Wilful Clergyman

The Wilful Clergyman was a Baptist minister arrested on charges of indecent behaviour in Redan in July 1914.

"CLERGYMAN IN COURT. INDECENT BEHAVIOUR ALLLEGED. Melbourne, July 31. The Rev. Charles Edward Marcroft (31), pastor of the Baptist Church, Victoria street, Ballarat East, was, at the Ballarat Court, to-day, charged with indecent behaviour of a wilful character in the presence of two young girls. The alleged offence was committed at Redan on the previous night. Mr. R. J. Gribble defended the accused, who is a married man with two in family. Senior-Constable Blanchfield, officer-in charge of the Redan Police Station, gave evidence that the girls, each about 17 years of age, called at the watch-house on the previous evening, and complained of the conduct of the accused. The witness, accompanied by Constable Hooley, went in search of the accused, and found him in Skipton Street. The accused was informed of the complaint made by the girls, and was subsequently taken to the Redan Police-station, where the girls identified him as the man who had committed the alleged offence. The accused was then arrested and conveyed to the Ballarat City lockup. He was admitted to bail about 4 a.m. on Friday. When taken into custody he protested his innocence. The bench remanded the accused for a week. Bail was allowed in two sureties of £50 each."

Marcroft, who pleaded guilty was able to have the sentence suspended: CLERGYMAN CONVICTED AN UNNATURAL MAN. SENTENCES SUSPENDED. The deep interest taken in the case of Charles Edward Marcroft, pastor of the Victoria Street Baptist Church, was manifested by the large attendance at the City Court yesterday morning, when three charges of behaving in an indecent manner were preferred against him. Those who attended out of curiosity, however, were doomed to disappointment as the the Court was cleared before the evidence was proceeded with. Messes S. J. Goldsmith, P.M., W. T. Humphreys, G. Crocker, C. Walker. and J. Fraser, J.P. occupied the bench. Defendant, who pleaded guilty in a weak voice. was represented by Mr Maxwell, of Melbourne.

The first witness was a young woman, who stated that when returning from work when she went along Skipton Street on 30th July, at 5.45 pm. Accused was at the intersection of Sebastopol, Skipton, and Hill streets. on the footpath. She was alone. Marcroft followed her, passed and as a result of his conduct she went towards Const Hooley's. Accused followed, and she went into Const Hooley's residence. Cosnt Hooley then came out and arrested him. Accused was brought to the police station while witness was there. To Mr Maxwell: She pretended not to have seen him when he was behaving in an objectionable manner. Const Hooley, of Redan, stated on the night of 30th July last the last witness called at his residence, and on going out he accosted accused. He called out, and Marcroft began to run. Witness told him he was the person he had been looking for for a long time. When approached, accused trembled and made no remark. Eventually he said his name was Marcroft; but he declined to state his occupation.

The previous witness identified accused as the man who had misbehaved in her presence on four different occasions. In answer to Sen Cons Blanchfield as to what his business was at the locality named, he said, "I don't think I should answer that question." In reply to further questions, accused said he was down there on business having gone there to see a person. Asked to name the person, he made no reply. When witness was searching accused at the lock-up, he found a piece of paper on which a name was written. Accused said that was the person whom he was visiting. Accused said he was waiting for a tram when approached; but witness asked why, since he was going back to Ballarat, he should he walking in the opposite direction. No reply was forthcoming. At the time of the arrest accused looked worried and agitated. To Mr Maxwell: Accused at no stage denied anything. Evidence was also given by other girls to the effect that he had behaved In a similar manner on 18th July, at noon. and on 25th June, in Darling Street and Drummond Street South respectively. One girl stated that accused came up to her and looked into her face. She asked him if he were looking for someone, and he replied. "It looks like it." She told him it was funny for a man to look in anyone's face as he had done, when he then made an offensive remark, and acted in a depraved manner. He persisted in walking alongside her and repeating his conduct. She told him she would give him a charge, and he begged her not to do so and hurried away.

