POLICE INQUIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1936, Page 5

POLICE INQUIRY

MELBOURNE OFFICIAL SHOT ' PRESS REPORTS AT VARIANCE (Australian Press Association). MELBOURNE, June 5. At the police inquiry to-day Detec-tive-Inspector A. T.. McKerral, chief pf the'Criminal .Investigation Department gayq evidence conflicting stories s as' fio' the wounding of Superintendent Brophv, and as to the measure, adopted ,‘ito' clear the matter Up, lie said, as. “newspapers had 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 that lie had seen Supt..Brophy at the hospital, and had ascertained that it was rfot accidental. Sir Thomas Blarney, the Chief Commissioner, then had instructed Vitness to correct the story and to. give the newspaper s the true facts. ' - ' .s' '•

, Mr Stretton (who is assisting the Rpyal 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 .ijieet him right on the steps of tnat bank?

Inspector McKerral: Probably no,

Mr Stretton: Would you, as Supt. Brophv purports to have done, have met the informer right in the centre of an area where motor bandits were operating.

Inspector McKerral: The circumstances are different. You have usually to keep an appointment at the" spot named by the: informer. Otherwise, he will not come.

Inspector MeKert'al added that he saw nothing wrong in what Superintendent Brophy did. It was quite good detective work. The doctor attending Supt. Brophy believed that the whole thing had been accidental, despite the fact that the wounds were widely distributed.

Detective-Sergeant H. Carey detailed the efforts which he made to find out tlie facts of the shooting of Supt. Bi’ophy. He said that Supt. Brophy was doubtful whether he could identify his assailants, but lie hoped to pick up an informer who might help him. :>■

• Sergeant Carev added that, as a result of his investigations, he was now .planning to take “certain action in a ’certain direction, but it is not desirable to divulge what is going on.” •Mr Stretton: Ho you agree with Supt. Brophy that the name of the informer in this case is sacred? ' Detective-Sergeant Carey: I do. Detective O’Keefe, is, at this moment, obtaining information that might be of. value.”