1976, Friday 9 January: An armed robbery occurred at a garage in Woking. The attendant was badly assaulted by a masked man carrying a Luger type pistol who had threatened to shoot him. The sum of £120 was stolen from the garage till.

On Monday 12 January the same man entered a public house in Woking carrying a weapon seriously assaulting the licensee and his wife before fleeing. PCs Bailey and Redpath were on patrol in Goldsworth Road unaware of the incident when they saw a man dash into a shop doorway about a hundred yards from the pub.

The officers followed the man and PC Redpath found him in the garden. As PC Bailey arrived with a torch he saw that the man was pointing a gun at the police shouting “Get back or I will use the gun” before making his escape.

Enquiries locally by detectives visiting known criminals found the suspect and he was arrested and charged appearing at the Old Bailey in May when he was sentenced to seven years. Judge King Hamilton said “PCs Bailey and Redpath behaved in accordance with the highest traditions of the police where courage has no boundaries”.

Both men received Chief Constable’s commendations as did the two detectives Detective Constables Vernon Attwell and Terry Butcher.

1976: Simon Nelson: When I joined Surrey Constabulary at the end of August 1976 I was held back from training school as there was no vacancy for me. I then … more

1976: PC 1053 Simon Nelson : Application and Recruitment to Surrey Constabulary: I was born in East Africa in 1957, where my father had decided to take up farming … more

1976, 3 March: The Times: Surrey Police said they were unable to act against the owner of a lion that jumped on a woman in a leopard skin coat as she made her way to work in Woking. The incident occurred in Chertsey Road at 9.30 am after the owner had been playing the lion he kept in a bus. Bob Bartlett in the middle 1970s in Cranleigh High Street: I saw a lion or leopard; I cannot now remember which, in a parked car and it caused a stir! At that time we could do nothing but not too long after legislation was passed covering private individuals and the ownership of wild animals.

1976, April: Murder of baby Oliver Jackson by Pauline Tidy and body left in freezer at Cranleigh: John Hurst/Bob Bartlett: The body was found by Police Sergeant … more

1976, 29 April: The Times: Sergeant James Findlay of Surrey Police who chased a gunman who had shot a colleague dead and wounded another received the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct from Lord Hamilton of Dalzell the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey.

1976: the year of the long hot summer: The downside, however, were thousands of calls to the fire brigade and police reporting fires on commons throughout the county. … more

1976: An analysis in 1976 of serious burglaries in the county revealed that less than ten per cent of the offenders lived in Surrey coming mostly from the Metropolitan Police District. As a result the Special Crime Patrol was reorganised in October 1977 and in the first eight months of 1978 there was a dramatic decrease in break-ins of twenty five per cent. See the entry for 1979.

1976: A youth with a shotgun was arrested by WPC Penny Arch late one night in Farnham. When on patrol she heard the sound of breaking glass and saw a youth running away. He turned and threatened to shoot her and then ran off with the officer in pursuit. Joined by PC Dunford they disarmed and arrested the youth. Both were commended by the Chief Constable. (Off Beat (July 1976)).

1970s: Brian Muchmore: There was also a case on Sandy Hills probably in the 70s, when I think it was a mother killed … more

1970s, early: Alan Fletcher: There was an incident in the early 1970s I believe when two local lads from Tongham, “Pixie” Rule and his younger brother burgled the Tongham newsagents. The elderly owner disturbed them and “Pixie” bludgeoned him and he died within some months of the incident, possibly a heart attack. I think the charge was reduced to manslaughter at Court. On his release some few years later he himself suffered bad health and died.

Graham Ingram: I have some knowledge of this as I was the beat bobby at Tongham, and was involved in the enquiry on the day that the body of Mr Collis, the local newsagent, was found under a counter in his little shop. I also attended the CCC for the trial.

Phil Dunford: I was on the area car, Foxtrot 1, with PC 1098 Chris Williamson, when we attended the newsagents that morning. Not sure who the call came from, but I think it was early customers concerned to find shop closed but signs of disturbance.

We found the owner huddled under a counter or worktop, badly beaten. I remember being struck by how one eye was looking up at us from the mess that was once a face. I believe he died about a year later bringing in discussion about surviving ‘a year and a day’ and thus which offence could be charged. I had the pleasure many years later of bringing one of the brothers to court for drink driving which he confidently defended himself – and lost.

1976-77: Charlie Frost: Murder of a young boy in the car park of Skeet and Jeffs, Builders Merchants, Church Street Woking. The boy was about fourteen and was murdered by another youth Stephen Handoll who took the change from the deceased’s pocket. He killed him by hitting him in the head with a metal clip taken from one of the firm’s lorries.

Peter May: I was at Woking at the time and remember Stephen Handoll who was a complete wreck from a totally dysfunctional family. The tragedy, if I remember correctly, was that the week before he had been at court for stealing a bike and was given bail. The deceased lad was a Pakistani boy who was just taking a short-cut home through the builder’s yard.

Keith Rogers: I was working as a DC with several others; Jock McLachlan was the Detective Sergeant and Bill Pirie, Alan Hammond as far as I recall.

Ann Carter: The boy was in fact called Roy Selvaduri and was the son of the consultant radiologist at St. Peter’s Hospital. He was returning via the small footbridge over the main Woking relief road having been to a youth club I believe. Stephen Patrick Handoll actually caved his head in with a pallet mover which was in the yard. I seem to remember that Selvaduri was an extremely bright lad and Handoll basically picked an argument with him as he tried to pass him on the narrow walkway.

Surrey CID 1976

I had dealing with Handoll from his secondary school days. He had been a pupil at Sheerwater School and Mr Osborne the head at the time had a meeting with me regarding this lad. He lived on Sheerwater with his father and sister, not sure what happened to the mother.

Stephen came to my notice when he cut the heads off all the goldfish in the school aquarium during half term and left them laid out in a row for all the kids to find when the came back. He was sent to another special needs school at Chobham, where he did similar to the school pet rabbits! Ironically I gave Handoll a warning for theft at the school three years previously and he was a real ‘bad lot’ then.

Ken Halls: Although I had no direct dealings with the murder enquiry, I do remember it was an Asian who was murdered. I also had earlier contact with Stephen Handoll when Anne Carter asked me to attend Sheerwater School with her to give him a verbal warning because he had cut off the heads of the goldfish in the school pond after one of the teachers had upset him. He showed no remorse. Anne and I both agreed that when he got older he would end up murdering someone if they upset him and he did.

1976, about: Murder of an old lady who died in a large house in Chiddingfold: Derek Cordery: Her body was found at the seat of the fire I believe on floor in the bedroom … more

1976: Special Crime Patrol Unit (Burglary Squad): Marilyn Parsons: I was also on the Burglary Squad when it was first formed in 1976. Detective Chief Inspector Taffy … more

1976: A new era in force communications opened on 6 December 1976 with a purpose built operations room at headquarters. It replaced the old control room, which had been in existence since 1949. Police communications was at the front of the computer revolution ensuring a transformation in making data immediately available to control room staff and officers on patrol.

1976-77: Allan Hurlow: I was tasked along with PC John Bonney to sit in the area car for ten hours in the middle of Brooklands/Vickers runway at Weybridge. The reason for this was that Idi Amin the President of Uganda at the time threatened to come to England to visit the Queen. This was obviously taken very seriously by the powers that be. So there we were, half way down the runway to try and stop his aircraft from landing. It apparently worked as we never saw a single aircraft all day!

1977, January: Guildford: Armed Deployment at Newlands Corner: Simon Nelson: I had just joined “C” Section at Guildford shortly after leaving Training School. My parent constable was PC 795 Nicholas Charles Overton who was an authorised firearms officer. … more

1977, May: Tony Forward: HM Queen’s Silver Jubilee Review of the Police Forces of the UK: Peter Matthews, Surrey’s Chief Constable, was President of ACPO. The Home Office wanted to invite the Queen to review representatives from each of the UK police forces. They chose Bramshill Police College. Mr Matthews insisted it should be at the Metropolitan Police Training Centre at Hendon. He won and put himself in charge of the arrangements.

HM The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent the day there. There were Surrey officers with their wives as spectators although PC 230 Buss, holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, stationed at Godstone Traffic Centre, represented the Surrey Constabulary in the line to be inspected. Mr Matthews picked his own team of Surrey officers to plan and execute the operations of the day.

As well as the parade and inspection, there was a presentation to the Queen by Mr Matthews, lunch and a tour of an exhibition in the gymnasium of police vehicles, equipment and technology showing the advances made in the 25 years of her reign. The centre piece of the exhibition was a 1952 Wolsey police car with all its equipment and a 1977 motorway Range Rover.

Mr Matthews was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen and all the members of his organising team received the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal. They were DCC Chris Rowe, Supt Tony Grey, Supt Vincent McFadden, the Chief Constable’s secretary, and Supt Tony Forward. We also had the job of escorting members of the cabinet who attended.

1977, 14 July: PC 16 Robert George Cross aged 33 died in a road accident on the Churt to Hindhead Road. He was born on the 18 August 1944 joining the Surrey Constabulary on the 4 March 1971. PC Cross was found to be dead on arrival at the Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot. Superintendent Forward, who was later to organise the funeral, identified Robert Cross’ body. His funeral was held in Hindhead parish church as he had lived in the Hindhead police house. There is a plaque in Hindhead Parish church placed by colleagues on the Haslemere Section.

1977: Daniels Murder, Guildford.

1977: The work of the police increased dramatically when the Surrey Fire Brigade took industrial action. Police motorcyclists escorted military fire crews to blazes and officers were the first to attend many fires to assess the need for additional resources. Extra telephone equipment was installed in the operations room and solo manned police cars equipped with fire extinguishers were deployed.

Tony Forward: I was Superintendent at Godalming and used my own car on duty. All police cars were issued with fire extinguishers and I had a large one on the back seat of my car. Green Goddess fire engines were taken out of mothballs and manned by members of the TA and the Ghurkhas and escorted to incidents by police motor cyclists.

I did not need to use my fire extinguisher but I found myself on the scene of a fatal accident near Chiddingfold in the dark. A car had missed a bend and gone up a tree and the single occupant was killed outright. A Green Goddess arrived and its headlights were useful to the ambulance crew and me in extricating the body. The crew did not even get out of the vehicle.

Colin Campbell: Army Ghurkhas were stationed at various locations, such as TA Centres, with Bedford ‘Green Goddess’ fire fighting vehicles. Traffic personnel (mainly motorcyclists) worked long hours on standby at these centres, tasked with escorting the vehicles in the event a fire. The Ghurkhas were very generous with their hot chilli dishes which they often prepared whilst on standby. If you are ever tempted, watch out – very, very hot, but nevertheless a tasteful experience!

Mark Clark: I was at Sandfield Terrace in Guildford, which became almost home because this is where having used the place during the ambulance strikes; we escorted the Green Goddesses from during two of the Fire Brigade strikes. The Ghurkhas were billeted there and I don’t think they have got rid of the curry aroma yet!

Allan Hurlow: I was in uniform and my beat was Chertsey. I was ordered to assist the army with their Green Goddesses at the Army Cadet Hall in Drill Hall Road Chertsey. We were then ordered to base ourselves at The Royal Holloway Sanatorium Virginia Water. The soldiers put their gear in a large room and got their cookers going giving me the hottest curry washed down with a can of Skoll lager. I was there just the one night and from what I can remember we didn’t have a call. My job was to direct the soldiers to locations within our area.

1977, July: Colorado beetle found in rye seed on a farm in the east of the county and it became an “infected place”.

1977, October: An analysis in 1976 of serious burglaries in the county revealed that less than 10 per cent of the offenders did not live in Surrey but came mostly from the Metropolitan Police District. As a result the Special Crime Patrol was reorganised in October 1977 and in the first eight months of 1978 there was a dramatic decrease in break-ins of 25 per cent.

1978, 5 October 2200: PC Paul Cady when on patrol saw several acts of dangerous and reckless driving by the driver of a tractor unit.

Several vehicles were rammed including two police vehicles and at one stage the vehicle crossed the central reservation of a dual carriageway and drove against the flow of traffic. The vehicle drove at up to seventy miles an hour was forced to stop in traffic enabling PC Cady to run to the vehicle, open the door and struggle with the driver.

The vehicle was deliberately driven in to a stationary car crushing the officer’s leg causing severe damage. The unit again drove off at high speed eventually crashing into a shopping precinct when the driver was arrested. In October 1980 PC Cady was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct following comments from the trial judge that included: I think you behaved with great courage. You are deserving of the highest commendation.”1

1978, October: PC 1124 Paul Cady awarded the Queens’s Commendation for Brave Conduct for trying to stop a lorry which was being driven dangerously and had already been involved in several accidents. He suffered severe injuries to his left leg

Brian Whicher: I understand that he was on foot patrol in Camberley when he saw the traction unit of a lorry being driven dangerously. He jumped onto the footplate in an effort to cause the vehicle to stop, but the driver deliberately drove into a parked car crushing Paul’s leg.

Phil Dunford: Paul was trying to stop the driver of a lorry tractor unit in Camberley. He climbed up to attempt to open the door or window. The driver intentionally drove it up against other vehicles or buildings to throw off the officer, whose leg was severely damaged, leaving him permanently disabled.

