Gerard Beaumont, 1921
Below also see: Gerard Beaumont, 1922

 

The Sun, Tue 1 Nov 1921 ¹

INDECENT POSTCARDS
———◦———
SEIZED BY POLICE
————

    Gerard de [sic] Beaumont, aged 30, a Frenchman, was before the Paddington Police Court to-day on three charges—two of indecent behaviour, and one of assault.

    The police alleged that Beaumont whose behaviour had evoked a complaint from a Member of Parliament, had been carrying on indecent practices in Sydney for some time.

    Evidence was given that he behaved indecently in front of a young woman as she was returning to her home in Wunulla-road, Bellevue Hill, on the night of October 6.

    On being arrested a number of indecent postcards were found in his possession.

    In defence Beaumont stated that he was not in Wunulla-road on the occasion that the young woman was assaulted. The cards seized by the police were his property. He could not remember if he had been convicted in 1916 at the Children’s Court for a similar offence.

    Beaumont was sentenced to four months imprisonment on one charge, and the others were withdrawn.

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Gerard De Beaumont, Gaol photo sheet ²

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Gaol Photo Sheet - Transcribed Details

No. 3598

Date when Portrait was taken: 2-11-1921

Name: Gerard De Beaumont

Native place: France Year of birth: 21-1-1892 Arrived       Ship: Unknown in Colony }   Year: Came young Trade or occupation previous to conviction  } Motor Engineer Religion: R. C. Education, degree of: R & W 7 Height: 5' 7¼" Weight     On committal: 141 in lbs     } On discharge: Colour of hair: Dark brown Colour of eyes: Grey

Marks or special features: Small scar centre forehead, mole left thumbMarks or special features: High cheekbones scar high up on left side of forehead. Faint mark outside left upper arm

(No. of previous Portrait ... )  CONVICTIONS
Where and When				Offence.	Sentence
Paddington PC	1	11	1921	Expose person	4 months HL

 

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Gerard Beaumont, 1922

Evening News, Fri 2 Jun 1922 ³

FRENCH SOLDIER
————
“A PUBLIC MENACE”
————

    “It is a pity you don’t go back to France. You are no good here. You are a menace to the public.”

    This is what Mr Gale, SM, said to Gerard Beaumont, or Beralli, a Frenchman, and a returned soldier, charge at North Sydney Court with indecent behavior on the ferry steamer Kumulla on May 19.

    James Ireland, captain of the ferryboat Kinambla, told Mr Gale that defendant frequented different ferryboats, and there had been numerous complaints about his conduct.

    He was sentenced to six months’ hard labor.

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Evening News, Wed 28 Jun 1922 ⁴

BOARDING-HOUSE ROW
————
BEAUMONT ACQUITTED
————

    Gerard Beaumont was acquitted before Judge Scholes and a jury of 12 at the Quarter Sessions to-day on a charge of stealing.

    The Crown alleged that on May 24 accused went to a boarding-house kept by Driscilla Cobcroft at Lower Wigram-street, Neutral Bay, and took a number of articles of clothing, the property of Flora Abramson.

    After hearing the evidence the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

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The Brisbane Courier, Thu 29 Jun 1922 ⁵

MAKING LOVE.
———•———
FRENCHMAN'S STRANGE
METHOD.
——

Sydney, June 28.

    Because he fell in love with a girl staying in the same boarding-house in Neutral Bay, and she remained indifferent, a young Frenchman went to her room, gathered all her clothing, placed it in a suit case, and took charge of it. He confessed that he did this to have a hold on her if she would not go out with him. He was determined, he said, that she would not have the clothes to go out with any one else. This defence was set up in a statement from the dock to-day by Gerard Beaumont, who was charged in the Quarter Sessions with having stolen from the dwelling of Mrs Druscilla Cobcroft, of Neutral Bay, a suitcase containing two cloaks, 19 pairs of stockings, and other women’s wearing apparel, belonging to Miss Flora Abrahamson. The Crown alleged that Beaumont stole the clothes to raise money to buy a new suit. Accused admitted taking the suitcase, but said he did not steal the articles. He said he, as a Frenchman, made love in a way different to the Englishman. He had taken the case simply to have a hold over the young woman. The jury acquitted the accused.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 29 Jun 1922 ⁶

QUARTER SESSIONS.
(Before Judge Scholes.)

    Mr N de H Rowland, Crown Prosecutor.
…

FOUND NOT GUILTY.

