BROPHY CASE

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 158, 16 June 1936, Page 6

BROPHY CASE

CONFLICTING STORIES PAPERS AT FAULT. Alleged Discrepancies And Departure From Fact. NOT ACCIDENTALLY SHOT Press Association —Copyright. Melbourne, June 13 The wounding of Police Superintendent Brophy in Royal Park was furthe: investigated before the commission of inquiry to-day. Detective-Inspector A. T. McKerral chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, gave evidence regarding conflicting stories of the wounding of Mr. Brophy and the measures adopted to clear the matter up as "newspapers 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 Mr. McKerral he had seen Mr. Brophy in hospital and ascertained it was hot accidental. Sir Thomas Blarney, Chief Police Commissioner. then instructed Mr. McKerral to correct the accident story and give the newspapers the true facts.

Mr. Stretton, who is assisting the commissioner, asked: "If a n informer rang you in order to make an appointmen! to tell you about a prospective bank hold-up would you meet him right on the steps of that bank?"—"Probably not." ' "Would you, as Mr. Brophy purports to have done, meet an informer right in the centre of the area where motor bandits were operating ''—"The circumstances are different. You have usually to keep an appointment at the spot named by the informer. Otherwise he will not come.". ;,. Mr., McKerral added that he saw nothing wrong in what Mr. Brophy did. It was quite good detective work. The doctor attending Mr. Brophy believed the whole thing was accidental; despite the fact that the wounds were widely distributed. Detective-Sergeant H. Carey detailed efforts he made to find out the facts of the shooting. He said Mr. Brcphy was doubtful whether he could identify his assailants, but he, hoped to pick up an informer who might help. DetectiveSergeant Carey added that as a resuli of his investigations he now planned to take "certain action in a certain direction, but it was not desirable to divulge what was going oil." Mr. Stretton: "Do you agree with Mr. Brophy that the name of the informer in this case is sacred? Mr. Carey:' "I do. Detective CVKeefe is at this moment obtaining information that might be of value."