1978, October: A Mercedes was stolen from a car show room at Woking, followed by other thefts of high powered and valuable cars within the county. A member of the stolen vehicle investigation team located records in vehicle licensing offices forged Custom’s notes relating to stolen vehicles across the southern counties. A team of Surrey officers continued the enquiry resulting in sixty eight arrests and thirty four vehicles worth £5000, 000 being recovered. Along the way numerous other offences were uncovered.

Back row: PC Young, PC Kendal,
PS Hebdon; Front: PC Humphries
and PC Sutton.

1978: PCs John Young and John Humphries were highly commended for their courage in apprehending a man armed with a rifle following a burglary. They attended the scene of a burglary and after John Humphries and police dog Dylan had been tracking for some time found a man hiding in the undergrowth armed with a rifle. The officers tackled and restrained the man without regard to their own safety. About £100,000 worth of property was recovered.3

1978: Sergeant John Hebdon and PC Malcolm Sutton of Woking were awarded the Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment for their actions at West By fleet station. They heard a woman screaming and discovered she had come in contact with the live rail. They managed to remove her and conveyed her to hospital.4

1978, about: A3 Wisley: Malcolm Sutton: A robbery involving Securicor cash in transit van occurred when the villains shot out the tyres of the … more

1978: Edmund-Davies Report leads to large pay increase:5 The Edmund-Davies Report announced a substantial increase in police pay, which included an unspecified amount to take account of the absence of the right to strike. The report also proposed linking future pay rises to an index of all non-manual workers. The Government accepted the findings, but insisted on staging the pay increases over two years.

1978: Special Escort and Display Team: Dick Johnson: This picture was taken in 1978 at the Force family day. It is a picture of the newly reformed Special Escort and Display Team.

From the front leading back to the left is Ted Sherwood (Sergeant 340), Tony Buddle (PC 6), Dick Johnson (PC 680) Jof Clements (PC 1092) Bob (Trooper) Cooper, not sure about the back rider.

Leading back to the right behind Ted is Mel Huckle (PC 446), I think Dave Stone, Les (Bones) Gillingham, and I am not sure about the last two.

Bikes were 800cc BMWs. We practiced for weeks at Wisley aerodrome and if I remember correctly Tony Forward gave an excellent commentary over the PA system.

1978, 3 August: The Times: A football supporter aged fifteen was remanded on bail at Dorking charged with attempted murder of a boy aged fourteen.

1978, August: Murder of a young boy Martin Pell at Leatherhead in 1979. … more

1979: Special Crime Patrol been in place two years and during the year arrested 263 people and recovered £307,000 worth of property. In the last two years there have been 671 arrests by the patrol and a total of £653,647 worth of property recovered.6

1979, 1 January: Operation Midas: Thirty one people were arrested in the Metropolitan Police District, Surrey and Hampshire and antiques, jewellery and silverware valued at £200,000 was recovered. Eighteen people were charged with 169 offences of blackmail, burglary, arson, handling stolen property and conspiracy.7

1979, 24 January: Two men were disturbed breaking into a house at Ashtead and made off on foot. One was arrested nearby and the other by the Metropolitan Police in Epsom when the suspect crossed common land into the town and was spotted by a police helicopter.8

1979, 29 January: Two homosexuals living in a house divided into flats in Redhill had an argument and one was stabbed several times causing his death. Neighbours called the police and the offender was later arrested in London and sentenced to life in prison for murder.9

1979, 30 January: A forty five year old lady working in her home in Oxted was attacked by an intruder and subjected to a violent sexual assault. The woman under threats of death suggested they move to another bedroom. On the way she threw a vacuum cleaner at the offender then locked herself in the bedroom whereupon the offender made off. This offence was not detected.10

1979, between January and April: Numerous offences of burglary were committed in the north of the county in good class flats. The offender always posed as a painter and wore white overalls. On one occasion a Sunbeam Rapier was seen and the number taken. The Special Crime Patrol found the vehicle in Brentford and followed and the driver arrested in Richmond on suspicion of burglary. Housebreaking implements were found in the vehicle which matched those from the burglaries under investigation. The man was sentenced to imprisonment.11

1979, 1 March: 24,000 litres of mixed oils in a tanker in Farnham Town Centre.

1979, 10 March: Police Support Unit assistance to Hampshire to police a National Front march and a counter demonstration by the “Anti Nazi league”.12

1979, 20 April: Armed robbery outside Lloyds Bank Great Bookham when a Securicor guard was threatened with a revolver. A second man approached with a sawn off shotgun. The money, £16,100 was handed over and the robbers made off in a stolen vehicle. This was not detected.13

1979, 24 April: Two vehicles were seen parked close to woodland at Hascombe. Three shots were heard and two men carrying rifles were seen to run from the woods. The men got into two separate cars and drove off. The registered owner of one of the cars was reported missing that evening and a search found his body, bound and covered with bracken.

The Jason brothers arrested
in France

Enquiries led detectives to believe that the offenders had left the country and Interpol was alerted. A launch was traced off the coast of France and the two people, brothers, on board were arrested along with rifles and ammunition. The men were extradited and charged withmurder.14

1979, April: Dog Sergeant Keith Simmonds with Mandy found the body of a man covered with bracken. He had been tied up with a distinctive tape and rope, gagged with his tie, and shot in the back of the head three times at close range.

The victim was 58 year old John George an engineer employed by the Water Authority. Three men were seen to go into a copse off the A281 at Bramley, shots were heard and two men came out. Detective Chief Superintendent Ron Underwood took charge and soon the killing was linked to a robbery in Kent.

Two men were being sought and registration numbers were available from witnesses. One of the vehicles was found in Guernsey and the two wanted men had arrived there on the ferry from Weymouth. A boat stolen from Guernsey was seen in Brittany and the two wanted men were arrested.

The reasons behind the killing and the elaborate trussing of the body confused the police at the time and presumably to this day. Trial in 1980 led to findings of guilt but no explanation for the murder.

1979, 17 May: A burglary and rape was reported at a house in Camberley. A thirty year old woman was sleeping with two children woke to find a man brandishing a breadknife with a stocking mask standing by the bed. He raped the woman and then apologised for what he had done before he left. He was not traced.15

1979, 26 May: HM The Queen visited Guildford for the 60th anniversary of the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association. There were a total of fourteen royal visits to the county.16

1979, 20 July: at 0930 two men knocked at the door of a house in Peaslake. The door was opened by an Arab servant and the callers showed what was said to be a warrant card and asked to see the man’s passport.

The servant returned with his passport to be confronted by a sawn off shotgun. A scuffle followed and the two men ran off one receiving injuries to his head and neck. This man was arrested close by and sent to the Central Criminal Court.17

PC Bagley and his dog Jasper
receiving the RSPCA award

1979, 25 July 0900: PC Michael Bagley and police dog Jasper saw a wanted man at Chobham. He was called upon to stop but made off and Jasper was released. The man hid behind a bush and as Pc Bagley approached he stepped out pointing a small black pistol at the officer and opened fire as the dog closed in as the man turned to run off. He fired a second shot as the dog stopped him. It was later found that this was a starting pistol. The RSPCA awarded Jasper their “Animal Plaque of Courage”.18

1979, 8 August: A known burglar from Deptford was under surveillance by the Special Crime Patrol when with an associate they were followed to Dorking where they broke into an antique shop. The men were arrested and a £1,000 worth of property recovered.19

1979, 22 August: Two student nurses, a male and female, ended a long standing relationship. An argument followed in the girl’s room and she was pushed onto the bed and stabbed six times, including twice in the throat. On hearing her scream other students forced their way into the room and stopped the attack. The man then slashed his writs and throat but survived to appear before the court.20

1979, 26 August: A meeting organised in Windsor Great Park to protest at an injunction barring pop festivals in the park led to the deployment of police from Thames Valley and Surrey. This prevented any disturbances.21

1979, 16 September: An eighteen year old girl who had been drinking in a pub in Walton left with two men she knew. The offender got into the car with the woman and her friends uninvited and demanded a lift home. One of the youths left at his home and the offender put a knife to the neck of the driver forcing him to drive to isolated woodland. He took the keys and threatened the driver not to move, forcing the girl into the wood where he raped her. One man was charged.22

1979, since September: A man claiming to be a council official called at the homes of elderly people and obtained cheques from them by deception. The offender was identified by fingerprints and arrested and admitted crimes across the south east. He was charged.23

1979 5 October: Regional Crime Squad, Walton office: Three men were arrested in Crawley in possession of oxyacetylene equipment, oxygen and propane gas bottles. The men were responsible for burglaries over some time when safes were attacked across Surrey, Sussex, Kent, and Metropolitan Police District. The men were charged.24

1979, 11 October: Armed robbery at 1045 on the A3 six miles north of Guildford when £377,000 in cash was stolen … more

1979, 26 October: A housewife was found dead in her home in Walton. The deceased had disturbed a man breaking into her house and she was attacked on the head with heavy kitchen equipment. A man was charged with murder.

Don Sapsford: The offender was a builder who had recently worked at the house.

1979, 29 October: Two youths were seen acting suspiciously in Epsom and as the Metropolitan Police were unable to deal Surrey responded and arrested them. They were responsible for a number of burglaries in Surrey and the Metropolitan Police District. A third person was later arrested and it was established they were responsible for a large number of burglaries involving property valued at £15,000. They were also responsible for the theft of vehicles, one of which was involved in an armed robbery. £6,000 of property was recovered.26

1979, 1 November: A joint command post exercise was held with Surrey and Sussex Police at Gatwick Airport.27

1979, 1 November: Three men burst into a house at Walton and threatened the occupants, and stealing gold and jewellery valued at £43,000. The Special crime Patrol investigated the offence and eventually nine men from London were arrested and six charged with this offence. Property valued at £16,000 was recovered.28

1979, 5 November: A man was arrested for burglary in Dorking where it was later established he was wanted in London and that he had committed fifty two burglaries in six months with a value of £20,000 of which six thousand pounds was recovered.29

1979, 16 November: At 2315 in Farnham a man took a taxi to take him from a pub to the railways station where he pulled the driver from the cab, punched and kicked him, getting into the taxi and driving off. Driving to the local hospital he set fire to the vehicle before making off. It was destroyed. A man appeared before the Central Criminal Court charged with a number of offences including robbery.30

1979, 18 December: Sergeant Keith Thomson and PC Andrew Simkins discovered a serious fire in Walnut Tree Close, Guildford. They broke into the house and heard groaning from a man about twelve feet into the room. Both officers made repeated attempts to cross the room and rescue the man but on each occasion were beaten back by the intense heat and smoke.

Suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, singing to the eyebrows, hair and clothing they were eventually forced to retreat. A body of a 70 year old man was later recovered. Both officers were awarded certificates by The Society for the Protection of Life from Fire.31

Highly Commended: Inspector D Jones: For courage and determination when arresting a mentally disturbed man armed with a knife.

Detective Chief Inspector GT Powell: For outstanding leadership of the Special Crime Patrol.

PS Fred Booker: Courage and determination when arresting a man armed with a pistol. Also awarded £50 by the judge at the Central Criminal Court

1979: Edmund-Davies is implemented in full: Following the Conservative victory in the General Election; the new Government immediately implemented the Edmund-Davies award in full, and pledged itself to honouring the pay standards in the future.

1979: There were five murders and sixty two robberies and nine hundred and eighty malicious wounding offences a 22% increase in crimes of violence.32

1979: Denis Turner: I recall being tasked with several other handlers, all of us armed, to a flat in Camberley. There had been information that IRA suspects were living in the flat and we were deployed to assist Division with checking the property. I can vividly recall two armed handlers at the back of the property and two others at the front. I was one of the two at the front and I stood one side of the door with my dog and a drawn revolver and the other handler, (who I cannot recall but may have been Nev. Cast) standing opposite me in the same manner.

The inspector knocked on the door. The door opened and the inspector stepped inside and the door was closed leaving two very bewildered handlers and dogs at the front of the property. Needless to say, all was well, fortunately, as it turned out to be a false alarm – but the story is a true one.

I was to meet the inspector much later on when he was superintendent at Reigate. We had been called to a suspect explosive incident and the whole of Reigate High Street was cordoned off. We were at the cordon when along came the superintendent on the opposite side of the road. Without a sideways glance he continued on past us and disappeared. To this day I am not sure whether or not he knew what was going on or whether he had just nipped out to get his paper.

1979: Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act: A total of 3,862 persons were detained in Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts 1974 and 1976 between 29 November 1974 and 28 February 1979. The numbers of persons detained in each police force area in England and Wales are given in the following table.

In addition, 831 people were detained under the legislation in Scotland, in respect of 58 of whom extension of detention were granted. In no case was an application for an extension of detention refused. Such information from the first quarter of 1979 will in future be published quarterly in a Home Office statistical bulletin.