    Gerard Beaumont, a young Frenchman, pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing from the dwelling of Druscilla Cobcroft, at Neutral Bay, on May 24 last, a suitcase containing two cloaks, five handkerchief, nineteen pairs of stockings, nine pieces of underwear, thirty yards of lace, a brush and comb, the property of Flora Abrahamson. Accused conducted his own case.

    The Crown case was that accused came to the house of Mrs Cobcroft on the date in question, found the door open, entered the room of Miss Abrahamson, and after remaining in her room for some minutes walked out with the suitcase and the articles in it. He was later arrested by a constable in plain clothes, and confessed, the Crown alleged, that he stole the goods in order to raise money for a suit of clothes.

    The accused, in a statement from the dock, said that he did not deny taking the suitcase and the articles in it; but he did not steal them. He, as a Frenchman, made love in a way different from the way of Englishmen. His passion for Miss Abrahamson had been unreturned, and when he came to the house he had determined that if she would not come out with him she would not go out with anyone else. Therefore he had taken the suitcase simply in order to have a hold over the lady.

    The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
…

FRENCH PSYCHOLOGY.
———◦———
PASSIONATE APPEAL IN COURT
————

    At the Darlinghurst Quarter Sessions yesterday, Gerard Beaumont, a young Frenchman passionately pleaded with Judge Scholes and the jury to forget that they were Britishers and try to see with the eyes of his own countrymen. “In my country,” he said, “it is nothing for a young man to be chased by gendarmes because he has climbed, perhaps to the window of his lady to say good-night to her. Try, gentlemen, to understand that the French mind works differently from the English mind. I am charged with stealing a suitcase containing some cloaks for the opera—and other things that ladies wear. It is quite true that I took them. It is quite true that I love the lady from whom I took them. But my object in taking them was to prevent her from going out with any other man.”

    Judge Scholes, in summing up, told the jury that, despite the strangeness of the defence, it was entirely worthy of consideration. The jury acquitted the accused.

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The Argus, Fri 30 Jun 1922 ⁷

GIRL’S CLOTHES STOLEN.
———◦———
FRENCH LOVER'S CURIOUS DEFENCE.

    SYDNEY, Thursday.—Because he fell in love with a girl staying at the same boarding-house in Neutral Bay, and she remained indifferent to him, a young Frenchman went to her room, gathered all her clothing, placed it in a suitcase, and took charge of it. He confessed that he did this to have a hold on her. If she would not go out with him he was determined, he said, that she would not have clothes to go out with anyone else. This defence was set up in a statement from the dock by Gerard Beaumont, who was charged at the Sydney Quarter Sessions yesterday with having stolen from the dwelling of Mrs Drusilla [aka Druscilla] Cobcroft, of Neutral Bay, a suitcase containing two cloaks, nineteen pairs of stocking, and other women’s apparel belonging to Miss Alora (or Flora) Abrahamson. The Crown alleged that Beaumont stole the clothes to raise money to buy a new suit.

    In a passionate appeal, Beaumont asked Judge Scholes and the jury to forget that they were Britishers, and try to see with the eyes of his own countrymen. “In my country,” he said, “it is nothing for a young man to be chased by gendarme because he has climbed perhaps to the window of his lady to say good night to her. Try, gentlemen, to understand that the French mind works differently from the English mind. I am charged with stealing a suitcase, containing some cloaks for the opera, and other things that ladies wear. It is quite true that I took them. It is quite true that I love the lady from whom I took them, but my object in taking them was to prevent her from going out with any other man.”

    Judge Scholes, in summing up, told the jury that despite the strangeness of the defence, it was entirely worthy of consideration.

    The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 6 Jul 1922 ⁸

LAW NOTICES.
Thursday, July 6.

…

QUARTER SESSIONS.

…
    No. 2 Court.—Thomas Owen, embezzlement; Archibald Allen, assault, occasioning actual bodily harm; George Fawcett and Norman Anderson, breaking, entering, and stealing; Gerard Beaumont, larceny; James Raymond Brown, breaking, entering, and stealing.

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Evening News, Fri 7 Jul 1922 ⁹

SENTENCED AT SESSIONS
————

    At Darlinghurst Sessions to-day, the following sentences were pronounced:—

    By Acting Judge Brissenden:—
…
    Gerard Beaumont, receiving, six months’ hard labor.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Fri 7 Jul 1922 ¹⁰

QUARTER SESSIONS.
(Before Acting-Judge Mocatta.)

    Mr EF McDonald, Crown Prosecutor.
…

RECEIVING.

