POLICE INQUIRY

Evening Star, Issue 22366, 16 June 1936, Page 9

POLICE INQUIRY

SHOOTING Of SUPERINTENDENT FURTHER EVIDENCE HEARD Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, June 15. The Royal Commission which is inquiring into the shooting of Superintendent J. Brophy, of the Victorian Criminal Investigation Department, in Royal Park, near Parkville, on May 22 sat again to-day. Mr Justice Macindoe presided. Detective-inspector A. T. M'Kerral, chief of tho Criminal Investigation Department, gave evidence regarding the conflicting stories with respect to the wounding of Brophy and the measures adopted to clear the matter up, as “ the newspapers on the Monday following the shooting published information in which there were discrepancies and departures from fact.” The shooting was originally believed to have been accidental, but later Detective Carey told witness he had seen Brophy at the hospital and ascertained that it was not accidental. Sir Thomas Blarney, the Chief Commissioner, then instructed witness to correct the accident story and give the newspapers the true facts. Mr Stretton, who is assisting the Royal Commissioner, .asked witness: “ If an informer rang you in order to make an appointment to tell you about a prospective bank hold-up would you meet him right on the steps of that bank?” M'Kerral: Probably no. Mr Stretton: Would you, as Brophy purports to have done, meet the informer right in the centre of an area where motor bandits were operating? M‘Kerral: The circumstances are different. You have usually to keep the appointment at tho spot named by the informer. Otherwise he will not come.

M’Kerral added that he saw nothing wrong in what Brophy did. It was quit© good detective work. The doctor attending Brophy believed that the whole thing was accidental, despite the fact that the wounds were widely distributed.

H. Carey detailed the efforts he made to find out the facts of the shooting. He said Brophy was doubtful whether he could identify bis assailants, but he hoped to pick up an informer who might help. Carey added that as a result of his investigations he now planned taking “ certain action ill a certain direction,” but it was not desirable to divulge what was going on. Mr Stretton: Do you agree with Brophy that the name of the informer in this case is sacred ? Carey: I do.

Detective O’Keefe: Is this the moment for obtaining information that might be of value?