In an eloquent address to the Bench, Mr Maxwell said it was the most painful case it had ever been his duty to deal with. It was not a question of investigating facts, but of what was to be done in a case of this kind. They were dealing with a man not inherently bad. Accused, in all other matters, was of upright character and honorable; but so far as another side of his nature was concerned, he made most egregious mistakes. Accused had started life as a carpenter, and had turned out to be a first-class tradesman. He afterwards went into the ministry, and had been eminently successful. He was a man of very high strung, sympathetic temperament, and latterly he had had a very trying time through death and illness in his congregation. His was a case of physical and mental abnormality, of a mind operating in a physical frame that was below par.

Drs Springthorpe and Barker agreed that his physiological condition necessitated an operation that would bring him relief. He (Mr Maxwell) fully realised the menace such conduct was to women folk, and he recgonised women must be protected. That could be done by the Bench ordering his removal to an institution where he could be properly attended to and brought back to his normal condition. It was a case more for pity than for condemnation. Accused was on the threshold of a successful ministerial career, but the lapse had closed the profession to him. Accused's father stated that his son had learned his trade at his engineering works. He was always a steady boy, kind-hearted and sympathetic. and was noted for his disposition. He was secretry of the Y.M.C.A. and exerted a great influence for good, especially amongst the young people. He was in New Zealand for some time, and returned on the death of a member of the family. The Baptist denomination offered him a position as home missioner, and he had been preaching under that denomination ever since. The Rev. Mr Gobell, chairman of the Baptist Advisory Board, said accused came under his notice seven years ago. For two years the accused was on probation as a home missioner in New South Wales, and the superintendent gave him an excellent character. He was admitted to the Baptist College, and all his professors and fellow-students regarded him as one of the finest characters in the College. He took the pastorate of Waverley (Sydney) without a trace of suspicion being raised against him. His wife being a Victorian, he was transferred on his own application to Ballarat East, and at the time they thought they were fortunate in getting such a man. Not a single minister believed him capable of doing what he had done, and witness believed him still to be sincere despite his lapse. F. Fricke. treasurer of the Victoria Street Baptist Church, said the church was in a rather low condition when accused took charge. Since then the work had grown so much that people had been crowded out of the evening services. He had never known a minister to work harder. On the last Sunday he took the services he was unable to get through without assistance. Since being in charge of the church, seven of his parishioners had died. and there had been an exceptional amount of sickness. Morning noon, and night accused had been at the service of the community, irrespective of denomination. In spite of his extraordinary conduct. witness still believed in him.

Dr Barker regarded accused as being mentally and physically debilitated; from his youth upwards he had been guilty of acting indiscreetly. An operation and proper treatment would make it possible to build him up again. A statement from Dr Springthorpe to the same effect was read by Mr Maxwell. The Bench. after a lengthy adjournment, found accused guilty on the three charges, on each of which he was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, concurrent, the sentences to be suspended in a good behavior bond of £100 in the first case, an £50 in each of the other two. and accused in a personal surety of similar amounts.

The "Woman Voter" of 18 August 1914, felt that the suspended sentence was far too lenient: "We do not want to be cruel in our judgment of this man, but, in view of the statement of counsel for the defence, supported by medical evidence that Marcroft was a sexual maniac or pervert, we consider the Bench has not done its duty in protecting the children of the district. He should be placed under restraint to prevent a repetition of the offence. If the authorities would take the view that these offences are evidences of a dangerous form of insanity, men will learn to be much more careful of the sexual overindulgence that is at the root of this phase of our social evil."

Marcroft died on 1 July 1920: "MARCROFT.—July 1, at his residence, 680 Rathdown street, North Carlton, Melbourne, Charles Edward, beloved second son of J. W. Marcroft, Edward-street, Concord, and brother of Mrs. H. Patten. Granville, H. Marcroft, Gunnedah, and L. Marcroft, Melbourne, aged 37 years."