Rex v. Charles Edmund Seymour

Extract

This case was tried at the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice Roche, on October 13th. The prisoner pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a Mrs. Bles, with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The facts were that Mrs. Bles was walking in Hyde Park, on September 18th, when the prisoner, who was a stranger, suddenly attacked her, and wounded her with a knife. A police constable pursued and overtook the prisoner, who turned upon him and inflicted three wounds. Mrs. Bles was carrying a bag containing 4, and this had disappeared, but whether the prisoner had taken it was uncertain. This point is of importance, in view of the plea of epilepsy which was set up. For, apart from robbery, there was no apparent motive for the crime.