1979: Annual Report:

• Box Hill with its magnetic appeal to young motorcyclists is still a cause for concern. Throughout the year it has been necessary to maintain a police presence on a Sunday afternoon at the Burford Bridge. The gatherers from across the south east were responsible for thefts, assault, damage and public order offences and during the year a number of arrests were made.
• A study made in 1976 revealed that for every Surrey based criminal arrested for burglary thirteen were resident elsewhere, and nine of that thirteen lived in the Metropolitan Police District; that is only those that were identified. Surrey experienced the second highest number of burglaries where more than a £1,000 was stolen.   back to 1976
• During the year the officers of the Special Crime Patrol Unit (Burglary Squad) arrested 263 people and recovered property to the value of £307,000.
• During the year 25,491 criminal offences were recorded an increase of 3% over 1978 this included a 22% increase in crimes of violence. Cycle theft was up 14%, theft from unattended vehicles up 9% shop lifting up 38% and criminal damage 18%. There was a 1% decrease in burglaries, other burglaries 8% down and thefts of motor vehicles down 18% Detection rate remained fairly stable at 47%.
• Injury Accident Statistics:

1979: Murder of John George on Farnham Division.

1979: Road Traffic Accident at Puttenham involving a tanker full of heating oil.

1979: Firearms Support Team Course: Firearms Support Team and Firearms training in Surrey Constabulary … more

1979-1980: John Milner: It must have been 1979 or 1980 when I was detective inspector at Reigate and we had a real problem with a family living on one of the estates at Redhill. We knew they were up to no good in a big way and were probably responsible for half of the crime on the division but couldn’t get near them. We had tried observations, waiting for them to come home after just having done a job, nicking them off the street, talking to the neighbours and everything else we could think of but were still no further forward.

The real problem was that they had a vicious Alsatian which was left loose in the garden and every time we went there, with or without warrant, as soon as the latch on the gate was lifted it would bound down the path barking and snarling and frightened everyone away so we could never get into the house. Eventually I thought I should speak to the professionals to see what help was available so I had a chat with Fred Booker.

His words were along the lines of, “That’s not a problem. When do you want to go in?” Having agreed an early morning time and date, and armed with a warrant, we arrived at the address and prepared to enter. Fred got out of his van which was well down the road and we met near the house.

I said, naively, “Where’s your dog?” Fred, not being noted for long explanations said, “I don’t need him”. I said, “Haven’t you got one of those long poles with a noose at the end? He replied, “I don’t need that either”. What he had with him was one of those padded sleeves dog handlers used for training purposes, which he put on and assured me that he was ready.

Fred went to the gate, clicked the latch open, went in and closed the gate behind him. At the click of the latch the barking started and the huge black Alsatian came bounding down the path snarling and slavering. Fred raised his sleeved arm up to about eye level and the dog leapt up to take it.

For just a split second before the dog could take the arm it was in the air with its undercarriage fully exposed. With immaculate timing Fred delivered the dog a fierce kick in the balls. This had an amazing effect. I have had several dogs as family pets over the years but I have never seen one cross its legs, but I swear this one did. It slunk away on its front paws dragging its rear quarters behind it and never gave us any more trouble.

Having completed the search with sufficient success to bring down the crime rate for the next few months I saw Fred and thanked him for helping out. Fred took it as all being in a days work and wondered why we hadn’t called on him before which I did when I thought about it.

1970s, late: Lakeside Club fire: Mo Clark: There I was about 2 am into a night shift with PC 1120 Paul Webb driving. The call came in that staff at the Lakeside Club wanted to … more

1970-80s Brian Muchmore: Murder/manslaughter of an Irish Traveller from the site at Junction Bridge, Farnham by the owner of the polly tunnels on the old adjacent hop fields. Culprit caught tinkers damaging his tunnels, warned them off with a loaded 410 shotgun. They tried to take it off him and one got shot.

Derek Dearmer: I was stationed at Farnham at the time and remember the Irish families had moved onto the site causing most of the other travellers to move off because they expected them to cause trouble. I thought that they were going onto the farm land to steal vegetables from the fields and the farmer had warned them if they came again he would shoot them.

They did and he did. I was one of several officers who had to go to the site when the news of his death at Royal Surrey County Hospital was notified to next of kin. I am not sure but think Des Brotherton was the Sergeant to impart the news. We were there mob handed with dogs in tow as trouble was expected when the news was broken but there was little problem.

1970,s late-early 1980s: Bill Bethell: The case of the Major who held up Sainsbury’s in High Street, Guildford getting peoples’ attention by discharging his shotgun into the ceiling. He grabbed the money and made his escape on a pushbike that he had brought with him and found abandoned in Sydenham Road, I believe.

I remember DC Bob Ball with the bike and a blackboard outside Sainsbury’s on the hot summer’s days. Have you seen this bike? It turned out to be very special and the Major was identified through it. I believe he pleaded guilty. Vince McFadden was Officer in Case so must have been sometime in the late seventies/early eighties.

1979, September: Murder at Red House Lane, just off Ashley Road, Walton-on-Thames: Denis Turner: I think a woman was murdered and also … more

1979, about: The Shalford murder: Bill Bethell: An old lady was found strangled in her house in Station Road, Shalford. Enquiries turned up a security guard who … more

1980: Robbery increased by 24% over the previous year to reach the highest figure ever recorded in Surrey.33

1980: There were nineteen royal visits to the county during the year.34

1980: Drug Squad:

• The arrest of an operating theatre technician for the theft on five occasions of sedative drugs used to treat patients prior to an operation. He had replaced the drugs with water.
• A report from hospital staff that patients were failing to respond to treatment with heroin and that some pharmacy stock had been replaced with dextrose powder. A number of containers had been interfered with and drugs at a street value of £5000 had been stolen. Two men were arrested. The heroin or diamorphine hydrochloride was used to treat terminally ill cancer patients.
• A Camberley man was arrested for supplying heroin imported from Thailand.
• A man was arrested for obtaining 1100 tablets of methadone by deception and selling them at £5 each.
• The arrest of five chemist shop burglars responsible for offences in Surrey and Hampshire with £5,000 of Class A drugs were recovered.35

1980: Chief Constable Highly Commended PC John Cork for exceptional bravery and devotion to duty in detaining a man who had attacked him with a knife.

1980, January: Special Crime Patrol Unit: Several burglaries were committed in the Leatherhead the offender using cars stolen from the Wandsworth area. Enquiries led to a suspect in Tooting who was watched and seen to drive a stolen car but it was not possible to follow him. Police watched his home address until he returned with proceeds of crime and was arrested admitting fifteen burglaries in the county.36

Evicting hippies from Wonersh.

1980: Police Support Unit deployments: Two on aid to neighbouring forces and within the county – a Right to Work march from London to Brighton, assistance at an eviction, a missing person search.37

1980: Regional Crime Squad: based at Walton Thames No 6 District office of eighteen officers, fourteen from Surrey, arrested 112 people of whom 57 were charged and £531,449 of property recovered.38

1980: Police Dog Section: Answered 3,737 calls making 490 arrests, finding 234 articles, 20 missing people and 50 drug finds. The establishment is an inspector, five sergeants and 22 constables. The constables were on division with three of the sergeants also on divisional strength the inspector and two of the sergeants are responsible for the dog training school.39

1980, 1 January: During the early hours a young woman arrived home at Caterham where she found her mother on the front path. She had just stabbed her husband and was later arrested formurder.40

1980, 1 February: Location not given. At 2000 a man and his daughter were at home when they disturbed a burglar. The occupier gave chase and struggled with the burglar in the drive to the house. The householder was stabbed a number of times on his face and body but recovered from his wounds. The crime was undetected.42

1980, February and March: Special Crime Patrol Unit: Following a number of night time burglaries in houses and shops in Reigate the Unit kept observation on a local suspect who was seen to pick up an associate in a stolen car. It was difficult for mobile surveillance late into the night and so observation was kept on the suspect’s home address. The men returned at 0520 and were arrested in possession of crystal and glassware valued at £7,000 from a Reigate burglary. The resulting enquiry led to the arrest of thirteen people for burglary, theft, deception, forgery, handling and conspiracy to defraud. Property valued at £12,000 was recovered.43

1980, February: Surrey Constabulary officers seconded to Rhodesia(right).

1980, 12 February: At 2000 a fire broke out in the bedroom of a first floor flat in Westcott occupied by a 75 year old lady. The fire was discovered by a neighbour at 2155 and the emergency services called. The neighbour tried to rescue the lady but was driven back by heat and smoke.

PCs Michael Ledwidge and Anthony James attended and immediately crawled along the hallway to the bedroom where they could see flames and a thick smoke. Receiving no answer to their shouts the officers were also forced out of the flat by the heat and smoke. The Fire Service attended but the lady was dead. Both officers were commended by the Chief Constable and a certificate was awarded to the neighbour Mr Derrick Groves and the police officers by the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire.44

1980, 26 February: 0500 a Road Traffic Accident on the A3 at Guildford when a car overturned and caught fire. Inspector Harland arrived on the scene and with members of the public made an attempt at rescuing the driver but were driven back by the heat, smoke and fumes. Inspector Harland had a second try and was this time successful in releasing the driver and pulling him clear of the flames saving the life of the driver.

The Chief Constable commended the inspector and the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire awarded certificates to the officer and the members of the public Messrs Bennell, Hudson and Beales.45

1980, 26 March: Armed robbery: Three men with sawn off shotguns and wearing face masks forced an entry into the home of a jeweller in South Nutfield. They were tied up and threatened and so handed over the keys to their shop in Reigate. One man remained with the family and the other two went to the shop and stole jewellery and silver valued at £22,000. A further £26,000 of property was stolen from the house.

Once left alone the family managed to free themselves and raised the alarm. Later that morning a jaguar was seen in suspicious circumstances in Kent and made off followed by police. The vehicle came into Surrey and was stopped, one man arrested and a shotgun along with £22,000 of property recovered. The other men were later arrested and all appeared at the Central Criminal Court receiving lengthy prison terms.46

1980, April: Special Crime Patrol Unit: Observation was kept on two Farnham based burglars suspected of committing their crimes in Surrey. One evening they were seen to throw property into a river and the men were arrested. A search by the underwater search unit recovered jewellery valued at £1800 pounds. Both men admitted twenty one burglaries of which five were in Surrey.48

1980, 15 April: A man arrested by dog handler Tony Salter and Sabre after a protracted search and chase escaped from custody at Godalming after violently assaulting a police officer. Dog Inspector Stan Woods attended with Dextra and found a track in woodland. The escapee was seen and PC Salter who had made the arrest earlier let his dog Sabre go and the man was again detained.49

1980, May-June: Murder: An attempted rape occurred at Frensham near Farnham when an 18 year old girl was threatened by a man with a knife and attempted to rape her. … more

1980: Clare Hutchison from The Bourne aged fifteen was reported missing on the way to school. There was … more

1980, 13 May: Armed Robbery: A security van was boxed in and forced to stop in Tandridge. The vehicle was then attacked by probably five men one of whom … more

1980, 19 May: Armed Robbery: During the night three men wearing balaclava and armed with shotguns and truncheons forced their way into the sub-post office at Mychett. They tied up the postmaster and his family forcing the postmaster to reveal the location of the safe and to hand over the contents £9,000. The postmaster and his family were locked in the garage of the house and the raiders made off. Three men were arrested following an intensive enquiry working with Essex Police. The men admitted the offence in Mychett.51

1980, 10 June: Murder: A 42 year old woman was found dead in her home in South Godstone having been beaten on the head with a baseball bat. Her car had been stolen. The vehicle was found at Oxted and a friend of the murdered woman arrested and later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.52

1980, 22 October: Fraud: A Guildford bank was defrauded of £151,000 and enquiries by the Fraud Squad linked this to other offences and by January 1982 the total defrauded reached £600,00. Two men were arrested and charged.53

1980, 29 November: Arson: A man entered a number of empty industrial buildings at Ripley and set fire to them causing £85,000 worth of damage. A man was later arrested and committed to the Crown Court.

1980, 14 November: Vehicles were broken into at beauty spots and property stolen a crime prevalent in the Dorking and Leatherhead areas. Observation was kept on car parks and on the 14 November a man was arrested whilst attempting to enter a vehicle and was arrested admitting more than sixty offences.54

1980: Les Martin: I recall an incident involving a police dog, probably about 1980, in Dorking. A call came in that there were intruders on the premises; a private house. Uniform officers were dispatched, a dog handler was in the area, and was also sent, and a couple of us CID officers also went.

The uniformed officers and CID arrived slightly ahead of the dog handler (who I believe was Den Blackman) and there was a car parked outside with a woman sitting in it (the girl friend of the offender). He was still in the house, but on our arrival he legged it out the back, down the garden, over the fence, across the road and into a cornfield.

As soon as Den Blackman arrived, he was told of the situation and went with me to the field. The corn (or whatever it was) was four to five feet tall, and we could see a head above the corn running away. Den immediately picked up his Alsatian, pointed to the head which was rapidly getting smaller, and then put his dog down.

The dog leapt into action, and only seconds later the head disappeared immediately followed by yells and shouting. Needless to say the offender did not get away and of course at a later interview the offender confessed to everything, as he knew the dog was also at the police station.

1980: Murder of Sylvia Westcott.

JULY 25, 2011

- Dwayne Bailey, a 41-year-old black man, was shot and killed Friday, July 22, in the 2100 block of West Century Boulevard in Westmont, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Ed Winter, spokesman for the coroner’s office, said Bailey was in a carport about 3:34 p.m. when he was approached by an unknown person and shot.

