FALSE REPORTS TO PRESS

Southland Times, Issue 22918, 17 June 1936, Page 5

FALSE REPORTS TO PRESS

LAWYER’S CHARGE IN POLICE INQUIRY

“INFURIATED HUSBAND” SUGGESTED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 8.20 p.m.) Melbourne, June 16. The Royal Commission which is inquiring into the shooting of Superintendent John O’Connell Brophy (Chief of the Victorian Criminal Investigation Branch) continued its session to-day. Judge Macindoe is the commissioner, and Mr L. Stretton is assisting him. Detective O’Keefe, resuming his evidence, said that after seeing Mrs Orr he realized that the shooting was not accidental. He made no attempt to question Maher, the driver of the car, nor Mrs Phillips. He was convinced, from what Mrs Orr told him, that a crime had been committed.

Judge Macindoe asked Mr Wilbur Ham, K.C., where his cross-examina-tion was leading. Mr Ham, who is appearing for The Melbourne Herald, replied that it was very necessary to find out whether the police officers had some motive for falsifying the reports handed to the Press.

Judge Macindoe: Your suggestion to date is that Mr Brophy may have been shot by an infuriated husband. Mr Ham: That’s what we are here for. Mr Brophy was in circumstances which could be regarded as indiscreet; therefore he had something to hide, and gave a false account of the manner in which he received his injuries. While anybody of ordinary intelligence would suspect that his account was false his colleagues shared that suspicion and the senior detectives lent themselves to a falsification of the facts. Victim Taken to Hospital. Frederick Millard, of West Coburgh, said that he was stopped on his way home in his car and was asked to drive Mi- Brophy to hospital. Mr Brophy told him that he had been shot at Royal Park. Witness was under the impression that the shooting was accidental. Dr Stanley O’Loughlin, of St. Vincent’s Hospital, said that Mr Brophy was his patient on the night of the shooting. Mr Brophy told him that he had been shot, and witness gained the impression that it had occurred while Mr Brophy was on duty. Next day Mr Brophy asked witness to keep journalists away. Dr. O’Loughlin added that Sir Thomas Blarney also asked him to keep the Press away from Mr Brophy because he wanted to prepare an official statement for release to the Press. Dr. A. Carroll, medical superintendent of St. Vincent’s Hospital, said that Mr Brophy told him, within a quarter of an hour of his admission, that he (Mr Brophy) had received a telephone message to investigate a case at Royal Park. He went there with a friend, and two masked men fired at him.

Douglas Gillison, a reporter on the staff of The Argus, when shown a slip of paper about Mr Brophy’s case, declared that it certainly was not the one placed before the reporters by Detective Sloan. He and the other reporters asked whether detectives were engaged on the affair, to which Sir Thomas Blarney replied: “What can we do? The men were masked, and a torch was flashed in Mr Brophy’s face. Sir Thomas also said that he did not know where the first Press statement about Mr Brophy had originated. The inquiry was adjourned.