    Gerard Beaumont, a young Frenchman, pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing three motor tyres and three tyre rims, the property of Elizabeth Foy. The accused conducted his own defence. During cross-examination in the witness-box, accused evaded answering questions put to him by the Crown Prosecutor. His Honor informed Beaumont that he would imprison him if the questions were not answered. The questions were then answered. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty of larceny and guilty of receiving. Accused was remanded for sentence.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, Sat 8 Jul 1922 ¹¹

QUARTER SESSIONS.
(Before Acting-Judge Brissenden.)

    Mr WT Coyle, KC, Crown Prosecutor.
…

(Before Acting-Judge Mocatta.)

    Mr EF McDonald, Crown Prosecutor.

SENTENCES.

    The following persons who had pleaded guilty, or were convicted, received the following sentences at yesterday’s sitting:—
…
    Gerard Beaumont, on a charge of receiving, was sentenced to six months’ hard labour, sentence to be concurrent with one accused is now serving.

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Cairns Post, Thu 20 Jul 1922 ¹²

FRENCHMAN’S DEFENCE.
———◦———
STOLE FROM WOMAN WHO
SPURNED HIS AFFECTIONS.
————

    A young Frenchman named Gerard Beaumont made a defence in a case of stealing, heard at the Darlinghurst Quarter Sessions, which Judge Scholes characterised as “very strange, but entirely worthy of the jury’s consideration.” Accused explained that he had been courting a young woman who did not return his affections. In a frenzy of jealousy, he went to her home at Neutral Bay, and discovered that she was out. Entering her bedroom, he picked up a suitcase containing cloaks for evening wear and other articles of feminine apparel. These he took, and later was charged with stealing them. His real object, he said, was to prevent his beloved from going to the pictures with a hated rival.

    “I want you, gentlemen,” said Beaumont, in his appeal to the jury, “to forget you’re English, and see through the eyes of a Frenchman. In my country, we think any stratagem is fair, as long as it is not criminal.”

    The jury accepted the novel plea, and brought in a verdict of not guilty.

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Gerald Beaumont, Gaol photo sheet  ¹³

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Gaol Photo Sheet - Transcribed Details

No. 18625

Date when Portrait was taken: 16-6-1922

Name: Gerald Beaumont
(aka Gerard Beaumont Bardelli, Gerard De Beaumont)

Native place: France Year of birth: 21-2-1892 Arrived       Ship: Roon in Colony }   Year: 1913 Trade or occupation previous to conviction  } Motor Engineer Religion: R. C. Education, degree of: R & W Height: 5' 8" Weight     On committal: 150 in lbs     } On discharge: Colour of hair: Dark brown Colour of eyes: Grey

Marks or special features: Faint tattoo mark outside left upper arm. Scar on left side upper lip & on left eyebrow

(No. of previous Portrait .. 3598 Foreigners) CONVICTIONS
Where and When				Offence.	Sentence
Children’s Court Paddington PC North Sydney PC         lodged Sydney Q.S Sydney Q.S..	17   1   2 15 10   6	11 11   6   6   7   7	1916 1921 1922 1922 1922 1922	Expose person Expose person Expose person Receiving	1 month H.L. 4 months HL 6 months HL Appealed at court 16-6-1922. Withdrawn 7-7-1922 Appeal dismissed Conviction affirmed sentence to date from 7-7-1922 6 months H.L.
And one previous Conviction for which see Photo No. as above

 

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¹     The Sun, (Sydney, NSW), Tue 1 Nov 1921, p. 2.

²     SRNSW: NRS1933, [3/6034], Foreigners photographic description book, No. 3598, p. 151.

³     Evening News, (Sydney, NSW), Fri 2 Jun 1922, p. 8. Emphasis added.

⁴     Evening News, (Sydney, NSW), Wed 28 Jun 1922, p. 1.

⁵     The Brisbane Courier, Thu 29 Jun 1922, p. 13.

⁶     The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 29 Jun 1922, pp. 6, 9.

⁷     The Argus, Fri 30 Jun 1922, p. 7.

⁸     The Sydney Morning Herald, Thu 6 Jul 1922, p. 6. Emphasis added.

⁹     Evening News, (Sydney, NSW), Fri 7 Jul 1922, p. 8.

¹⁰   The Sydney Morning Herald, Fri 7 Jul 1922, p. 6.

¹¹   The Sydney Morning Herald, Sat 8 Jul 1922, p. 9.

¹²   Cairns Post (Qld), Thu 20 Jul 1922, p. 8.

¹³   SRNSW: NRS2467, [3/6107], State Penitentiary photographic description book, 8 Feb 1922-5 Sep 1922, No. 18625, p. –.

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