Authorities were called and Bailey was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died at 4:14 p.m.

Coroner’s records show he was shot in the right hand and twice in the torso.

Anyone with information about the killing is asked to contact the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

May 22 2014

- Hills police have issued another warning to people and businesses to watch out for fake $50 bank notes.

The most recent warning follows the discovery that four fake $50 notes were used at three local licenced venues during busy trading times at the weekend.

Two were found at the Australian Brewery, Annangrove, one was used at Castle Hill RSL and another was at the Hillside Hotel.

Hills Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Gary Bailey urged anyone in possession of suspected counterfeit banknotes to contact police.

He said people should take time checking notes.

“Counterfeiting of currency worldwide by organised crime groups or individuals has the potential to undermine public confidence in the currency and impact heavily on governments, business and individuals alike.”

HOW TO SPOT A FAKE

■ It is difficult to start a tear along an edge of a realbanknote.

■ Feel the print: On a genuine banknote, slightly raised printing (dark ink) called intaglio, is used for the main design elements, such as the portraits.

■ Look at the print: Genuine banknotes have multicoloured, fine line patterns appearing on each side of the banknote.

■ Hold the note up to the light: A genuine banknote has images that can only be seen when the banknote is held up to the light.

■ Magnifying glass: A genuine banknote has microprint that can usually only be read with the aid of a magnifying glass

■ The clear window: Genuine banknotes have a clear window — the area around the window is uniformly smooth to touch.

■ Ultra-violet light: On genuine banknotes, the serial numbers (located on the back of the banknote) fluoresce under ultraviolet light. In all banknotes other than the $10, there is also an area on the back of the banknote that fluoresces.

■ Fold the banknote. Federation $5 banknotes have a hidden ‘5’ below the small printed triangle, in the bottom right hand corner of the back of the banknote. The ‘5’ is revealed when that area of the banknote is viewed through the mauve coloured area of the clear window.

- Bev Jordan

January 16 2014

- A Chatham County jury on Wednesday found three men guilty of two armed robberies that took place in and around Forsyth Park last May.

Devante Tyrell Bynes, 21, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of harming a police dog; Devon Manuel Tarver, 23, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery; and Josephewa Sonny Ramsey, 28, was found guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count of obstruction, said Daniel Baxter, Chatham County District Attorney’s Office spokesman.

Assistant District Attorney Jerry Rothschild told the jury that on the evening of May 21, 2013, Savannah-Chatham police Detective William Bailey was patrolling the area of Forsyth Park as part of a planned operation to deter armed robberies in the area. About midnight, the detective witnessed three men surround another man in what looked like an armed robbery.

Upon seeing the detective, the three men ran away. Ramsey was apprehended immediately by Bailey, who was in pursuit.

With help from a K-9 unit, Tarver and Bynes were caught minutes later hiding on East Park Avenue.

During Bynes’ apprehension, the K-9 suffered injuries in the struggle, but later recovered.

That K-9 has been identified in previous Savannah Morning News stories as the police dog Flash.

Upon investigation, police found two of the men in possession of items belonging to two people who had been robbed at gunpoint in separate instances earlier that evening, Baxter said.

Sentencing will be at a later date by Superior Court Judge Michael Karpf.

January 16 2014

- An investigation by local narcotics agents led to the arrests of five people Thursday afternoon and the seizure of a large amount of marijuana, cocaine and weapons.

Late Thursday afternoon, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team executed a search warrant at 206 West St. on Savannah’s westside. Seized during this operation were 4.5 pounds of marijuana, an ounce of cocaine, two handguns, an SKS assault style rifle and $1,079 in cash, said CNT Sgt. Mark Lupus.

Arrested during Thursday’s operation was 23-year-old Calvin Gregory Russell, who was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obstruction. Russell also had three warrants through the Savannah-Chatham police department including aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Lupus said.

Also arrested were 24-year-old James Johnson, who was charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obstruction; 19-year-old Treishawn Robinson, 22-year-old Arkeem Anthony and 28-year old Isadore Johnson, all charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. This search warrant is the result of a short-term investigation concentrating on drug sales activities in the West Savannah neighborhood, targeting known drug houses and individuals identified as marketers of illicit narcotics in the community, Lupus said.

Supporting CNT during this operation were SWAT team members and aviation assets from the Savannah-Chatham police department.

August 8 2013

- An apparent case of road rage that involved speeds of higher than 85 mph on U.S. Highway 93 ended in felony criminal endangerment charges against two Hamilton residents.

Andrea Jeanne Bunnell, 37, and Robert Wayne McCoy, 40, appeared before Ravalli County Justice of the Peace Jim Bailey Wednesday.

Bailey set bail for both at $25,000.

Court records said the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office received a report on July 24 that a woman saw a white station wagon change lanes twice while almost striking a black motorcycle as it traveled northbound on Highway 93.

The witness then saw the motorcycle driver pull up alongside the station wagon and make an obscene gesture at its driver.

After the station wagon appeared to swerve toward the motorcycle, its rider accelerated and split lanes between two vehicles in what the witness believed to be an attempt to get away from the station wagon.

A couple of minutes later, Sheriff’s Detective Dave Potter was accelerating on the highway northbound, after being stopped at the traffic signal at Woodside Cutoff Road, when a station wagon passed him at a high rate of speed.

The station wagon was being chased by a black motorcycle at that time.

Potter saw the two vehicles put other drivers at risk by tailgating, passing traffic over double yellow lines, passing in between vehicles and passing vehicles on the right side of the road.

Potter turned on his emergency lights and sirens and began pursuit, but couldn’t maintain the chase due to the high speed the vehicles were traveling.

The vehicles were speeding well in excess of 85 mph, court records said.

Later that evening, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper confronted Bunnell at Mission Bistro in Stevensville, where she is employed. She initially denied the incident, but court records said she later told her probation officer that she had lied to the law enforcement officers who had questioned her.

Bunnell is currently on felony probation.

McCoy also denied speeding or driving erratically when questioned. He did admit that he did not have a valid motorcycle endorsement on the day he operated the motorcycle, court records said.

At the time of the incident, McCoy was out on bail awaiting a September trial on drug charges.

McCoy was arrested last September after Hamilton police allegedly found more than twice the legal amount of marijuana allowed to a medical marijuana provider at McCoy’s home. The search followed the police detainment of McCoy’s daughter, who allegedly distributed marijuana-laced candy on a school bus.

In addition to the felony criminal endangerment charge in this most recent case, McCoy also faces misdemeanor counts of obstructing a police officer, fleeing from a police officer and driving while license is suspended or revoked.

Besides the felony count, Bunnell was charged with misdemeanor obstructing a police officer and fleeing from a police officer.

- Perry Backus

Thursday September 19 2013

- A former drug squad detective once accused of killing police informer Terence Hodson says he is not interested in giving evidence at an inquest.
Paul Dale spent seven months in jail after being charged with ordering the killing of Mr Hodson before the case against him was dropped following the murder of gangland boss Carl Williams.
State Coroner Ian Gray will on November 25th rule on whether he holds an inquest into the deaths of Mr Hodson and wife Christine, who were shot in their Kew home on May 16, 2004, after Mr Hodson turned police corruption informer.
The Coroners Court was told on Wednesday the Hodsons’ three children and Victoria Police wanted an inquest held.
Mr Dale said he would seek legal advice if called as a witness, but had “lost faith” in the justice system after 12 separate inquiries.
“The police have never been interested in the truth and when I have told my version of events it has never been listened to,” he told Fairfax Media.
Hitman Rodney Collins was charged with killing both Mr and Mrs Hodson, but the charges against he and Mr Dale were withdrawn after Williams – who had implicated both men – was bashed to death in prison in April 2010. Collins is serving life for another double murder.
No one is in jail for killing the Hodsons and Mr Dale doubted an inquest could solve a crime the police couldn’t over almost a decade.
But the Hodsons’ daughter, Mandy Hodson and Nicola Komiazyk, have vowed to continue fighting for justice.
They welcomed police support for an inquest, but accused the force of using stalling tactics and feared key evidence and witnesses would be withheld.
“How much longer do we have to wait? This was a double homicide. Police corruption involved, police involvement. All they keep doing is putting it off,” Ms Hodson said.
Judge Gray must also decide whether to hold a separate inquest into the death of Williams, who was bashed with the seat of an exercise bike by fellow inmate Matthew Johnson inside Barwon Prison’s Acacia Unit. Johnson is serving a 32-year sentence.
Williams’ former wife, Roberta, and his father, George, want another probe given concerns over the poor monitoring of the unit by prison staff, and the decision to put Williams in a unit with a violent offender who loathed informers.
Judge Gray reserved his decision on a possible Williams inquest.

- Adam Cooper

Saturday September 21 2013

- Soccer players charged with match-fixing have barricaded their doors at night in fear of the alleged ringleader, who’s in custody, a court has heard.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Scott Poynder said two of the four Southern Stars jammed chairs against hotel room doors in fear that Segaran Gsubramaniam, 45, would get people to “visit them”.
“Gerry” Gsubramaniam allegedly passed on information from associates in Hungary and Malaysia to members of the Dingley-based club in exchange for cash, accommodation and rental cars.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard the investigation may potentially involve other Victorian clubs, as well in clubs interstate and overseas.
Senior Sergeant Poynder said records seized from Mr Gsubramaniam’s Oakleigh South premises – including torn papers pieced back together – indicated he had received around $230,000 since July.
The Malaysian national is accused of fixing five Victorian Premier League matches involving the Southern Stars between July and September.
Five stars including the coach and goalkeeper were bailed to December 6th, but can’t attend FFA-sanctioned games.
Senior Sergeant Poynder said the players were willing to give evidence against Mr Gsubramaniam, who they claim was “the main man”.
The court heard Mr Gsubramaniam, charged with five counts each of engaging in and facilitating conduct that corrupts a betting outcome, claimed he was “small fry”.
Prosecutor Peter Rose, SC, opposed bail, arguing Mr Gsubramaniam may interfere with witnesses and was a flight risk as he had no local ties and potential access to large sums.
Senior Sergeant Poynder said he had discussed obtaining passports in another name in secretly taped phone calls.
Defence lawyer Michael Gleeson said his client had no prior offences and should be bailed like his co-accused.
The bail hearing will resume on Tuesday.
– Emily portelli

Saturday September 21 2013

- A man and a woman who perished in a house fire in Deer Park yesterday morning helped two others escape.

Firefighters discovered the bodies of Steve White, 44, and a woman police believe to be his partner in a bedroom of the gutted Deer Street home.

Acting Senior Sergeant Lionel Joseph, of the arson squad, said police were baffled why the pair didn’t escape.

“What we have been told from the witnesses is that the deceased actually alerted two other occupants about the fire and assisted the two other occupants in getting out of the premises,” he said.

“We can’t piece together how the deceased didn’t get out of the premises.” Emergency services were called to the burning unit about 12:45am to find the survivors – two seriously injured men in their 30s – outside the premises.

Police believe all four lived in the public housing unit.

Senior Sergeant Joseph said the dead occupants were known to police.

The house had been the scene of a siege in December 2011.

He said there were no reports of suspicious activity but all avenues were being looked at to determine the cause of the deadly blaze. Next-door neighbour Ruth said she and her husband were awoken by screams in the street.

She and another neighbour tried to douse the front and the back of the house using garden hoses before the firefighters arrived.

“We had to do something,” said Ruth, who didn’t give her last name.

She said the flames spread to her own property, but the house remained unscathed.

“We were lucky. All the back fence was burnt, as well as the pergola, but at least we saved the house.”

Jack Lynch, who lives in a rear unit with his mother at the same address as the fire, drove through the flames to escape the inferno.

“I was asleep and I heard one of the people in house yelling ‘fire, fire, fire’,” he said. “Mum was awake and she said she heard a loud bang. She said it sounded like thunder. We grabbed all our stuff and the cars and got out of there.”

- Angus Thompson

Saturday September 21 2013

- Two middle-aged men, one an American tourist, have been brutally bashed during a spat over a taxi in East Melbourne.

The 47-year-old American, Daniel, suffered a broken nose and eye socket in the attack, which occurred at a taxi rank outside the Hilton Hotel in Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, in the early hours of Father’s Day.

Stephen, his 53-year-old companion, who did not wish to give his surname, was also left with facial injuries, including painful bone bruising around the eye, and cuts and bruises on his arms and wrists.

The Hampton grandfather said the assault, about 12:40am on September 1st, left him “drenched in blood”.

Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Duane Hagger said the scuffle started when three men, aged roughly in their mid-20s, “tried to commandeer a taxi”.

The victims and their friend were standing at the front of the queue and went to enter the taxi when they were stopped by the alleged assailants. Two of the three men then seriously assaulted Stephen and Daniel, punching them in the head and face, and kicking them when they fell to the ground.

The three alleged offenders backed off only when another taxi driver stepped in to break up the scuffle.

Senior Constable Hagger said the offenders then jumped in a taxi and drove to Johnston Street, Fitzroy. “The attack was unprovoked,” he said. “It could have resulted in much more serious consequences.”

