Service: From 30 August 2002 to 19 June 2004 = 1+ years of Service
Awards: Nil
Born: ? ? 1977
Died on: Saturday 19 June 2004
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – passenger in Police sedan. Vehicle -v- tree
Event location: Sydney Rd, Goulburn East, approx. 300 mtrs prior to Hume Hwy entrance.
Age: 27
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington.
Ashes collected by family.
Memorial at: Small car park on north side of north bound lane upon Sydney Rd, Goulburn East a few hundred metres from the Hume Hwy.
Plaque on a bolder.
The ” original memorial ” was a large gum tree in between the north and south bound lanes – opposite the car park.
The tree was lopped to ground level about 2013.
Tree location: Lat: -34.74257
Long: 149.76721
On the 19 June 2004 Constable Davis was the observer in a police vehicle when it was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the Sydney Road, just north of Goulburn. As a result of the accident the constable sustained fatal injuries.
The constable was born in 1977 and was sworn in as a probationary constable on the 30 August 2002. At the time of her death she was stationed at Goulburn.
SHELLEY IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
This Memorial stone is located in a small car park siding on Sydney Rd, Goulburn, northbound towards the Hume Freeway from the city.
Photos taken, by Cal, on 24 April 2018. Note that the photo, of Shelley, had fallen from the plaque pre June 2017 and needs replacing.
GPS: -34.74226 149.76644
Note: The photo of Shelley Davis fell off her Memorial plaque pre June 2017 & still needs replacing. Photo taken 24 April 2018. As of 29 July 2018 there was still no ceramic plate attached. On 31 July 2018 a photo was sent to a ceramic business for this job to be done. Wednesday 12 September 2018 – the new ceramic photo plate ( below ) has been received and will be placed on the memorial plate ( above ) before Police Remembrance Day, 29 September 2018.
Many thanks to Paul Pepe, Necro Imaging, 11 Bruce St, West Preston, Vic. ( necroimaging@hotmail.com ) for doing the new ceramic photo plate below.
Memorial before the replacement of the photo on Tuesday 18 September 2018.
Memorial after the replacement of the photo on Tuesday 18 September 2018.
The way the Memorial plaque should have looked as soon as the damage was reported 15 months ago. Those that complained about Cal picking up the damaged porcelain photo from Goulburn – you had 15 months to have it replaced. I did it in ONE MONTH and didn’t even know the girl. Shame on those who complained.
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A small section of St John Of God, Richmond Hospital, where Police ( and others ) with PTSD have gone for Inpatient Treatment.
This is a small Memorial that previous patients ( Police ) have done to remember our friends who have fallen before us. The Black & Dark Blue Memorial stones are by Army members
WEDNESDAY 27 JULY 2005. MEMORIAL SITE AT THE TREE AGAINST WHICH CONSTABLE SHELLEY DAVIS, FROM GOULBURN POLICE STATION, LOST HER LIFE ONE NIGHT WHEN THE POLICE SEDAN SHE WAS A PASSENGER IN SLAMMED SIDEWAYS INTO THIS TREE – KILLING SHELLEY. THIS IS A HUGE TRIBUTE. I FOUND A 20 CENT PIECE ON THE GROUND AT THE BASE OF THE TREE. IT WAS COVERED IN BROWN (DRY BLOOD) AND WOULD HAVE OBVIOUSLY COME FROM THE CAR AND POSSIBLY BELONGED TO ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS. I KEPT THIS COIN. IT WAS RAINING ON THE NIGHT OF THIS ACCIDENT. SOMETIME IN 2010, THIS TREE AND THE GIFTS WERE TOTALLY REMOVED FROM THIS LOCATION. A ‘STONE’ MEMORIAL, WITH PLAQUE, WAS LATER LAID IN THE CAR PARK ADJACENT TO THIS TREE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE PHOTOS, PRAYERS ETC BUT THE TREE HAS BEEN TOTALLY REMOVED FROM THE LOCATION ALSO.
Police crash scandal
By Rhett Watson
The Daily Telegraph
July 06, 200712:00AM
THE Deputy State Coroner has recommended the DPP investigate laying charges over the death of a police officer killed when the patrol car in which she was a passenger crashed three years ago.
The coronial inquest into the death of Constable Shelley Davis heard her partner, Senior-Constable Paul Sharman, was doing up to 110km/h in an 80km/h zone when he lost control of the vehicle on a road just outside Goulburn on June 19, 2004.
Criminal charges layed against him soon after the crash failed a year ago due to a technicality.
In releasing her findings in Glebe Coroners Court yesterday, Deputy State Coroner Dorelle Pinch recommended the DPP investigate laying charges “against an individual”.
