Harry Roberts, the man convicted of one of Britain's most infamous post-war crimes – the murder of three police officers – has died at the age of 89.
The Shepherd's Bush Murders That Shocked the Nation
The horrific events unfolded on August 12, 1966, in what became known as the Shepherd's Bush murders or the 'massacre of Braybrook Street'. Three Metropolitan Police officers – Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Temporary Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Police Constable Geoffrey Fox, 41 – were shot dead after stopping a car over an expired tax disc.
Roberts and his accomplices, John Duddy and Jack Witney, were armed with a Luger P08 and a .38 Enfield revolver. They intended to steal a car for a planned robbery later that night. When challenged by the officers, Roberts shot DC Wombwell through the left eye. As DS Head ran back towards the police car, Roberts shot him too. All three officers suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
A Three-Month Manhunt and Capture
While Duddy and Witney were quickly arrested, Harry Roberts used his military training to evade capture for three months. An ex-soldier with experience in jungle warfare from the 1948 Malayan Emergency, he hid in Epping Forest in Essex, surviving in a makeshift camp.
His freedom ended on November 15, 1966, when police apprehended him near Bishop's Stortford. At his trial, the judge, Mr Justice Glyn-Jones, described the killings as "the most heinous crime for a generation or more."
A Life Sentence and Eventual Release
Roberts, Duddy, and Witney were convicted of murder on December 12, 1966. Having been abolished only months before, capital punishment was not an option. Instead, all three were sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 30 years.
Harry Roberts spent nearly 48 years behind bars, becoming one of the longest-serving prisoners in British history. He was finally released from prison in 2014.
The murder of the three officers remains a defining moment of brutality against the police in Britain. A memorial service for DS Head, DC Wombwell, and PC Fox was later held at Westminster Abbey, cementing the crime's place in the nation's collective memory.