Stephen said his attackers “would have kept going” if the taxi driver hadn’t intervened.

He said his attackers had “obviously been drinking”.

He had noticed one of the men being “a bit obnoxious” at the Hilton bar.

- Samantha Landy

Saturday September 21 2013

- The gunman who slaughtered 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard stalked his victims as if he was “hunting” them, official said as they painted a chilling portrait of the carnage.

The scene at the Washington Navy Yard mass shooting

FBI Director James Comey said former navy sailor Aaron Alexis, 34, roamed the Navy Yard’s 197 building, randomly blasting victims with a sawn-off shotgun.

Alexis was shot dead by police after being cornered following Tuesday’s bloody spree.

Mr Comey’s account followed analysis of security camera footage taken inside the 197 building, providing the most detailed chronology so far of the massacre.

The FBI chief said after driving into the naval installation in the heart of the US capital, Alexis, carrying a bag, went into building 197 and into a fourth floor restroom.

He emerged holding a sawn-off Remington 870 shotgun and began blazing away.

“It appears to me that he was wandering the hall like hunting people to shoot,” Mr Comey said.

“From the video…he appears to be moving without particular direction or purpose. His movements don’t appear, at least to me, as of he was looking for a particular person or a particular group.”

Alexis later went to the ground floor, shot dead a security guard and seized his semi-automatic Beretta pistol.

He then returned to the third and fourth floors and continued shooting.

Mr Comey said workers were desperately trying to take cover and “were moving everywhere to find safety”.

Saturday September 21 2013

- A man and a woman are dead and two men are in hospital after a fire destroyed a house in Melbourne’s west.
Emergency services were called to the house in Deer Street, Deer Park, about 12:45am on Friday, police said, and it took more than 25 firefighters almost an hour to bring the inferno under control.
Two men aged in their mid-30s were taken to the Western Hospital in Footscray, suffering cuts and smoke inhalation. Their injuries were not life threatening. The bodies of a man and a woman aged in their mid-40s were discovered in the burnt remains.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and detectives from the arson and explosives squads were on the scene.
- The Age

OCTOBER 2 2014

- Emergency crews were kept busy last night, with two people remaining in hospital following two separate stabbings across the state.

The first occurred when a man was stabbed after being chased out of a home south of Wollongong about 5.20pm.

The 32-year-old and two friends were at an Albion Park Rail home on the Princes Hwy about when he got in an argument with a 41-year-old resident of the home.

The man allegedly armed himself with a knife and garden pitch fork before chasing the 32-year-old into an adjacent vacant block of land and attacking him.

The younger man was stabbed numerous times in the neck and torso.

He was flown to St George Hospital with life-threatening injuries

The 41-year-old man was taken to hospital with a minor wound to his head and remains under police guard.

Detectives took statements from more than 10 witnesses and forensic officers were assessing two crime scenes at Albion Park Rail last night.

A neighbour said they thought there was a siege taking place after numerous police cars responded to the incident.

Meanwhile, another man was the victim of a stabbing attack in Sydney’s south overnight.

Police were called to a Cooper St unit at Waterloo about 11.30pm where it is alleged a 46-year-old was stabbed by a woman armed with a kitchen knife.

It is understood the woman, 24, lashed out at the man after she was asked to leave a group gathering at the home.

The injured man ran from the house and was found nearby by paramedics.

He was treated at the scene before he was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital with injuries to his face and chest.

His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Police arrested the 24-year-old at the scene and investigations are continuing.

- Tanya Smart

Saturday September 21 2013

- A man police say is the ringleader of Australia’s involvement in a global match-fixing syndicate has made “veiled threats” against some of his co-accused, a court has heard.

Police allege Segaran “Gerry” Gsubramaniam, 45, is the liaison between members of Victorian Premier League soccer side the Southern Stars and the match-fixing syndicate, in a sting that has spawned more than $2 million in betting winnings.

Police allege the results of five of the club’s games between July 21st and last Friday were fixed and that Mr Gsubramaniam had instructed the team of of the score-lines wanted by match fixers in Hungary and Malaysia.

Mr Gsubramaniam, four of the team’s players and its coach have all been charged under Victoria’s new laws on match-fixing.

Mr Gsubramaniam, a Malaysian national, is fighting to be granted bail like his co-accused, but police are opposed over concerns he has access to money and criminal associates and will flee Australia. He was remanded in custody on Friday to continue his bail application on Tuesday.

The Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday heard that charged player Reiss Noel and a team mate feared Mr Gsubramaniam and had resorted to securing their hotel door with a chair.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Scott Poynder told the court: “Two players are currently securing their doors because they fear Mr Gsubramaniam will arrange for people to come and visit them.

“Some of those [interviewed] have expressed his making veiled threats to them against co-operating.”

Defence counsel Michael Gleeson said the evidence for the threats were questionable.

The court heard Mr Gsubramaniam had received transactions of $230,000 since June, and that police were analysing four bank accounts he had in Australia, and possibly more overseas.

Telephone intercepts also overheard him talking about the players he wanted to play in Australia.

The four players charged – Mr Noel, 23, Joe Woolley, 23, David Obaze, 23, and Nicholas McKoy, 27 – are all UK nationals and have surrendered passports to police. The club’s Australian coach, Zia Younan, 36, could not find his passport but would surrender it once found, the court heard.

Zia Younan – source: Fairfax Media

Detective Senior Constable Tracey Van Den Heuvel, who interviewed Mr Gsubramaniam last Sunday, told the court he said he was only a small player in the syndicate.

“He said he was just a small fry in all of this,” she said.

But prosecutor Peter Rose, SC, said police considered Mr Gsubramaniam “high on the totem pole” of their investigation and feared he was a flight risk who had inquired about obtaining a fake passport.

Mr Gleeson said evidence about a fake passport was also questionable, and said his client had no prior convictions, had surrendered his Malaysian passport to police and was entitled to bail like his co-accused.

Mr Gleeson said the accused man also faced a long wait in custody as the investigation would “take a substantial period of time for the police to resolve the charges”.

The court heard the investigation had now spread to other soccer clubs in Victoria, Queensland and overseas, and more arrests were possible.

Mr Gsubramaniam’s sister, Paramsary, told the court she and her siblings had raised $30,000 to pay for the surety if bail was granted, which included money she and her husband had saved for their son’s education.

The court heard accommodation had also been arranged through a family friend, but deputy chief magistrate Jelena Popovic ruled the location and person offering accommodation needed investigation. Ms Popovic ruled the bail application continue on Tuesday.

Mr Gsubramaniam and Mr Younan both face 10 charges, five counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome and five counts of facilitating conduct that corrupts a betting outcome.

The players all face eight charges apiece, four of each offence.

The six men are all scheduled to appear again in court on December 6th.

- Adam Cooper

Sunday September 22 2013

- A 62-year-old motorcyclist was ambushed and drenched in acid after he was mistaken for a member of a bikie gang.

The Pakenham man was rushed to Dandenong Hospital after the attack on the South Gippsland Highway near Bena yesterday. He is in a serious condition.

Police said the victim was ambushed by a group of men who screamed “we don’t like bikies around here” as they attacked the man.

Police said they did not believe the victim was a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

Detectives have not spoken to the man but believe he did not know his attackers.

June 12 2005

- More than 35 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. polls continue to indicate that the truth about the murder is still unclear for the majority of Americans. Despite government investigations and extensive research by writers who have concluded that no evidence is available to support the claims made by the conspiracy advocates, the case remains one of America’s great whodunits.

Doubts about James Earl Ray, Dr. King’s lone assassin, arose almost immediately after the civil rights leader was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. From the start, during King’s funeral, his aides voiced suspicions that a conspiracy was responsible for their leader’s death.

The political culture of America in the late 1960s and 1970s was very favorable to any theory that gave credence to government- oriented murder plots against public figures who challenged the authority of the establishment. The U.S. public, confronted with a litany of stories about the Kennedy assassinations, CIA plots against foreign leaders, and the scandalous reports about J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI domestic spying activities, were ready to believe that a pathetic individual like James Earl Ray must have received some kind of assistance from sophisticated plotters — most likely in the pay of the government.

There were no witnesses who saw Ray kill King. The government relied on circumstantial evidence, albeit evidence that strongly indicated Ray’s guilt. Scrutinizing the King murder case carefully, citizens on both sides of the conspiracy debate found many puzzling anomalies that were hard to explain. This is typical of most murder cases that are based entirely on circumstantial evidence where the accused denies guilt. There are loose ends that are never tied up. This was true of the Kennedy assassinations no less than the King assassination. Law enforcement officials know that all the pieces of evidence will not always tie up. There will always be mysteries and even after a murder is “solved” there will be evidence that just doesn’t fit.

That Ray did not go to trial was, in some part, his own fault. On Nov. 10, 1968, two days before his trial was originally scheduled, Ray fired his first defense lawyer, Arthur Haynes, who had already plead Ray not guilty to the charge of murdering King. Ray, convinced by his brother Jerry that famous Houston lawyer Percy Foreman could provide him with a better defense, fired Haynes and took on Foreman.

Soon after Foreman took over the case, the state’s prosecutors made Ray an offer: in exchange for a guilty plea, the state would not ask for the death penalty. After considering the case against his client, Foreman spelled it out to Ray: He did not stand a chance of being found not guilty and in Tennessee stiff penalties were given even for men with previously spotless records — and for accomplices as well as killers. Furthermore, Foreman told Ray, Memphis juries had been hard on first-degree murder defendants. Foreman told him he would probably receive a long sentence — 99 years — if he pled guilty, but this would not be a real problem for Ray. If Ray had received the minimum sentence for murder, 20 years for the State of Tennessee, this would effectively have meant that Ray would serve the rest of his life in prison. Once that sentence was over, he would be arrested immediately and extradited to Missouri to complete his original 20-year sentence. On the March 6, 1969, Ray signed a 55-paragraph confession.

As a result of Ray’s guilty plea, the trial became a simple procedure to present the evidence of Ray’s guilt to the court. The jury was provided with information of a deal between the defense and the prosecution and the prosecution provided the court with the brief and essential elements of the case against Ray. The judge, W. Preston Battle, then issued the agreed upon sentence. There was nothing sinister in the arrangement. Similar agreements had been made thousands of times in courts across the nation. Prosecution and defense deals were designed to save the state the costs of a trial and to save the time of court officials. In addition, guilty pleas guaranteed the prosecution a conviction.

After Ray was sentenced, he retracted his confession, claiming he was forced to plead guilty by Foreman. There developed a feeling that the American people had been robbed of a proper trial in which all issues surrounding the tragedy had been thoroughly examined. There were some witnesses who were not consistent with their stories. The bullet that killed King could not be matched to the Remington rifle found at the scene of the crime. And the circumstantial and ballistics evidence provided opportunities for Ray’s defenders to claim that there was reasonable doubt as to the alleged assassin’s guilt. Enough unanswered questions existed to allow conspiracy theorists to present doubt about the prosecution’s case.

The U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations Investigation

In the mid-1970s, the U.S. House of Representatives initiated a Congressional investigation (HSCA) into the assassination of Dr. King and concluded, in 1979, that Ray had been the assassin but there was a likelihood he had been part of a conspiracy that had been planned by a group of right-wing Southerners.

Justice Department officials, responding to the HSCA’s investigation, could find no solid evidence with which to charge any suspects. The two suspects who were named by the HSCA, St. Louis businessmen John Sutherland and John Kauffmann, who the HSCA said were racially inspired to offer a bounty on King’s head, had died of natural causes in the early 1970s.

The HSCA investigation found that Kauffmann had numerous links to the Missouri State Penitentiary where Ray had been incarcerated before his 1967 escape. Kauffmann was a friend of the prison doctor, Hugh Maxey, who had treated Ray at the prison. It was also believed that Kauffman, who would later be tried for drug dealing, supplied illegal drugs to the prison through an accomplice. However, it was the 1968 Wallace presidential campaign that provided the likely conduit for the bounty offer. Kauffmann’s associate, wealthy businessman John Sutherland, helped finance the campaign and Kauffman was actively involved as a campaign worker.

The HSCA was unable to establish conclusively the truth about the St. Louis-based conspiracy. In 1998 the chief counsel for the HSCA, G. Robert Blakey, said, “What we came up with was the possibility of a race-based conspiracy in St. Louis where a $50,000 bounty had been offered on Dr. King’s life involving two men, Sutherland and Kauffman. It was only a possibility; we couldn’t prove it and both of them were dead before our investigation started. But we were able to trace Kauffman to the Grapevine Tavern in St. Louis, where he used to hold meetings of the American Party. James Earl Ray’s brother, John, owned the tavern. Was it possible that the $50,000 bounty was discussed in the tavern and heard by John Ray, and that John Ray then conveyed it to James Earl? Yes. Were we ever able to say definitively that John Ray was the conduit from the Kauffman group to James Earl? No.”

Credible and substantial evidence that would confirm any direct link between Ray and individuals or groups who had offered a bounty has never been found. Nonetheless, the strands of various witness statements gathered by government investigations and independent researchers have provided a likely scenario of how Ray had been inspired by offers of a bounty on King.

