SHOOTING IN PARK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22908, 16 June 1936, Page 10

SHOOTING IN PARK

WOUNDING OF POLICE OFFICER

EVIDENCE OF DETECTIVES

flinited Press Association) (Bv Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

MELBOURNE, June 15. (Received June 15, at 10.15 p.m.)

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 the 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 tho 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 tho accident story and give the newspapers the true facts. Mr Strctton, 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 Strctton: 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 the spot named by the informer. Otherwise he will not come.

M'Kerral added that he saw nothing wrong in what Brophy did. It was quite good detective work. The doctor attending Brophy believed that the whole thing was accidental despite the fact that the wounds were widely distributed. Detective Sergeant H. Carey detailed the efforts he made to find out the facts of the shooting. He said Brophy was doubtful whether he could identify his 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 in 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?