Bradley Denies Confession

Press, Volume C, Issue 29474, 28 March 1961, Page 15

Bradley Denies Confession

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, March 27. Stephen Leslie Bradley swore on oath in the Sydney Criminal Court today that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping of eight-year-old Graeme Thorne on July 7, 1960. Late this afternoon Bradley’s wife, Magda, gave evidence. As she entered the courtroom Bradley smiled at her from the dock.

She said her husband was not at home when she cot up between 8.30 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. on July 7. Earlier, Bradley made an unsworn statement from the dock, in which he said he had written and signed a confession because he feared his family would suffer if he did not.

Police dictated it to h i, he said, when he was in a “state of shock.” The police had told him: “If you don't admit it, you will get your whole family in trouble.” Bradley took an unusual step after he had made an unsworn statement from the dock. He walked out of the dock, entered the witness box and took the oath. When he had finished his evidence, he was cross-examined. He was in the witness box for more than two hours.

Bradley said from the dock: “I love my wife and family and was prepared to do anything for them.” Both Bradley and his stepson, 13-year-old Peter Wittman, said that Bradley did not leave their Clontarf home until 8.30 a.m. on July 7. when he went to do some shopping. (Mrs Thorne has said in evidence that her son. Graeme, left his Bondi home at 8.30 am. that day to go to school?

Bradley said that after he had done the shopping, because he was annoyed with his wife over an argument the previous day, he sat in his car and read the pacers. He said that he had then driven back to his home in Moore street. Clontarf. His wife and family had left for a holiday at Surfers Paradise Soon after that furniture removers had arrived. The prosecutor then asked whether Bradley had told his wife on he night of July 6 that he was going to kidnan Graeme Thorne. He replied “No. sir.”

Bradley said that a rue like one he had seen in Court (said to have enshrouded Graeme Thorne’s body) had disappeared from his home about Christmas. 1959 BRADLEY’S DENIAL

“I never was at 79 Edward street, Bondi, and I had nothing to do with taking away that little boy. I was not at Francis street, Bondi, on July 7 or prior to that,” Bradley said, beginning his statement from the dock. “When moving from 28 Moore street. Clontarf, was completed we were going to go for a break to Surfers Paradise. We discussed this matter with Mr Wittman.

“On July 7. when we were moving x got up about 7.30 to continue the packing we had started the day before On the previous day, July 6. I had some argument with my wife because we had to move out quickly and we had no place to go.” I “My wife was overtired, nervy, and angry. She said she was tired and would fly up to Surfers Paradise and leave me to finish the packing. “I was annoyed with my wife. I thought it was very unreasonable to leave me to finish the packing. When we have arguments, often we do not talk for a day or so.” “On the 7th of July, we moved. Somebody was helping me with the packing, probably Peter—that is the eldest boy. After a while, I told him we would go out to get some wire.

“I went out to Helgowlah in the Customline. I went to Jack Williams’ service station in Sydney road for an hour, then I went to the hardware store in Sydney road next to the bank. That is where I got the wire.” Bradley said he had then bought a,newspaper and cigarettes, and, as he was still annoyed with his wife, he had sat in the car and read the paper until about 10 a.m.. when he had driven home. WIFE GONE

“When I got home, my wife and family had already left. They had booked on the 11.45 train to Coolangatta. “Shortly afterwards the removalists arrived. During that morning, while the removalists were there, I received a ’phone call from my wife from the airport terminal. I told her I had been to Balgowlah to get some wire.

“I wanted to make up with my wife, so I drove up to Surfers Paradise to spend a few days with her.

“Early in 1960, we decided to go to Canada or England because my wife was very unsettled and unhappy. She could not sell her songs or musical composition and was very unhappy. Our Katoomba guest-house was burnt and she was very happy up there. “On September 2, 1960, I booked a flight to Canada Mr Wittman would not let tine children go to Canada, and later I was advised it was not possible to obtain employment in Canada unless I migrated, and I did not want to lose my Australian nationality. SOLD PROPERTY

“We sold our property and got about £l6OO in cash. My wife was advised she had a much better chance to sell her songs and musical composition in England. She said we go to England for this purpose and she made a iiooking for herself and the l>oy Peter.” Bradley said that on October 10 he was arrested in

Colombo, where he made a statement to the police, a signed statement that he had nothing to do with the matter and that he was innocent.