From the evidence provided by the FBI files and the HSCA report, it appears likely that Ray did have specific knowledge of money being offered by one or more groups to anyone who would kill King. There is no evidence to suggest an offer was made to Ray personally or that promises were made to deliver any money to him. There is credible evidence that one or both of Ray’s brothers aided him in the assassination, and the three of them had discussed the murder of King.

Both Jerry and John Ray were in communication with their brother James before and following his escape from Missouri State Penitentiary in April 1967. John Ray was operating the Grapevine Tavern in St. Louis during this period and, like every habitual criminal, James Earl Ray was looking for the big score.

John Ray was in continual association with workers for George Wallace’s presidential campaign. They often frequented his establishment because their headquarters were in the same block as the Grapevine Tavern. Sutherland, a committed racist who often dressed in Confederate regalia, participated actively in the White Citizens Council of St. Louis and began holding meetings in a building not far from the Grapevine. When the meetings finished, some members would go over to the Grapevine and socialize with campaign workers. Others would engage John Ray in conversation. Given the nature of John and Jerry Ray’s extremist right-wing politics, it is plausible that the subject of Martin Luther King had been discussed. It is also possible individuals in Kauffman’s group discussed the idea of a bounty. During John’s prison visits he may have told James about his conversations at the Grapevine and that an offer of a bounty had been discussed.

If a bounty was offered and taken up by the Ray brothers, it was never collected. The source of James Earl Ray’s traveling money, following his 1967 escape from Missouri State Penitentiary, was probably his prison savings — money accrued through his “merchant” activities in prison and, as the HSCA suspected, the proceeds from the robbery of an Alton, Ill., bank.

Author George McMillan provided some evidence to support the idea that no money had been collected from alleged conspirators. McMillan said that some time following Ray’s capture and extradition to Memphis, Jerry Ray approached Kent Courtney, leader of a right-wing political organization in New Orleans. James Earl Ray had read about the conservative lawyer in a newspaper, The American Independent. Jerry wanted help for his brother but was unable to pay for it. Courtney had recorded the conversation with Jerry and a copy of the tape was handed over to the HSCA in the late 1970′s. As McMillan argued, if James Earl Ray had been paid for killing King, the solicitation of funds would have been unnecessary.

The HSCA suspected that Ray’s mysterious co-conspirator Raoul was, in fact, Jerry Ray (James Earl Ray has never provided any concrete proof that Raoul actually existed). Although the HSCA could never prove it, there were many signs that Jerry Ray had assisted his brother prior to and following the assassination. The HSCA did not believe there was sufficient evidence to profer any charges against either of Ray’s brothers, even though G. Robert Blakey thought John Ray should have been at least charged with perjury for falsely testifying at the committee hearings.

Before his trial James Earl Ray spoke to Dr. McCarthy DeMere, who examined him in the Shelby County Jail. DeMere asked Ray, “Did you really do it”? Instead of denying guilt or relating how he was an innocent patsy, Ray said, “Well, let’s put it this way, I wasn’t in it by myself.” Conspiracy advocates would naturally point to this story to show how Ray admitted a widespread conspiracy, yet there is another interpretation: One or both of his brothers had assisted Ray. At the very least, DeMere’s testimony eliminates the possibility Ray was a patsy. And, according to Ray’s lawyer, Percy Foreman, in sworn testimony before the HSCA, the lawyer “…cross-examined James Earl Ray for hours and the only name that he ever mentioned other than his own at any phase of his preparation for the killing…was his brother Jerry…Jerry was with him when he bought the rifle in Birmingham, the one he did not use because it was low caliber. He took it back…and Jerry was not with him…but he was with him the day before at the same place where he bought another rifle for (the purposes of killing King).”

Although Ray’s fingerprints were on the rifle, the HSCA could not determine whether or not the slug found in King’s body could be matched directly with the Remington found at the scene of the crime. Conspiracy buffs pointed to this fact as proof that another weapon was used to kill King. (There is a common misperception that if a bullet is fired from a gun it can always be matched to the weapon to the exclusion of all other weapons. Some guns do not leave distinctive marks on bullets. Furthermore, it had always been Ray’s contention that Raoul shot King with the rifle found in Canipe’s doorway; in other words if the 1997 tests had indeed been correct in establishing it was not the rifle that killed King, Raoul planted the wrong rifle.)

What the 1997 tests did establish was that the rifle found at the scene of the King assassination cannot be excluded as the murder weapon. Its barrel does not possess any consistent distinguishing marks and it has the same general characteristics as the markings left on the death slug. General rifling characteristics are the consistent features inside the barrel of all rifles of the same make and model. All tests carried out on the rifle, including those experts retained by Ray’s attorney, found that the bullet and the test fires shared the same rifling characteristics.

The 1999 Conspiracy Trial

In 1995 Ray’s London-based attorney, William Pepper, asserted that his client was innocent. The conspiracy to kill King, Pepper claimed, was organized by the U.S. government. Pepper alleged that government agents gave the contract to the head of organized crime in New Orleans who, in turn, solicited the assistance of a Mafia member in Memphis to handle the arrangements. The Memphis Mafia boss then hired Loyd Jowers, owner/operator of Jim’s Grill beneath Ray’s rooming house, to handle the payoff and dispose of the murder weapon. A U.S. Army sniper squad was in place to shoot King if the Mafia hit failed. Pepper alleged that the FBI, CIA, the media, Army Intelligence, and state and city officials helped cover up the assassination. In the late ’90s Pepper claimed to have found Ray’s handler, the mysterious Raoul (now re-named Raul by Pepper). Raul was allegedly a Portuguese immigrant living in New York State.

During the period when the Justice Department had been investigating these new allegations of conspiracy, the King family, represented by Pepper, sued Loyd Jowers in a wrongful-death lawsuit. They believed Jowers’s 1993 televised admission that he had participated in a “conspiracy” to kill King gave King’s family sufficient grounds to initiate a private law suit. During the 1999 four-week civil trial, which was held in a Shelby County Court House in Memphis, Pepper repeated the claims he had made in his 1995 book, Orders To Kill. Pepper had no interest in seeing Loyd Jowers go to jail. The whole thrust of Pepper’s efforts was in trying to prove that Jowers was merely a tool in a larger conspiracy involving the FBI, the Military, the CIA, and the Mafia. Pepper’s thesis centered on the reasons why the government wanted to eliminate the civil rights leader.

From the start, Pepper’s courtroom allegations were viewed by many commentators as ludicrous, dependent as they were on the stories of many discredited witnesses who did not reveal their far-fetched tales until many years after the assassination. The jury, which consisted of six blacks and six whites, took three hours to reach its verdict of conspiracy involving Jowers. The King family received a token $100 award. The guilty verdict was hardly surprising, considering that Jowers’s lawyer never disputed the contentions of the King lawyers. As the jury heard no evidence to rebut the conspiracy theory, it was inevitable it would return a verdict favorable to Pepper and the King family. The trial was, effectively, bogus.

The DOJ team of investigators (appointed by U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and which had no connection to the FBI) released its report in June 2000. The report rejected all of Pepper’s conspiracy claims that had been made during the conspiracy trial, and provided evidentiary proof to support the team’s conclusions.

Pepper never presented any credible evidence that would have supported his allegations, especially those of FBI involvement in the murder, or the allegation that the bureau never looked for a conspiracy in the first place. Contrary to the claims made by conspiracy advocates, it is clear that FBI senior officials kept an open mind during their assassination investigation. An FBI memo written by FBI Supervisor John S. Temple supports this conclusion. Temple wrote, “Supervisor Long also advised that Assistant Director DeLoach told Assistant Director Rosen that Los Angeles should keep in mind that King may have been killed by a hired assassin.”

Another memo, written by J. Edgar Hoover, corroborates this finding. The memo states, “I said (to Atty. Gen. Ramsay Clark)…there will be efforts to kill (Ray) if there is a conspiracy and if there is no conspiracy, the supporters of Dr. King will do everything in their power to kill him…I said I think he acted entirely alone but we are not closing our minds that others might be associated with him and we have to run down every lead.”

Historian Gerald McKnight believes there is no evidence to support the allegations the FBI was involved in King’s killing and, furthermore, such ideas were far-fetched and illogical. McKnight wrote, “…there is nothing in the released documents to support, and persuasive evidence to reject, assertions that the FBI and Memphis Police Department conspired to assassinate King.”

Additionally, if Hoover had planned to neutralize King by killing him he would have first destroyed the COINTELPRO records that contained evidence of the FBI’s illegal surveillance of the civil rights leader. It is also rational to conclude that the bureau would never conspire with organizations or individuals outside the bureau for such a risky undertaking. After all, the FBI maintained its power by acting as a state within a state. Any knowledge of its activities by outsiders would have left the bureau extremely vulnerable. As FBI profiler John Douglas wrote, “…anyone who’s worked in the government, even in the intelligence community, will tell you that NOTHING that big or well publicized stays secret for long. The big bureaucracy is fundamentally incapable of carrying out a conspiracy and keeping it under wraps.”

Conveniently, much of the evidence Pepper presented at the 1999 conspiracy trial was curiously absent — including the real rifle alleged to shoot King (at the bottom of the Mississippi River), the Memphis Police Department shooter (dead before his accusers went public), the Mafia organizer of the conspiracy (dead before his accusers “found” evidence of his role in the crime), photographs showing Ray did not shoot King (they have never surfaced), members of an Army sniper team (anonymous and “living in another country”), and their purported leader, whom Pepper mistakenly named.

Innocent events — the so-called “second Mustang” (it was likely another white car of a different make, parked nearby or witnesses became confused when Ray left the rooming house then parked in a different spot when he returned), the damaged scope on the rifle found at the scene of the crime, policemen dropping from the wall opposite the Lorraine Motel, Rev. Kyles’s poor choice of words to describe his actions shortly before King was killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel (“Only as I moved away so he could have a clear shot…”), the innocent statements made by the Portuguese immigrant’s daughter that the “government” had helped her family — all became part of Pepper’s malevolent conspiracy jigsaw puzzle that distorted the truth about the assassination.

As visiting scholar at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, David Greenburg, wrote, “Despite multiple debunking these (conspiracy) fantasies endure…a crackpot named William F. Pepper has convinced King’s entire family that the U.S. Government, including President Lyndon Johnson, was responsible for his death…Conspiracists adopt the trappings of scholarship, touting irrelevant titles and credentials. They burrow into the arcana of their topics and inundate potential acolytes with a barrage of pedantic detail. Rather than build a case from evidence, conspiracists deny the available evidence, maintaining that appearances deceive. Rather than admit to inconvenient facts, they dismiss them as lies, making their own theories irrefutable.”

Gerald Posner looked into the background of Pepper’s Raul and discovered that the Portuguese immigrant had nothing to do with the assassination. In 2000, the DOJ investigators found proof within the FBI files that the car radio in Ray’s Mustang did not work at the time of the assassination, thereby putting to lie Ray’s story that he first heard about King’s assassination when he drove away from the scene of the crime. The DOJ investigators also proved that many of the Jowers’s trial witnesses were motivated by financial gain, documents provided by an ex-FBI agent, allegedly proving the existence of Ray’s handler, Raoul, were bogus and the allegations of U.S. Army involvement in the murder were fabricated lies. During my own research I discovered that Ray was an occasional smoker. It is an issue that addresses the myth, propagated over the years, that Ray had an accomplice who left cigarette butts in the Mustang’s ashtray.

What became unfortunate about this case was the way in which Pepper stopped at nothing to malign innocent participants who had been caught up in his quest to prove a non-existent and far-fetched conspiracy organized by the U.S. government. He disgracefully pointed the finger of guilt at not only Rev. Kyles but also accused the widow of a Memphis Police Department “conspirator” of having lied about her husband’s role in the conspiracy. Raul, the innocent Portuguese immigrant, had his life turned upside down by Pepper’s desire to implicate him in a plot. Pepper displayed no guilt in accusing each of his targets of criminal acts, perjury in the first instance and murder in the second. He also accused King assassination authors Gerold Frank and George McMillan of having sinister ties to the FBI and/or CIA, implying they conspired with the government to hide the truth or simply were duped when they investigated the King murder. He even gave credence to one of his star witnesses, Glenda Grabow, a JFK conspiracy fantasist who maligned the character of LBJ aide Jack Valenti by describing him as a pornographer. Instead of showing her the door, he enlisted her as a Jowers trial witness. As Pepper’s former investigator, Ken Herman, told BBC documentary makers, “Pepper is the most gullible person I have ever met in my life”.

Pepper’s thesis is manifestly absurd. The idea that the U.S. government had King executed means that high officials of the Johnson administration were prepared to risk riot and arson in order to attain the elimination of a single individual. It is inconceivable that Johnson officials would have failed to see that the murder of a prominent African-American leader would have led to this inevitable outcome. Considering all that had happened in the previous four years, including the terrible destruction and rioting that occurred in major cities across the United States, his allegations become preposterous.

The true facts about the assassination are far removed from the exaggerations and speculative accounts of the conspiracy-minded. Ray made every decision and took every action leading up to the assassination. No credible evidence exists that would indicate he was used as a patsy or was instructed to participate in the crime. Ray researched the rifle, the ammunition, and the telescopic sight. Ray bought the Mustang, had it serviced, rented the rooms on his journeys, made his own telephone calls, bought his own clothes, and had them laundered.

