The Trial Process

After several weeks of being remanded to Armley Prison Alfred Moore , was brought before the Huddersfield West Riding Magistrates Court on the 27th August 1951. After that hearing he was committed to stand trial at Leeds Assize court.



Everyone involved in the case had given evidence before the Magistrate Mr. Percy Crowther , one of the prosecution witnesses was Patricia Moore , who at the age of ten years was the elder of Alfred's daughters. She was not called as a witness at the Assize court. I have spoken at length with Pat , who is now in her late sixties , she has vivid memories of that Sunday morning. She told me that she was taken to the Police station in Huddersfield and kept there for about six hours , initially her mother was not with her , there was no Police woman to sit with her , just as she described it , ' Big burly Detectives'. She was bullied , threatened , called a lair and at times she was thrown about like a rag doll , until that is she agreed to say what her tormentors wanted her to say. She then gave a statement against her father Alfred , which she knew was not true.



I have seen a copy of that statement , usually as was the practice in those days , at the end of the statement is a record which shows the date it was taken , By whom it was taken , Persons present when the statement was made and the time. The time was usually shown as say , 'Between 10am and 10-30am ', and so on. It is worth noting that with regards to Pat's statement taken that day , it bears no date , and does not show between what times it was made. It does not show in who's presence it was made and is signed by a Chief Inspector Edington. The Police were so desperate to get a conviction , they intended to use a ten year old , terrified little girl to help them do so. The statement she gave , was not true and parts of the untruth can be easily recognised as it contradicts evidence given by experienced Police officers at the trial.