"I saw the New South Wales police on November 18. 1960, when they took me from Colombo,” he said. “My solicitor, Mr da Silva told me not to say anything about the case to anyone and nothing was said in Colombo.”

On the plane they started to talk about it. On the trip, they were changing places all the time and I was handcuffed to the safety belt and I was not allowed to stand up or go to the toilet except on one occasion when we were near Sydney. STARTED TO TALK

“Then the plane landed, they took the handcuffs off me, and I stood up and I went to the toilet. About an hour after we left Colombo, Sergeant Bateman started to talk to me.

“Sergeant Doyle told me two men had been sent to Aden to question my wife and they decided against it and decided to wait until she got to London, when they were going to arrest her and take her into custody at Scotland Yard. They talked about it all the time. “I was also told that they were going to arrest her and bring her back. I knew she had nothing to do with it—neither had I.

“I didn’t tell them anything. Mr da Silva told me not to say anything. “They kept talking about the family. I was told Mr Wittman had been at the station several times talking about it and that he would have no difficulty taking Peter away from my wife and the father-in-law could have custody of the little girl.

“I didn’t say to the police that Mr da Silva wouldn’t do anything for me. “I didn’t say to Sergeant Doyle I would talk coming back to Sydney and would interview me there. HOUR’S SLEEP

“Just after Darwin I had an hour’s sleep. They didn’t wake me after I went to sleep, but they woke me about six o’clock. Sergeant Doyle was talking to me. I am not sure of his words. After one hour’s sleep I felt much worse. I was confused and worried.”

Bradley said Sergeant Doyle spoke about Mr Walden (chief of the Sydney C. 1.8.) and Scotland Yard arresting Mrs Bradley and taking her into custody. “He said the only way to help them was confess to it. I am not sure about the words.

“He also said, ‘lf you don’t admit it, you will get your whole family in gaol.’ I was very confused and worried. I didn’t make any admission to the police as they say I did.

“I was very worried about my wife. She had been in a concentration camp. "Her father and mother was killed there and put in a gas chamber. I felt if she has to go through that ordeal she will never stand it. "I love my wife and family and was prepared to do anything to help them.” Bradley said he himself had been a prisoner of the Gestapo for five months in 1944 “SICK AND AFRAID” Referring again to the plane trip, Bradley said he was sick and afraid and could not think properly. “When we got to Sydney I remained handcuffed and was taken to Central police station and was handcuffed to Doyle with Sergeant Bateman and Inspector Windsor in the car. “We got to central police station and they put me in a cell," he said. “Later on. some police came—about three or four of them—and they took me upstairs to a room. Sergeant Doyle and Sergeant Bateman were there.

"Sergeant Doyle told me the only way I could help my family was to make a statement—to admit it. I said. ‘How can I make a statement when I didn’t do it?’ He said. ‘You—you did it. Who was with you? If you don’t tell us. there is a pack of wolves outside who will tear you apart.’ I was in a bad state. "STATE OF SHOCK”

"It was not correct to say I was calm and collected. In such a state of shock I did what they said. They said. ‘You had better write it down,' and Sergeant Doyle gave me a piece of paper. "He said. ‘You had better write it down. That is the only way to help your wife and family.’ I said I wanted to see Mr Holt, my wife’s lawyer. Bateman said. ‘You know what lawyers are like on Sundays.’ “After a while I wrote the statement They dictated the statement. I didn’t argue. I asked Sergeant Doyle, ‘ls that right?’ He said, “You handle it. You do what you like.’ “I wanted to know how to spell certain words. He said to spell it as you like. I didn’t make any admission to them while I was there. After the statement was

finished Inspector Windsor came in.”

