After robbing a traveller near Rochester, Kent, Nevison, desperate for an alibi, devised an ingenious plan: to cross the Thames, gallop 200 miles (320 km) and reach York that day. Here, Nevison had a chat with the mayor, ensuring he was aware of the time (8pm), and made a bet at a bowls game.
The ruse worked, and during the trial the mayor of York became Nevison's alibi: the jury could not conceive of a man being physically capable of travelling such a distance in a single day, and the outlaw was found innocent.