They say that kids today are less well-behaved than their forebears. But this story, from 78 years ago, might just prove that idea wrong. 

It’s the case of an eight-year-old boy, who was mistaken for an experienced cracksman in 1937 for stealing over £30 in cash. Naturally, for a boy of his age, he spent it mainly on sweets.

Here’s an extract from our report of the court case: “An exceptionally difficult problem was set the Bench of Poole Juvenile Court on Tuesday at the Municipal Buildings, when an eight-year-old Poole boy admitted a number of shop and office breaking cases involving the theft of over £30 in cash.

“The boy, it was stated, was well-behaved in school and of good intelligence, but Supt. Swain said that some of the cases might have been the work of an experienced cracksman.

"At one time, Supt. Swain said he had been very doubtful if the boy could be responsible. This had been established beyond question, as the boy was sent with a police officer and showed how he had got into the various buildings, and where he found the money, besides describing the recepticles from which it was taken."

Bournemouth Echo:

In total, the boy had committed 48 offences and had recently been detained in a remand home in Cerne Abbas, where the caretaker described him as ‘the smallest and worst boy’ he had ever dealt with.

A persistent escapee, the boy’s shoes were taken from him to try and prevent him from getting away. However, that didn’t stop him from giving an impromptu performance of gymnastics on a fire escape, 30ft from the ground.

Here’s the Echo’s report of the boys’ offences:

“On December 22nd the boy broke into the office of Foster Bros., coal factors of East Quay, and stole 17/6. He entered the building by pushing open a window and tearing away a gauze curtain. On December 26th he broke into the office of Walter Shaw, metal dealers, of High street, by forcing a door, and he stole 5/-. On January 12th the offices of the Hamworthy Engineering Co. Were entered by climbing over a lean-to and opening a window, and £7/4/6 in money postage and insurance stamps were taken.

“Burden’s Ltd., grocer of High street, was broken into by way of a store window and the forcing of several interior doors, on January 30th, and £11/5/9 stolen, while between February 6th and 19th a cycle belonging to Mary Priory was stolen from an open garage in Market street.

“On March 12th the boy, in company with his seven-years-old brother, smashed a window and entered the office of Harry Harman, metal dealer of Castle street, and stole 25/-. The two children were later found asleep in a doorway near the railway station.

“When arrested he had declared his intention of again breaking into Harman’s, “as it was about time there was some more money.”

So, what about the boy’s poor despairing mother? Well, apparently she had tried “all methods of improving him, but without success. She had only to take her eyes off him and he went off and got into trouble.”

The boy, who wasn’t named in the newspaper because of his age, was sent to an approved school until he was sixteen.