Davis’ mother, Diane, said she was “pleased” the matter had been referred to the DPP and praised the efforts of investigators.
During the hearing last month, Mrs Davis read out a submission where she accused Sen-Constable Sharman of being a “cowboy cop, reckless, irresponsible and dishonest”.
Mrs Davis said outside court yesterday her family had visited Sen-Constable Sharman twice since her daughter’s death to support him but had never received an apology.
“That’s the main thing we would have wanted from the beginning – the truth, with an apology, would have been good,” Mrs Davis said.
“Shelley was always so honest and yet we have got officers she worked with who didn’t hold those values.”
Ms Pinch was highly critical of a second officer – Constable Damien Ottley – who had been a witness to the crash but had initially lied to investigators.
The inquest heard that Const Davis and Sen-Constable Sharman were travelling in police sedan Goulburn 37 – under lights and sirens – when the crash occurred at 9am on June 19.
Ms Pinch found there was no reason for them to be speeding as they were not needed at the job they were heading to – nor was that job considered urgent in the first place.
Other evidence heard in the inquest revealed that one witness described Goulburn 37’s speed as so fast “they were flying”.
Sen-Constable Sharman did not give evidence to the inquest.
A PERMANENT memorial has been dedicated to honour the “ray of sunshine”, Constable Shelley Davis, who died seven years ago last Sunday.
About 25 friends, former work colleagues and senior personnel from the Goulburn Local Area Command where Shelley worked attended the dedication ceremony last Sunday at the rest area opposite the site where she died in a patrol car accident on June 19, 2004.
Celebrant Trish Cunningham ( R.I.P. ) – whose husband Tony had helped with creating the memorial, fixing the plaque to the rock – conducted the brief ceremony. The rock for the memorial was transported from retired sergeant Rosie Jackson’s property by Primmer’s Towing while Rhod Stevens from the RTA assisted in the positioning of the site.
Local Area Commander, Superintendent Gary Worboys reminded everyone that police work is difficult and dangerous and the decisions that officers make can have lasting effects on other people. He said Shelley was, according to those who knew her, “like a ray of sunshine warming the hearts of those around her”.
“She was a dedicated officer and her loss was a tragedy,” Supt Worboys said.
“We can only hope that the lessons of that day will be learnt and that a similar tragedy will never happen again.”
Rosie Jackson said she would also like to thank Shane Biesterveld of Rudd Funerals for organising the plaque at short notice; Shepherds Hill Nursery who supplied some of the plants for the garden; Lena Cooper who helped with creating the garden, and everyone else who had a part in making the memorial possible.
Supt Worboys suggested the memorial would be a fitting place for a service during the annual Police Remembrance Day.
In memoriam: Constable Shelley Leanne DAVIS, New South Wales Police, killed on 19th June 2004
On the 19 June 2004 Constable Davis was the observer in a police vehicle when it was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the Sydney Road, just north of Goulburn. As a result of the accident, the constable sustained fatal injuries.
The constable was born in 1977 and was sworn in as a probationary constable on the 30 August 2002. At the time of her death she was stationed at Goulburn.
When Constable Davis began her Diploma of Policing Practice at the New South Wales Police College at Goulburn in August 2001 she did not know that the Southern Highlands would become her home in the longer term. She was stationed at Goulburn police station in August 2002 and settled at nearby Hill Top. Constable Davis made clear her motivation for joining NSW Police in a story published in the Goulburn Post to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Police College.
She said: “It may sound a little clichéd, but I wanted a job where I could make a difference, that was not boring and where I could challenge my boundaries.”
Constable Shelley Davis made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of the job that she loved. Shelley lived in Hill Top with her partner in life. She moved there so that she could continue to work in and be within commuting distance of her beloved Goulburn. Her colleagues described her as a bubbly, outgoing, lovely girl who loved to do everything, including horse riding and running, and she never had a bad word to say about anyone.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said that Constable Shelley Davis was, according to those who knew her, “like a ray of sunshine warming the hearts of those around her. She was a dedicated officer and her loss was a tragedy.”
Fallen in the line of duty. Gone, but never forgotten and forever in our hearts.
Cause: Murdered – by Motor Vehicle whilst using Road Spikes to stop a stolen vehicle which drove straight at, and collided with, him.
Location: Hume Hwy ( north bound ), Glen Alpine
Funeral date: Thursday 18 January 2001
Funeral location: Camden Civic Centre
Grave: Cremated
Grave site: Interred in Woronora Cemetery on 3 June 2003
General Plaque Lawn. Lawn 4 Position 0796
Memorial 1/: Jim Affleck Bridge, Hume Hwy, Glen Alpine, NSW
Memorial 2/: HWP Vehicle ( 213 ) attached to Campbelltown – Registration JA-213 213 was the Call Sign of his HWP Vehicle.
