BANDITS GO TO GAOL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21250, 2 August 1932, Page 12

BANDITS GO TO GAOL

DESPERATE CHARACTERS ASSAULT ON CONSTABLE PISTOL UNDER A PILLOW "It is believed that those two men have been planning to hold up "one-man" banks throughout the country." This statement, made by a police officer at Exeter Assizes on Juno 20, had reference to two motor bandits who had threatened a constable with a loaded revolver at a lonely seaside resort near Plymouth. One of the bandits—Richard Philip Elson, aged 28, commercial traveller—was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude, and the other—Robert Benjamin McKay, aged 22, lift attendant—to five years. A third man, Sidney William Miller, aged 56, joiner, charged with tho others, recoivod a sentenco of three years' penal servitude. Details of tho prisoners' careers were revealed' by Detective-Inspector Lynch, of Scotland Yard. McKay was born in Derbyshire and thero were five previous convictions against him for theft. 110 and Elson wished that outstanding charges should be taken into consideration. Elson was a native of Rugby and although nothing was known against him in England, he was said to be an American gunman. He and McKay had been associated with well-known safe-breakers, ono of whom was known as "The Red," an American, now in custody. They wore also connected with post office breakers. "As far as using firearms and, holding up people are concerned, they are very apt pupils," declared the inspector. They would stop at nothing and they are both very dangerous criminals. They are the type of man we shall bo very glad to see under lock and key." Miller had 12 previous convictions, the first of which was in 1904. After his last conviction he was released in September, 1930, and had apparently gono straight until recently. Passing sentence, Mr. Justice Charles said that McKay and Elson were extremely dangerous men. Iho three men had been found guilty of all tho charges against them, those of stealing a motorcar, assaulting a police constable, and possessing an automatic pistol with intent to endanger life. Constable's Desperate Position Prosecuting counsel said that early on April 13 Constable Martin saw the three men with a car on a piece of waste land at Bovisand, and became suspicious. He got into the car and told accused to drive to Plymouth. Elson, who was in tho driver's seat, said to McKay, "Just get out and see if wo have left any tools behind." McKay got out and walked round to where Constable Martin was sitting. The constable felt a jab in his back and Elson said, "Stick 'em up, or else you will be for it." At the samo time McKay said, "Come on now, get out." "Constable Martin was in a desperate position," added counsel. "If he had been killed there would have been nobody who would have seen what took place except the three accused." The constable got out of the car, which was then driven off and was later found abandoned in Plymouth. Constable Martin, giving evidence, said that after getting into the car and feeling a jab in his back he saw McKay pointing a revolver at him. McKay kept him covered until ho got out and the car drove off. When McKay was charged he said, "Uh huh." Mr. Justice Charles: He said what?— "Uh huh" is American slang for "Yes." Sergeant Hall said that Miller made a statement in which he said that Elson and McKay both had loaded revolvers and were equipped with sandbags and treaclo plasters. Detective-Inspector Lynch quoted from a statement made to him by Miller, in which the phrase occurred: "It might have been another Brown and Kennedy job." The officer remarked that this referred to the case in which two men were hanged for tho murder of Constable Gutteridge. Seizure of a Pistol. Some tiino after, added Inspector Lynch, he and other officers went to a London lodging house where Elson was in bed. "On our entering tho room Elson at once sat up in bed and then laid over toward tho pillow. I at once got hold of his right arm while Sergeants Itundle and Farrier seized him by the other and round the shoulders. I lifted tho pillow and under it discovered an automatic pistol with six rounds of live ammunition in the magazine." Counsel for Miller submitted that, there was no evidence that Miller took any active part in the assault on Constable Martin, because he was in the car at the time tho alleged assault took place. The Judge, declining to accept this submission, quoted a case in which ono man committed murder while his accomplice waited around the corner in a motor-car to take him away. Both of them were hanged.