Bradley said that while he was in the cell at the central police station he could not sleep. “They kept me awake all the time . . . policemen kept asking me question.” said Bradley. They would say, ‘Was I at Hayman Island with my wife?’ or ‘Was I in Brisbane at a particular date?’ At night, too, they kept asking me questions. I was so exhausted I didn't know what I was doing." Fergusson had come into the cell and told him he did the right thing by signing the statement: that he had to consolidate his position and that he should throw himself on the mercy of the Court. TAKEN OUT

Bradley said that on November 21 Fergusson came to his cell and said, ‘We're going out’ and I said, 740. I didn't want to.' I said, ‘Do I have to go?’ and he said ‘Yes.’ and put the handcuffs on me and .took me in a car with Sergeant Baret, Sergeant Freeman, and Sergeant Coleman. “We drove to my old home in Waverley street. Bondi Junction, then through to Wellington street where Fergusson pointed to a place and said, ‘That’s where the Thornes live.’ I said, ‘I wouldn’t know.’ We drove to Bondi police station and

I recognised the number of my old car.” Bradley said they then drove to Clontarf where he identified his home, "but I did not say I did not want to be taken into the garage.” They then had driven back to the central police station where he had been taken to an upstairs room. Fergusson showed him a scarf and told him, "That is yours. I would like to wrap it around your head and smother you.” Bradley told the Court he owned several blankets and rugs at the different addresses where he lived and had one rug similar to the one in Court. “I cannot say we had this rug at Clontarf and I cannot say we did not have it,” he said.

Bradley said he remembered this rug had disappeared about Christmas, 1959,

When he paused, Mr Justice Clancy asked: “Is that all you wish to say, Bradley?” Bradley had been speaking for 37 minutes. IN WITNESS BOX

Bradley then entered the witness box. To Mr Vizzard, Bradley said he had seen the scarf (alleged to have been found around Graeme Thorne’s throat) during a previous Court hearing and had been * shown it at the police station. Bradley said he had told the police: “I have never seen that scarf. It is not mine.”

Mr Vizzard: You have already said you had nothing to do with the taking away of the boy, Graeme Thorne, from his home?—No, definitely not. Were you ever at Mr Thorne’s home?—No.

Asked about the rug (stated by witnesses to have been wrapped around the dead boy's body), Bradley told Mr Vizzard he had had one “somewhat similar.”

Mr Vizzard: You couldn't be certain whether that is the rug?—lt could be, it couldn’t be. Mr Vizzard’s final question to Bradley was: “You swear on your oath that you had nothing to do with the taking of that boy away from his home? Bradley: I do. CROSS-EXAMINATION Mr W. J. Knight, Q.C., senior Crown prosecutor, then opened his cross-exam-ination of Bradley. Mr Knight: You say a police officer said your wife was implicated, and that's the reason you made a statement? Bradley did not answer, and Mr Knight asked for the alleged statement to be shown to Bradley. Bradley put on spectacles and looked at the document. Mr Knight: You realise you were dealing with a very important matter . . . that it was most serious?— At that particular time I was not thinking clearly. You wrote down, “I drove him around for a while, and, over the Harbour Bridge, I went to a public 'phone box near the Pit bridge and I rang the Thornes.” When you wrote that you realised that that was something that was extremely serious, didn’t you?—Had I realised it I would not have written it. Do you say you just wrote this in a trance?—l was in a state of shock. That is your ordinary handwriting, isn’t it?—Not ordinary. That is the way you ordinarily write?—Not necessarily.

You said, "I spoke to the man who was the boy’s father. I have asked for £25,000 from the boy’s mother and father.’’—Yes.

You realised you were writing that you had committed a very serious crime? —The whole statement was pointing to a serious crime. Mr Knight said Bradley had put tn his statement that he told the Thornes. “It I don't get the money I teed him to the sharks.” (Continued Next Page) ■