Ray was identified by landlady Bessie Brewer as the person who rented Room 5B of the South Main Street rooming house, and he was also identified by lodger Charles Q. Stephens, as the man who left the bathroom of the rooming house following the shooting. (Despite attempts by conspiracy advocates to claim Stephens was drunk at the time Ray left the bathroom and therefore could not be a credible witness, police officers have testified under oath that Stephens was “intoxicated but in full control of himself.”)

Ray’s fingerprints proved that he owned the bundle that was dropped in the doorway of Canipe’s Amusement store shortly after the shooting. The bundle contained the rifle used to shoot King. Ray had expressed hatred for African-Americans. Ray lied time and time again about his movements when he fled the scene of the crime. Incontrovertible and overwhelming evidence exists to prove these facts.

The Motive

Many investigators and researchers have provided proof of Ray’s underlying motive for the crime, but conspiracy advocates refuse to accept the results of their research. George McMillan’s interviews with Jerry and John Ray in the early 1970s and Gerald Posner’s excellent research in the 1990s proved that Ray did indeed harbor racist sentiments. During the FBI’s 1968 investigation of the assassination, agents interviewed practically everyone who had known James Earl Ray from the time he was a young boy. It had over 3,000 agents at one time or another working on the case. They asked those who had known Ray if the assassin had ever expressed racial hatred towards African-Americans and Martin Luther King Jr. in particular. Literally dozens of people, who lived far apart from one another, testified that Ray harbored a deep hatred for African-Americans and had expressed that hatred frequently up to the time he committed his deadly act.

Typical of the associates of Ray who were interviewed was Ray’s uncle, William E. Maher. Maher told FBI agents that, prior to Ray’s entry into the Army, Ray worked at a shoe tannery in Hartford, Ill., where he became associated with an individual who had pro-Nazi leanings; Ray became anti-Negro and anti-Jewish as a result. Maher also said that, while in military service, Ray was stationed in Germany where his anti-Negro and anti-Jewish opinions crystallized.

Another close associate of Ray’s was Walter Rife. Ex-convict Rife had known Ray since he was a teenager in Quincy, Ill. They were close friends in the 1950s, and Ray and Rife were also colleagues in crime. Rife said, “Yeah, Jimmy was a little outraged about Negroes. He didn’t care for them at all. There was nothing particular he had against them, nothing they had done to him. He said once they ought to be put out of the country. Once he said, ‘Well, we ought to kill them, kill them all…He was unreasonable in his hatred for niggers. He hated to see them breathe. If you pressed it, he’d get violent in a conversation about it. He hated them! I never did know why…”

Following Ray’s April 1967 escape from the Missouri State Penitentiary, he spent time in Chicago (April/June 1967), Canada (July/August 1967), Birmingham, Ala., (September/October 1967), Mexico (October/November 1967) and Los Angeles (November 1967- March 1968). Many people who crossed paths with Ray during his post-prison escape travels corroborate his hatred of African-Americans.

Ray first fled to Canada where he spent some time at a ski resort, Grey Rocks. There he met a woman he liked but he may have been using her to secure a passport. The divorced woman, Claire Keating, was a Canadian civil servant. She told author, William Bradford Huie, “I can’t remember how the subject came up but he said something like, ‘You got to live near niggers to know ‘em.’ He meant that he had no patience with the racial views of people like me who don’t ‘know niggers’ and that all people who ‘know niggers’ hate them.”

During Ray’s stay in Mexico he became acquainted with a number of bar girls, one of whom related a telling example of Ray’s anger towards African-Americans. Manuela Aguirre Medrano (known as “Irma La Douce”) worked at the Casa Susana, a brothel in Peurto Vallarta. She said that Ray told her he “hated niggers” and he said many insulting things about African-Americans. Medrano observed how Ray’s personality changed as the conversation turned to the issue of civil rights and that, during one date with Medrano, Ray grew angry at four African-Americans sailors who had been sitting at the bar. Medrano could not understand why Ray became angry with them but did say that at one point Ray went to his car to get his pistol. According to Medrano he wanted to follow them out of the bar with his pistol but she stopped him. Ten years later Medrano was interviewed by the HSCA and denied Ray’s reactions to the African-American sailor’s remarks was “racist.” However, as Gerald Posner concluded, “…it is…likely that the sailor’s race incited (Ray), more so than someone accidentally touching his $8-a-day prostitute.”

Another racial incident involving Ray occurred in Los Angeles where the fugitive went following his short stay in Mexico. Bob Del Monte, a bartender at the Rabbit’s Foot Club, said Ray became involved in a heated discussion about race with one of the bar’s women patrons, Pat Goodsell. Evidently, Goodsell had spotted Ray’s Mustang that was always parked outside the club when Ray visited the establishment. The car showed Alabama license plates. Goodsell berated Ray for the way people in Alabama treated African-Americans. Ray ended up dragging Goodsell to the bar’s door saying, “I’ll drop you off in Watts and we’ll see how you like it there.” Del Monte also recalled that shortly after this incident an African-American patron of the Rabbit’s Foot was struck on the head by a rock or brick while in the nearby parking lot. He suspected Ray threw the rock.

Deputy Sheriff William DuFour guarded Ray following the assassin’s capture and extradition to Memphis. DuFour had been one of the TACT force officers near the Lorraine Motel when King was shot. He reached King as he lay dying. DuFour helped to carry King down to the ambulance, drenching himself with King’s blood. DuFour would play card games and watch television with Ray during his shifts and developed a close relationship with the accused assassin. DuFour said that Ray had pet names for people including the man he was accused of murdering. Ray often referred to Martin Luther King as “Martin Lucifer King”.

On the evening following Ray’s guilty plea his brothers said, “All his life Jimmy has been wild on two subjects. He’s been wild against niggers, and he’s wild on politics. He’s wild against any politician who’s for niggers, and he’s wild for any politician who’s against niggers. Nobody can reason with Jimmy on the two subjects of niggers and politics.”

James Earl Ray told his lawyer Percy Foreman that he did not have to be afraid of a death sentence for killing King, “(because) no white man has ever been executed in Tennessee for killing a nigger.” It was only later that Ray realized that prosecutors would indeed push for the death sentence. Foreman persuaded Ray that the case was too big to rely on local prejudices and that he would be found guilty and executed.

Ray’s racist sentiments were confirmed when his papers, including 400 letters to his brothers written between 1969 and 1997, were acquired by Boston University in 2000. In none of the letters did Ray confess to the murder of King. However, the letters reveal a startling lack of empathy with the slain civil-rights leader. It was the central event in Ray’s life, yet whenever he mentioned King it was only in the context of his attempts to get a new trial. The letters revealed his bigotry and hatred for African-Americans. They also show how he became a fan of an all-night “Whitepower” radio station. Among his papers is a newspaper clip that chronicles the rise of racist politicians David Duke and J.B Stoner, who figure prominently in the letters. Stoner’s letters to Ray conclude “With Best Racist Wishes.” In one letter Ray gave Stoner legal advice on how to escape culpability for a racist bombing. It didn’t prevent the rabid racist from finally being brought to justice for his crimes.

The “Illogical” Conspiracy

Conspiracy buffs have, for years, pointed to the fact that Ray secured false passports to enable him to flee the country. They have determined that the assassin must have received assistance in obtaining the passports from a sophisticated group of conspirators, most likely the government. However, the process of obtaining false identity documentation in the 1960s was not difficult.

Following the abandonment of the getaway car in Atlanta, Ray made his way to Toronto where he easily obtained a passport – in much the same way many U.S. fugitives obtained their false passports. Canadian bureaucracy at the time made it easy to obtain a false birth certificate and the travel agencies there did all the work in obtaining passports for their customers. An appearance before a government official was not a requirement.

Ray’s movements following the assassination also leave no room for sinister interpretation. He flew to London’s Heathrow Airport, then immediately caught a flight to Lisbon. It was an attempt to find a mercenary organization and safe passage to southern Africa. But he was running out of money and thought it would be easier to commit robberies in London where he could speak the language, so he returned. A phone call to a London reporter gave him the information that mercenary groups were established in Brussels. He made his way to the airport but the FBI had, by now, discovered the truth about Ray’s movements and the issue of a false Canadian passport in the name of Ramon George Sneyd. The FBI tipped off Scotland Yard, which issued an all-points-bulletin for police and customs officers to be on the alert for Ray. Ray was arrested before he could board his flight to Brussels.

From the start Ray adopted an improvisational approach to his alibi. When researchers discovered new information that purportedly supported Ray, he would change his story to accommodate the new possibilities. There is no evidence that Ray met with a mysterious Raoul or had any conspiratorial contact with anyone except his family following his escape from the Missouri State Penitentiary.

It was evident that Ray was able to convince himself that he had a plausible case to make. In 1959 Ray had told an arresting police officer, “I cannot deny it and I won’t admit it.” During the late 1970s his lawyer, Mark Lane, had put in Ray’s mind the difference between “truth” and “legal truth.” Ray could therefore persuade himself that he was really innocent because the courts had not established the full circumstances of the crime. He knew that the assistance given to him by his brothers established, to his own satisfaction, a case for conspiracy. The state had not proven a conspiracy had existed therefore he had been telling the “truth.” In fact Ray had been manipulating reality to suit his own version of the truth. This was the reason why the polygraph results were inconclusive when Ray answered questions about a conspiracy. The same polygraph examiner determined Ray had been lying when he denied killing King.

It is likely Ray’s resolve in sticking to his story would have dissipated had it not been for the support he was given by conspiracy writers. According to Douglas and Anne Brinkley, who examined the prison letters Ray wrote over a period of 30 years, “Ray exploited the fact that foreign journalists with an anti-American sensibility had no trouble accepting his story that the White House and the FBI had ordered King’s assassination.”

For each and every fact about the King case that provides some suspicion, conspiracy writers are prone to deliver their own biased interpretation. Conspiracy writers who investigated Ray’s finances, for example, concluded that Ray must have received funds from conspirators. They did not consider the possibility that Ray committed robberies during his time on the run or that he had made money in prison as a drug dealer. As his brother John told FBI agents, “(James never had) any real need for money as he was always able to pick it up by ways of burglaries or robberies during his travels.” In all the states Ray traveled, following his escape from prison, the FBI carried out inquiries. There were numerous unsolved robberies of banks, stores, gas stations, and liquor stores. The FBI assassination investigation, however, did not consider robberies that had a value of less than $5,000.

There is a wealth of evidence, never presented by conspiracy advocates, that Ray was an habitual user of drugs and sold them to fellow inmates. From defenders and adversaries alike, Ray emerges from the FBI reports as a loner with few friends; a prisoner who was always devising some scheme to break out of prison; a schemer who was involved in various money-making ventures, including buying and selling amphetamines, and lending money to other prisoners. Ray’s drug use was confirmed by a family friend of the Rays, his uncle, Jack Gawron. He told agents that he supplied Ray with inhalers, and that he believed Ray trafficked in amphetamines while in prison. Ray’s fluctuating weight in prison added to the suspicions of investigators. Additional support that Ray was a drug user was discovered in the Scotland Yard files. In one of Ray’s London rooming houses a hypodermic needle had been found.

Because Ray had proclaimed the existence of a conspiracy during his trial, it is far-fetched that conspirators would have allowed him to remain alive during the three decades he spent in prison prior to his death. There were simply too many risks attached to this scenario. If conspirators, especially government-led killers, could successfully murder America’s foremost civil-rights leader and then cover up the circumstances surrounding the act, they would assuredly have had little problem in eliminating Ray. If Ray had indeed been aided by co-conspirators, they would have spirited him away and placed him in hiding as soon as the murder had been carried out. They would not have allowed him to be exposed so many times during his two months on the run. Conspirators would not have put themselves in jeopardy by allowing Ray the opportunity to identify fellow conspirators. And, if Ray had been an unwilling patsy, conspirators could not have been certain that Ray would flee the scene of the crime. Under these circumstances, had Ray stayed put, the whole conspiracy may have collapsed.

Why would the government employ so many people in the conspiracy when the risk of leakage would have been so much greater? Had President Johnson wanted to eliminate King all that was required was for him to request the CIA Director or private parties to arrange a contract and that would have been the end of it.

This was no sophisticated murder, as conspiracy advocates maintain. King was an easy target for any killer bent on eliminating him. King did not have an armed guard; he frequently left his home on foot; and his travel arrangements were well publicized. The government could also have destroyed King by simply arranging for all the scandal-filled surveillance tapes to be released to a friendly journalist to publicize them. This would not have been at all unusual. In the 1960s, the CIA enlisted the assistance of journalists and student groups to promote the government’s policies.

What Really Happened?

When Ray escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1967 he knew that if he continued with his lifetime career of robbing banks it would guarantee a return to prison sooner or later. The porno business or drug smuggling he discussed with his brothers seemed to offer great financial rewards. Ray abandoned the idea, likely realizing he didn’t have the skills or contacts required for those criminal enterprises. He would also risk exposure. Feeling trapped and nowhere else to go, he decided to return to his long held idea of the big score.

