Crown Court Cases
| DOI | 10.1177/002201837203600402 |
| Published date | 01 October 1972 |
| Date | 01 October 1972 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Crown Court Cases
A
CHARGE
OF
MURDERING
A
SUPERINTENDENT
R. v.
Flannigan,
Sewell,
Spry,
Haynes,
Bond
THE
trial took place
at
Manchester Crown Court in February
and
March
1972 before Kilner Brown
J.
of Flannigan
and
others on a charge of murderingSuperintendent Gerald Richardson
of the Lancashire Police Force. Flannigan, Sewell, Spry, Haynes
and
Bond were also charged with attempted
murder
of four other
police officers also stationed at Blackpool; Hampson, Walker,
Hillis
and
McKay;
and
with conspiring to rob, in
that
between
the I
January
and
the 24 August 1971 they
had
at
various places
conspired together
that
any
of
them
would use a firearm with
intent to prevent the arrest of any of their
number:
and
with theft
on the 23 August (the
date
of Richardson's death) from Joseph
Lammond
ofjewelleryvalued
at
£106,
033,
and
that
immediately
before or at the time of the said theft they used force. All
but
Flannigan pleaded guilty to
the
final count.
They
were tried on
the other counts by a
jury
after one challenge, to remove the
only woman. Before the
jury
were empannelled five other accused
had
been granted aseparate trial after submissions by their
counsel, in
that
the charges against
them
of
assisting Sewell by
impeding his arrest all arose from evidence after the robbery
and
shootings (of which they knew).
The
Attorney General (Sir Peter Rawlinson
Q.C.)
in his
opening speech for the prosecution, described the robbery
at
a
jeweller'S shop in a Blackpool side street on
the
morning of the
23 August.
The
five accused
had
been in Blackpool to reconnoitre
between
the
16
and
18 August.
On
the morning
of
the robbery a
car
(later found to be stolen) was seen parked in
the
side street
near
the
jeweller'S
and
two hold-alls were taken from
it:
a pistol
was left behind. All masked,
and
leaving Haynes as driver in a
stolen "escape"
car
the other four entered
the
shop,
and
ordered
two assistants into another room: they
then
robbed the shop;
but
Lammond
the
manager
had
pressed
the
burglar
alarm
in a back
room.
The
accused took the jewellery to the escape
car
and
were
pursued by one
and
then more police cars.
Flannigan, Bond
and
Spry were arrested within
half
an
hour
199
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