SHOOTING OF A DETECTIVE

Southland Times, Issue 22913, 11 June 1936, Page 5

SHOOTING OF A DETECTIVE

VICTIM’S STORY, QUESTIONED OPENING OF INQUIRY MEETING WITH BANDITS DESCRIBED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright ) (Rec. 9.35 p.m.) Melbourne, June 10. His encounter with two masked men at a lendezvous prearranged with a member of the underworld was described by Superintendent John O’Connell Brophy, at the opening of the Royal Commission which is inquiring into the shooting of Mr Brophy and the authenticity of the police statements connected with it. Judge Maclndoe is the Royal Commissioner. Mr L. Stretton, who is assisting the Commissioner, said that the whole incident was thick with confusion and mystery. Mr Brophy whose arm was in a sling, said that on the night of May 22 he received a telephone message from a member of the underworld, who offered to give information about “gunmen” operating around the city and Royal Park, in the vicinity of Parkville. He agreed to meet at a spot arranged by the informer. , Judge Maclndoe asked for the man’s name. Mr Brophy undertook to supply the name privately in order to protect the informer from the vengeance of his companions. Later that evening, said Mr Brophy, he sought the use of a private car belonging to Mrs Orr, wife of the licensee of Tattersail’s hotel, as it was undesirable to use police cars, with the numbers of which the underworld was familiar. Man Beside Car. A barman at Tattersall’s Hotel named Maher drove the car, and Mrs Orr was a passenger. The car was stopped at the spot in Royal Park arranged by the informer, when suddenly Mrs Orr exclaimed to Maher: “There’s a man alongside the car, Billy!” Mr Brophy said that at that moment he noticed a man on each side of the car, one of whom was masked. * The other flashed a torch into the car and called out: “Hands up! Keep quiet!” He also exclaimed: “It’s Brophy!” “I dived for my pistol, which is a small calibre one," said Mr Brophy, “and the man shouted: ‘Don’t shoot!’ I did not hesitate; I fired, and the man fired back, the bullet shattering my wrist. I fired again, and I am practically certain that I wounded him. He continued firing, four of the bullets striking me. The other man disappeared.” Judge Maclndoe: Were they both i shooting? Mr Brophy: Yes, One shot punctured a tyre. Mr Brophy explained that the men sped away in a car. Maher pursued until he was compelled to stop because of the flat tyre. Women Involved. Mr Brophy explained that he gave an incorrect account of the shooting in the first place because he did not want to compromise Mrs Orr and another woman, a friend of Mrs Orr, nor did he want his own wife and daughter, who were practically invalids, to hear that he had been shot by bandits. Mr Brophy said that he was convinced that the informer was not associated with the shooting. Mr Stretton: Didn’t it occur to you that it was unusual for a man of your rank to go out on ordinary duty? Mr Brophy: I do ordinary duty if necessary; it is done in the other States. Mr Stretton: Didn’t it occur to you that there was a certain amount of danger that night? Mr Brophy: If I had thought that there was the slightest danger I would not have taken the two ladies. I believe that it was as big a surprise to the criminals as it was to me. Mr Stretton: Could you not have picked a trusted policeman to drive your car? Mr Brophy: I would not trust brother detectives in a case like this. “Thought I Was Doomed.” “It was no use calling the local police or a patrol to search for the attackers, as they would not know for whom to search,” added Mr Brophy. “I thought that I was doomed, as I was unable to give them information.” Mr Wilbur Ham, K.C., who is appearing for The Melbourne Herald and its reporters, said that he was going to suggest that the original theory about the accident was a subterfuge to hide the fact that Mr Brophy was out with the women. Mr Brophy: There was nothing sinister; I was not in the car with one, but with two women. Mr Brophy said that he was not responsible for the story of the accident told to the reporters, and he had no intention of deliberately deceiving the Chief of Police (Sir Thomas Blarney). Mr Ham suggested that Mr Brophy did everything to help his assailants, to which Mr Brophy replied that if he had given full information his assailants could have been in Hong Kong before he was aware of their movements. “There have been several hold-ups at Royal Park,” added Mr Brophy, “but some were not reported, in the interests of women whose reputations were at stake.” The story he told at Police Headquarters—that he accidentally shot himself with his own pistol—was a stop-gap excuse and a pure fabrication, said Mr Brophy. He realized that the real truth would have to come out, but not necessarily for the public.