From the accumulated evidence in the case it can be concluded that Ray believed the bounty on King was genuine, although there is no credible evidence that he made arrangements to collect it prior to or following the assassination. It is reasonable to assume that Ray may have wanted to collect whatever money was on offer through his brothers, at some future date. It is also plausible Ray took photographs of the crime scene as proof he had murdered King. However, as Ray admitted, he threw the camera equipment away, probably in a state of panic, as he fled Memphis. Ray’s plan was to go to a country that did not have extradition arrangements with the United States. Perhaps at some date in the future a President George Wallace would pardon him.

It is also clear that Ray’s actions were not predicated on the provision of a bounty. Ray knew that his crime was of such overwhelming proportions that publicity generated by the murder would never die, especially in a country like the United States that makes celebrities of famous murderers. He was also fully aware that the killers of civil-rights workers Medgar Evers and Viola Liuzzo had been treated leniently by Southern courts. Book, magazine, and television contracts would always be on offer to pay for defense lawyers and financial provision for his brothers. If he had been lucky enough to escape to a foreign country, he could have sold his story. He would also have been aware that racist right-wing organizations and a large body of American public opinion would be behind him.

He told fellow inmates about the big score, aware that his burglaries, bank robberies, and petty crimes had amounted to little. Psychologically, James Earl Ray wanted to become what his parents had always known — he was the child who was smarter and more resourceful than the rest. But he had chosen a life where success is not measured by conventional standards. Success to Ray was attaining respect from his peers, the criminal fraternity, making the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. And, contrary to ideas held by some conspiracy advocates, Ray had nerves of steel, especially when amphetamines hyped him up. According to his brother John, “(James has) steel nerves — he just walks in (to the bank) like it’s an everyday thing, gets the money, and walks out.”

Stalking and then killing King would give him the status he craved and, if caught, he could enjoy the high esteem that goes with this type of crime. Believing that if he killed King in the Deep South a white jury would acquit him, Ray knew that in time he would be able to collect his reward if not as a free man then certainly through his brothers.

Ray had practiced deception all his life. A psychiatrist employed by the Missouri State prison system had been convinced that Ray was capable of murder. Rather than the bumbling crook he is portrayed by his defenders, Ray was instead, cunning, crafty, and manipulative. Ray’s ex-wife, Anna Sandhu, recognized these qualities. Some of his lawyers have spoken of how Ray would manipulate them. He was an astute jailhouse lawyer who had spent years learning the fine points of the law, especially with respect to appeals procedure and how the law applied to the lawyer/client relationship. He knew how to keep his hopes for freedom alive. These realities are consistent with Ray’s cryptic reply to Dexter King in 1997 when the civil rights leader’s son asked him if he had killed his father – “No, I didn’t, no, no, but sometimes you have to make your own evaluation and maybe come to that conclusion. I think that could be done today, but not 30 years ago.”

In the real world accusation without confirmation is worthless. During his trial, Ray knew he had introduced enough doubt as to stimulate future public examinations of his case. He knew the idea of conspiracy would keep his case alive in the public eye. Had there not been a climate of conspiratorial thinking engendered by the public doubt about Lee Harvey Oswald’s guilt, it is unlikely the King case would have been intensely scrutinized for the past 30 years. And keeping the real truth about the assassination hidden would not have been difficult for a man like Ray. He had always been a loner who never fully revealed himself to anyone — not his brothers, his family, his fellow prisoners, his acquaintances or his lawyers.

It is unlikely the factual evidence about the King murder case will persuade the American public of Ray’s guilt. American society has been influenced too much by the conspiracy theorists’ world-view and the sub-text that underlies the promotion of conspiracy stories that are predicated on disillusionment with the institutions of American government. In 1963, 75 percent of the American population trusted the federal government. Today that figure has diminished to 25 percent.

Ray served his sentence in Tennessee prisons, mixing with the inmate population, working on his appeals, and staying in contact with his brothers. The end came nearly 30 years after the King murder when he succumbed to liver disease. He had been admitted to Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital, his 16th hospitalisation since December 1996. Ray was stabbed more than 20 times by four inmates at Brushy Mountain Prison in 1981, and he may have developed hepatitis from a blood transfusion.

The death of James Earl Ray in 1998 added to the discontent and dissatisfaction many people felt at the many attempts to establish the whole truth about the King killing. Ray left no deathbed confession nor did he retract the numerous claims he made about the mysterious Raoul. By keeping silent, Ray was effectively thumbing his nose at a society that had relegated him to the bottom of the heap.

Government files on the King slaying are sealed until 2029. Opening these documents will only reveal why investigators have been so convinced of Ray’s guilt and why they have always rejected a wider conspiracy. Obfuscation, manipulation, lies, greed, and distortion of the facts have characterized this case, allowing Ray to escape blame. The truth of the matter is that Ray murdered King and he acted alone when he shot him, but one or both of his brothers before and/or after the fact possibly aided him. As Anna Ray, the assassin’s wife, told television talk-show host Geraldo Rivera in the 1990s, “(James told me) ‘Yeah I did it, so what’?…James will never admit to the killing again – he’ll carry his secret to the grave. He’s created a mystique by recanting his original confession. He doesn’t want to go down in history as the killer of Martin Luther King Jr., so he’ll deny it to his death.”

The New York Times did carry one story on April 4 about Martin Luther King – sort of. Buried deep in the paper, the Times reported the following “news”: the autopsy videotape of King’s assassin, James Earl Ray, is for sale.

Ray’s brother, Jerry Ray, is selling the taped autopsy of his brother – some two hours long – for $400,000. With an eye to gruesome irony, Jerry Ray even made his sales pitch for the tape on the anniversary of King’s death – while standing near the site of King’s assassination.

- Mel Ayton

Sunday September 22 2013

- Sports Minister Peter Dutton has accused the former Labor government of beating up the drugs in sport issue, and tarnishing innocent athletes.

Tony Abbott’s new Minister said while the cheats should be exposed “by all means” possible, it was wrong to suggest drug cheats were the norm.

Mr Dutton is a former police officer who worked in Queensland’s drug squad in the 1990s. It was time Australia got the balance right on drugs in sport, he said.

“99% of sports people who run on to a paddock are clean and work their whole lives to rise to an elite level,” he said.

“We are concentrating now on the 1%. We should make sure we don’t allow an environment where people get away with cheating.”

Mr Dutton said he was sick of only hearing about the drug cheats in sport.

“As a sports dad, a footy dad, it angers me that we are in the run up to a Grand Final and we are speaking more about the shenanigans off the field that we are on the talent,” he said.

Asked if the Gillard-Rudd government had beaten up the drugs in sport issue, he agreed it had.

“They beat it up. And I think there is disgust and horror among people I talk to about the way the government beat this up.

“To use sportspeople and tarnish the reputation of sportspeople across the country was one of the worst things of the previous government…

“So yes, absolutely come down hard and throw the book at the cheats and the people doing the wrong thing, but concentrate the 99%.”

- Samantha Maiden

30 July 2014

- Police are on the hunt for a driver who fled the scene of a crash in Frankston which left a rider with broken ribs and a suspected fracture of her pelvis.

Witnesses say the driver of a late model white Holden Commodore station wagon attempted to turn into the car park of a liquor store on the Nepean Highway from the middle lane, crossing the path of the rider, who catapulted over the roof.

The vehicle failed to stop and fled the scene towards Key Street as bystanders gave chase on foot.

Injured was physiotherapist Michelle Blake, a former ironman champion, who rides every day as part of a program to recover from cancer treatment.

It was initially feared she may have suffered severe spinal injuries.

Detectives from the Frankston crime investigation have appealed for the driver involved to come forward.

Anyone who has information about the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

September 25, 2014

- Mates of dead terror suspect Numan Haider — who were with him at Hungry Jack’s shortly before his knife attack on two officers — are being ­investigated by police.

Also in Melbourne’s developing terrorist saga:

It was revealed Haider’s passport was cancelled after authorities discovered he had done an internet search to try to find out when Prime Minister Tony Abbott would visit Melbourne and where he planned to go.

The Age apologised for wrongly identifying an innocent teen — the grandson of a terrorist victim — as Haider.

Victoria Police said it had no evidence of a plot to behead a police officer.

The Herald Sun can reveal Haider was with up to three men when he asked the counter-terrorism officers to meet him at a Hungry Jack’s.

The officers considered several meeting locations raised by Haider, including the fast-food restaurant, before rejecting them — possibly narrowly avoiding a much bloodier trap.

Part of the investigation will now focus on who Haider was with prior to his fatal confrontation with police.

That will involve investigating whether Haider and his associates tried to isolate or ambush the officers somewhere away from the Endeavour Hills police station.

Chief Commissioner Ken Lay confirmed that police were looking into whether Haider had had “face to face’’ discussions with others before the attack.

It is understood police are aware of the identities of those other people.

Police took CCTV footage from Hungry Jack’s. A duty manager said detectives had trawled through vision but were unable to find Haider.

It is believed the counter-terrorism agents had considered meeting the group before agreeing with Haider they would meet outside the Endeavour Hills police station.

Haider had refused to meet inside the building.

There has been wide speculation within the force that Haider had planned to kidnap a police officer before posting a video of a gruesome attack on YouTube.

The Herald Sun learned on Wednesday that law enforcement authorities were looking at other persons of interest in its joint agency investigation of the attack, but was asked not to publish specific information.

“At this point, there is no evidence of an ambush or conspiracy theory,’’ a force spokesman said last night.

An eyewitness to the attack on Tuesday has told the Herald Sun other people had been in the vicinity. One was a person in Islamic attire, though it is not known whether the person was a party to the attack.

Mr Lay confirmed on radio yesterday that detectives were also working on establishing whether any other associates of Haider had been in the vicinity of the attack.

Haider was fatally shot once after stabbing an Australian Federal Police agent numerous times and slashing a Victoria Police officer shortly after 7.30pm on Tuesday.

Authorities have not revealed what was found in Haider’s car by forensic experts, though Victoria Police confirmed that no video equipment had been found inside.

Friends of Haider expressed shock and anger at his death, calling for more information to be released to the public.

A group of four friends told the Herald Sun what had occurred was out of character for Haider. “He was respectful,” one friend said of him.

Another spoke of how Haider had met his girlfriend while the pair were studying at Lyndal Secondary College in Dandenong.

Haider was in year 11 when they began dating and they were together for about two years. His girlfriend had been “devastated” by his death.

The friends also said Haider had been a good student who may have been smart or cheeky in class but who nevertheless did well.

Friends confirmed that he finished year 12 last year.

They said they were concerned that he would be remembered for how he died instead of how he lived. They were also concerned women in Islamic scarfs would now be subjected to racist attacks.

Police were out in force around Dandenong Plaza Thursday afternoon.

June 28 2014

- Peter House spends time with his retired police dog Phoenix yesterday. As a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) firearm and explosive protection dog, Phoenix has rubbed paws with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among other diplomats. Picture: Michael Frogley
Peter House spends time with his retired police dog Phoenix yesterday. As a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) firearm and explosive protection dog, Phoenix has rubbed paws with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among other diplomats. Picture: Michael Frogley

HE MIGHT look like a typical man’s best friend, but this labrador has seen and smelt more than most of his canine companions.

Very little gets past nine-year-old Phoenix who, up until recently, was top dog at Melbourne Airport.

The former Australian Federal Police (AFP) firearm and explosive protection dog rubbed paws with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among other diplomats, as part of his national security role.

Adopted by semi-retired resident Peter House about a month ago, he now calls Wagga home.

Mr House, who runs a pre-purchase property inspection business, has spent the time trying to adjust him into “civilian life”.

“This dog’s worked hard and now he needs somewhere that’s a good environment for him to enjoy his retirement,” Mr House said.

“I think when they (dogs) get to their time, there should be people out there who can put their hand up and say ‘I’ll take one’ and give it a bit of TLC for the remaining part of its life.

“The best part about it is you get a dog that doesn’t dig holes, chew or anything like that, all his bad habits are gone.”

Mr House said Phoenix has done “quite a bit” of work for diplomats visiting Australia, but Hillary Clinton was the one that had been more prominent.

“I think there’s been others he has done an inspection for, he goes through their apartments, where they stay … check out their cars,” he said.

“He (had) little booties on to protect the clothing and the cars.”

Phoenix’s diet consists of 300 grams a day of dry dog food and a bone once a week.

Peter House spends time with his retired police dog Phoenix yesterday. As a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) firearm and explosive protection dog, Phoenix has rubbed paws with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among other diplomats. Picture: Michael Frogley
Peter House spends time with his retired police dog Phoenix yesterday. As a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) firearm and explosive protection dog, Phoenix has rubbed paws with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among other diplomats. Picture: Michael Frogley
Despite throwing up its challenges, the transition from top security hound to everyday dog has been a rewarding one for both parties.

“He snuck in and ate a bit of cat food a got a bit crook … he was off his food and I couldn’t work out why until I spotted him eating the cat food,” he said.

“His diet is very important.”

Mr House said Phoenix wasn’t your typical dog – he is trained to go to the toilet on command and many normal human occurrences have caught him by surprise.

“What fascinates us more than anything … he’d never seen (someone) peg washing on the clothes line, he just sat there and watched,” he said.

- Andrew Pearson