prosecution. M•ss Hooper, who said she resided at Eversfield, Grove-park, Lee, stated that ou the previous evening she and Miss Jones, while out for a walk, entered an empty house in Grove-park to look over it. Shortly afterwards the prisoner, wh -m they had passed on the road came in, asked what they were doing, and stated that he was clerk to Mr. Pound, the owner of the house, and they would have to go through the house with him to see whether they had done any damage. They went upgairs, and when at the top prisoner said he had orders from Mr. Pound to detain anyone be found there, and he meant to lock them in separate rOOTtlb while he went for Mr. Pound. Witness then let him lock her in a sort of cupboard on his promising to take Miss Jones with him to Mr. Pound. She then heard the prisoner dragging Md. s Jones downstairs, and then followed the sound of strugaling and screaming, and some glass was snartahed. The prisoner then came to her and said her friend had gone for Mr. Pound. He tied her wrists with some string, and began pulling her about. She broke the string and tried to escape, but the prisoner prevented her, and then took his shoe lace out and tied her hands behind her. She screamed for help, whereupon prisoner took her silk handkerchief and tied it over ter mouth, threatening to murder her if she did not bold her noise. He then flung her down, knelt on her chest, and put a hand over her mouth, with the other taking hold of her dress, but she then managed to break the lace and freed her hands. She succeeded in getting on her feet, and then asked the prisoner if it was money he wanted. He asked her how much she had got. She gave him her purse, which conained some gold and silver. Hearing a noise outside, the prisoner said he would let her go if she kissed him, which she refused to do. He took hold of her and kissed her and she then ran downstairs, and on finding all the doors locked broke a window with her hands. Prisoner then let Miss Jones out and ran out of the house. Miss Jones gave evidence shewing that the prisoner treated her very cruelly, pulling some of her hair out, putting his hand over her mouth to stifle her cries, and knocking her head against the wall in the struggle. He left her with her bands tied locked in a closet, and said he was going to Mr. Pound. She heard the struggle with Miss Hooper in the room overhead. Alfred Pearce potman at the Baring Hotel, said he met the young girls about 50 yards from the house. They were in a very exhausted state; the elder one was bleeding freely from the hand, and the younger one had her hands tied together. The prisoner, it appeared, was pursued by a labouring man named Brooker and caught after a mile's chase. Inspector Phillips said there was another charee against the prisoner of a more serious nature. The magistrate remanded the pris,,ner, and recommended that the prosecution should Lie undertaken by the Treasury,