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Hoax call sparks extensive sea and air search
JASON Baugh sparked a major air and sea search off the Lincolnshire coast in 1999 when he faked his suicide, magistrates heard.
Personal belongings and clothes were found on the beach at Skegness after Baugh made a hoax telephone call to the coastguard, the court at Skegness was told.
Baugh, 30, of Magdalen Road, Norwich, pleaded guilty to making a hoax telephone call, intending to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
Finding Baugh £250, magistrate Mr Geoff Smith said: “You put a lot of people to a lot of inconvenience and the court won’t stand for that.”
Telephone call
Had he been in a better financial position, he would have received a greater penalty, said Mr Smith.
Prosecuting, Mr John Mitchell said that after Baugh’s belongings were found on the beach, police launched a missing person’s enquiry.
Baugh made a telephone call to the coastguard and an extensive air and sea search swung into action.
Police enquiries revealed that on August 30 last year Baugh rented a room at a Skegness bed and breakfast establishment. The following day he had contacted his wife to say he would be going for a swim in the sea and told his landlady a similar story.
During their enquiries police contacted a property management compa
ny, who said that a man had paid in cash six months’ rent in advance for a room in Norwich.
A search of the room revealed six rounds of .22 ammunition.
When interviewed by police Baugh had said he had intended to drop out of sight and take on a new identity.
Mr Mitchell said the total cost of the air and sea search was not known.
For Baugh, Mr David Eager said his client had had enough of his life in his own name. He had suffered various tragedies and had felt he could not cope any more.
He returned to his roots in Skegness with a plan to fake his suicide. His plan was that the old Mr Baugh would cease to exist and he would start a new life in a new name.
“He wasn’t trying to get away from his debts. He was going to make payments of these debts, albeit under a new name,” said Mr Eager.
“What he was not thinking about was the effect his telephone call would have on the coastguard.”
In the time the emergency services were dealing with this matter, a real tragedy could have occurred, but fortunately it didn’t,” said Mr Eager.
There was no sinister motive behind his possession of the ammunition. It was simply something he had failed to clear out.
Baugh was given a 12-month conditional discharge for the ammunition offence.

BOY FOUND HANGING
Had taken dog for walk

THE inquest was opened and adjourned at Skegness on Friday on a 14-year-old schoolboy, Charles Anthony O’Dwyer, of Albany Road, Skegness, who was found hanging by a dog-lead from a tree in Warth Lane, Skegness, the previous night.

Evidence of identification was given by the boy’s father, Mr. Charles O’Dwyer, retired sales manager.

After Dr. Douglas Fraser Menzies had described how he was called to Skegness Hospital at about 6.45 p.m. on Thursday, and found that the boy was dead, the inquest was adjourned until today (Wednesday).

Dr. Menzies said that from an external examination he was of the opinion that death was due to asphyxia caused by strangulation.

Found By Milkman
The tragic discovery was made by Mr. Reginald Griffin, a milkman, of Old Burgh Road, Skegness, who was out walking with his wife and their dog.

In the darkness of Warth Lane, not far from the Welcome Garage, Mr. Griffin shone his torch on a small. black, white and brown mongrel dog sitting at the foot of a tree, and then saw the boy hanging, He immediately notified the police.

It is believed that Anthony, a pupil of the Morris Secondary Modern School, near his home, had gone out with the dog, Lassie, a stray obtained from Skegness Police Station as a family pet about a year ago—for a walk earlier in the afternoon.

His parents (Anthony is the youngest of three brothers) were beginning to make inquiries for him when the police brought the sad news.

Anthony attended the Church of the Sacred Heart, Skegness.

1958 local news story

Source: Skegness News 1924

Excitement on the Parade

There was something of a sensation at Callow Park boarding house (left), on the Grand Parade, on Sunday evening last when a girl of 19, employed there as a maid, shattered the glass of her bedroom window and attempted, to throw herself into the garden below it.

Another female employee of the establishment was able to grasp a portion of the girl’s clothing, but was unable to pull her back into safety.

The bedroom is on the top storey, overlooking the Parade, and the shouts of the would-be
rescuer attracted the attention of persons seated in a shelter, who gave the alarm to other inmates of the house, and eventually the unfortunate girl was rescued from her perilous position.

