MURDER OF ESSEX POLICEMAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

MURDER OF ESSEX POLICEMAN.

DRAMATIC ARREST AT PISTOL POINT—THIRD DEGREE ALLEGED,

An air of grim rxp-v t.uj. y hung over gmall and inconveniently-crowded South-Western i Lond.ni) Police Court when Frederick Guy TVi-w ne and William ITeury Kennedy•, win' ue charged with the murder of Police-Const.mle Guttcridge, were ushered into the <1.« U t.> listen to the caso outlined against them by Sir Travel's Humphreys, the famoii.-. Treasury counsel

There had been .i surging crowd outside the Court from soon alter dawn eager to catch a glimpse of the two men who wore arrested under spectacular circumstances and accused of a crime committed in a lonely Eisex road in the early hours of a dark and gloomy morning that had been generally regarded as one of the unsolved mysteries of the underworld.

Both prisoners were brought secretly from Brixton, however, arid were driven in 4 closed police tender straight into the Courtyard, but those who had assembled ontaide and were unable to obtain a view of the principal characters in this life-and-detth drama, caught a passing view of the attractive wives of the two men who were admitted to the Court. They also saw the pathetic figure of the widow of the officer ivho was killed while in the execution of hii duty.

Tho course of events in the Court— though almost »I 1 thi> time was occupied by the speech of Sir Travels Humphreys— provided a series of sensations such as are not often known in proceedings before a magistrate.

There, VM of conr«c, n reconstruction of the murder, with all it* attendant horrore, and a thrill crept into the famous hwyer's voice when ho said: ''The other two wounds were truly horrible. . . It \» the opinion of the doct or that those two bullet* had been fired into the man's eyes d« he lay on the ground dying and perhaps dead."

There wm sensation, too, in the description given of the way in which the two prisoners were arrested. Browne, said counsel,_ was taken on returning to his garage in his car. Surgical instruments, alleged to have been in a car stolen from Dr. Lovell at Billericay, and a number of bullets and firearms were discovered at Browne's house and in the car which Browne was using when arrested.

Bnt the greater importance appeared to be placed by the prosecution on the following statement which the accused man i* stated to have made when arrested: "That has done it. Now you have found them (revolver, cartridges), it is all up with me." Dramatic Arrest. The arrest of Kennedy took place in circumstances which were even more dramatic. According to counsel's narrative, he was traced to Copperas Hill, Liverpool, and the address was watched by Liverpool police officers and men of the C.I.D. Then followed a scene which was described graphically, and held the listener* in tense silence:—

A man wae seen to walk suddenly from the house about 11.40 that night. Sergeant < Afattinson ran after him, and caught him up. He recognised Kennedy, whom apparently he knew.

"It was quite clear Kennedy was then attempting to escape from expected arrest, for he was dressed only in his shirt and trousers, over which he had hurriedly put oo an overcoat. He had, however, found time to put a fully-loaded automatic pistol in the pocket of the overcoat. 'When Sergeant Malliaon came up and told him to stop Kennedy turned on him, put the barrel of the pistol to the sergeant's ribs, and said, 'Stand back, Bill, or 111 shoot you.' The sergeant, with the courage one knows is seldom absent from officers of the police, closed with the man %th the pistol against his ribs." Sir Travers paused, and the listeners waited in thrilled suspense. Kennedy glanced back at his wife, who smiled and ' J >reeen tly counsel continued:— He seized the revolver, gave Kennedy a blow which incapacitated bim for a moment and was able to holdThim until the other officers came to his assistance/' Counsel went on to say that Mattinson heard some sound as the revolver pressed a ß®"st his ribs, "like metal upon metal," and he suggested that the explanation might have been "an attempt to fire the revolver."

Whatever the reason, however, the Pohce-gergeant—so soon a# his prisoner taken from him—collapsed into the arms of another officer. At firat both the prisoners were charged w 'th the theft of a motor-car, and it was ey been interviewed by Uuef Detective-Inspector Berrett that the ?raver accusation was brought against ■en. And in this connection it wga said that both men had made incriminating statements.

On January 26 Mr. Berrett told Kennedy that he would be charged with stealln? * motor-car, and added: — I have been making inquiries for some time past respecting the murder of Policevonalable Gutteridge. Can y'ou give me any information about that occurrence?" Jo this challenge Kennedy is said to liiive answered: — I may be able to tell you something, me consider. Can I see my wife?" He was told he could. His wife came in ®"u1 the following conversation is alleged to nave taken place: Kennedy said, "You K'loiv, my dear, that when I was arrested *t Liverpool yesterday I told you I thought W!ls something more serious than eteal- ( n fl a motor car. These officers are inquirabout that policeman murdered in

Hi« wife «aid: "You didn't murder him, did you?" "I Was There." Kennedy replied, "No, I didn't, but I ",, Pre ' a, "l know - who did." Then he Mid: "If J Uln dm with murder and °"nd guilty 1 shall bp hanged, and you l] U be a widow. On the other hand, if iin charged and found guilty of being n . accessory after the fact, I shall reel]e a Jong sentence of penal servitude, VV'ii a ' on K time away from you. you wait for me?" 7- ,e answer of the wife was, "Yes," and Kennedy said; "What Khali I do, then?" trutlf these gentlemen the

Kennedy said: "All right," and then. riH n ' t<>r Berrett without any p'n'ff 10ln inspector, said: "You will ■ . f ' ow " what I want to say and I ®'gn it." He then made a statement.

"The Third Degree." tJf T?" °f the proceedings Tv. .? culminating sensation occurred. *_ ? *°hcitor representing Kennedy pro- . against the alleged statement being j an< * w ent on to suggest that in obtaiii- ™ it the detectives had resorted to «, I !f* u y®J , .whieh in America are known as th >C ( Degree." He declared that Continu^"' wao ""°t voluntary," and When it was taken down my client that'll a "tule of mental helplessness op ■. "'d not know what he was doing on 4? been arretted at 11.30 Pool''* even ' n 8 of January 25, at Liver-

Tli gravm. a^e & ation of the lawyer grew "H ' ' le weilt ' on: rot a ? Br i ,ad mtfirogated. He had Jtim iu was taken away from Until ♦ He was kept in a cell w ° o clock the next day, lie

P , llt a train for London. He in I 1 i L T u,on six o'clock, havK , at ' s'eep anil nothing to eat He straight to Scotland Yard, 1 r ?. nia, ! lo(l ""til this document '!r v 0111 ua ' ly obtained. Now, 61 r, on the evidence in niv t>osnoT'i'n ' ,1 s lUi1 Ui . t<? f lear £ ,at this nian WiW Th" \ * * tate to make any statement, this statement was pumped out and—" vj r J *; avor f : What did you say? •Jjr. lompkins: Pumped out. >ir I ravers: How? -Mr. Lumpkin*: By four hours of interioK.it ion, ot promises, hopes and threats. or VtL.'V' 61 '? ■ K el i reafl the r>vehu\e to the statement which he said had been signed ti. the ma gistrate decided t at the statement should not be read at that session ot the Court.