Her hands and arms were badly lacerated by the broken glass.

Below is a picture of the former Callow Park Boarding House, which formed part of the Parade Complex, burned down in August 2007 in the Skegness Fire.

Skegness News 6th June 1951

Local Farmer Found Hanging - state of depression revealed by inquest
A verdict that a local farmer caused his own death by hanging whilst in a depressed state of mind was returned by a Skegness Coroner.
The 41 year old man, Frederick Charles Paul was found hanging in the cow shed at the Poplars Ingoldmells, Skegness.

The brother of the deceased, Bertie Paul, said that he was sleeping in the same room as his brother when he arose and walked out of the room.
Bertie followed him not long after and eventually found Frederick in the calf hovel hanging from the roof by a rope.
The doctor in attendance later said that the deceased had visited him just days before the incident, confessing to be worried about conditions on the farm.

A local policeman was called to the scene of the incident. He said he saw the deceased on some straw in the cow shed. He had marks around his neck which may have been caused by a rope.

The summing up at the inquest stated that there was no doubt that Mr Paul took his own life and the Deputy Coroner expressed his deepest sympathy to the family of the deceased.

Source: Skegness Standard 1997

Petrol Threat Drama at Skegness Benefits Office

A MAN walked into Skegness Benefits Office with a can of petrol and a cigarette lighter and later threatened to kill himself, magistrates heard.
His behaviour was a cry for help, his solicitor told the court.
Stephen Maurice Ride, 43, of Revesby Corner, Mareham-le-Fen, admitted behaving with intent to cause staff at the benefits office harassment, alarm or distress.
Skegness magistrates adjourned the case to August 4th for pre-sentence reports to be prepared. Ride was remanded on bail.
Mr Nick Wyman, prosecuting, said that the offence resulted from an incident at the Skegness Benefits Office at 1.30pm on July 3rd.
Ride had walked into the benefits office that afternoon and positioned himself in the centre of the main customer area between two booths where staff interview clients.
He was carrying a red petrol can and a cigarette lighter, and he opened the petrol can, and held the lighter to the spout, said Mr Wyman.
Ride then instructed everyone in the building to leave the premises and members of the public and staff did so, said Mr Wyman.
The police were informed and five officers went to the scene and spoke to Ride. He told them that he did not want to hurt anyone but that he intended to kill himself, said Mr Wyman.

The man was diagnosed as suffering from a crumbling spine. It was an ongoing condition that was getting worse.
Ride had been granted incapacity benefit, income support and disability living allowance, said Mr Khanna.
Regular reviews
Ride’s benefits were subject to regular reviews and in February 1997 the Department of Social Security had decided that he was fit and available for work and should sign off.
Ride could not believe the decision, said Mr Khanna. For three-and-a-half years he had suffered. He telephoned the DSS to ask what he could do and was advised to sign on for Job Seekers Allowance.
Ride said that if he did that he would be making fraudulent claims because to claim Job Seekers Allowance you had to be fit and available for work and actively seeking work.
Some days he was unable to get up because he was in too much pain, said Mr Khanna.
Ride felt that no one was prepared to do anything to help him, said Mr Khanna.
“He thought about the years of pain he had suffered and for a short while he could find no reason to live,” he said.

Remote control
He got into his car and drove to the benefits office as if by remote control, said Mr Khanna.
Ride walked into the office with a can of petrol and a lighter. His intention was only to harm himself and no one else and he asked staff to clear the area.
The police arrived and Ride did not want anyone else to be in danger and so handed over the can and the lighter, said Mr Khanna.
Ride was seen by a doctor and by that time he was feeling back to normal, said Mr Khanna.
The doctor said that Ride was not depressed or suicidal.
Ride was very ashamed and could not believe what he had done. He had acted out of some sort of anger, said Mr Khanna.
He was now very embarrassed, sorry and shocked. He had never been in trouble before and had always been an upstanding member of the community.
It had been more of a symbolic gesture or cry for help because no one had been prepared to do anything for him, said Mr Khanna.
It was the set of circumstances which had pushed him over the edge on that occasion , said Mr Khanna.