Jim AFFLECK
2022
JA-213 NSW Registration – in Memory of Jim Affleck
About 8.40am on 14 January, 2001 police were attempting to stop a stolen vehicle during a high speed pursuit at Mittagong. Approval was given to place road spikes on the roadway and Senior Constable Affleck and other police did this near the Mark Evans Bridge, Glen Alpine. When the offending vehicle, travelling north, reached the spikes the driver intentionally swerved from one side of the north bound laned road to the other, hitting the senior constable, who was killed instantly. The driver was later arrested and charged with murder.
The senior constable was born in 1957 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 18 September, 1978. At the time of his death he was attached to the Campbelltown Highway Patrol.
Jim IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
On the 14th of January 2001, Senior Constable Jim Affleck VA was hit and killed by a vehicle trying to evade police during a police pursuit on the Hume Highway, Glen Alpine.
To celebrate his life and remember his sacrifice 20 years on, there will be a memorial service and wreath laying held at Campbelltown Police Station at 8:30am on Thursday the 14th January 2021. This will be followed by a light morning tea.
An invitation has been extended to Jim’s friends, family and colleagues to attend.
Campbelltown mourns 13th anniversary of police officer’s death
Amanda Partridge
Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown
January 15, 201412:02PM
Police officers pause to remember the late Jim Affleck, who was killed in the line of duty in 2001. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
IT’S been 13 years since highway patrol officer Jim Affleck was run down by a car on the Hume Highway.
But as nearly 100 people packed into the Campbelltown police station carpark yesterday to mark the anniversary of Sen Constable Affleck’s death, it was clear his legacy still burns strong.
Fellow officers, his widow Trish, and even a great nephew were among those to pay tribute to Sen Constable Affleck during a memorial yesterday.
The congregation gathered around the memorial garden dedicated to Sen Constable Affleck to lay wreaths and share kind words in honour of the police officer.
Jim Affleck’s widow Trish lays a wreath at the memorial garden, in honour of her late husband. Picture: ROBERT POZO.Source: News Limited
The Jim Affleck memorial garden bears freshly-laid flowers. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
Sen Constable Affleck’s car and police hat were present for the service.
The day marked 13 years since Sen Constable Affleck was run down by a car on the Hume Highway near Menangle on January 14, 2001, while laying road spikes to stop a stolen vehicle whose occupants were wanted for robberies.
Campbelltown police Insp Jason Inkster said the command believed it was important to honour Sen Constable Affleck’s sacrifice each year.
“It’s important because Jim was attached to the command at the time the incident occurred,” he said. “It’s important to remember our colleagues killed in the line of duty.
“I think it means a lot to his fellow officers and family, showing that we still remember the commitment and sacrifice made by Jim.”
Police and Jim Affleck’s family share hugs and fond memories of the late Jim Affleck. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
A photo of Jim Affleck sat atop his car at a memorial service yesterday. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
Driver who ran down officer ‘was re-enacting computer game’
By Ellen Connolly May 14 2002
The scene of Senior Constable Affleck’s death. Photo: Nick Moir
The driver of a stolen car who killed a highway patrol officer during a police chase was re-enacting one of his PlayStation computer games, The Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.
Trevor Edward Holton, 26, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Senior Constable Jim Affleck, 43, near Campbelltown on January 14 last year.
In his opening address yesterday, the Crown prosecutor, Mark Tedeschi, QC, said that during the pursuit Holton was ”testing his car rallying skills” and was ”engaged in a real life re-enactment of the computer game”.
”To him the lives of other road users and the lives of police officers were just there as props to provide the thrill of the chase, and they were expendable in the pursuit of that thrill. Jim Affleck’s death was just part of this real-life game.”
The court was told the chase began about 8.30am after another man, who was a passenger in the four-wheel-drive, committed a bag snatch at Moss Vale. Also in the car was the man’s four-year-old stepdaughter.
For the next 40 minutes police chased the stolen vehicle as it drove on the wrong side of the road along the M5 freeway and the old Hume Highway, reaching speeds of up to 180kmh.
At one stage the passenger got out of the car and tried to take the girl with him but Holton sped off with her.
Senior Constable Affleck tried to stop the vehicle by throwing road spikes across the M5 but Holton swerved across two lanes to miss the spikes and hit the officer, Mr Tedeschi said. His body landed 80 metres away.
The stolen vehicle somersaulted and landed on its roof, with the girl, uninjured, still in the back. Holton fled but was arrested that night.
In a police interview Holton had said he ”was not prepared, at any stage, to get pulled over or stop”. He had seen Senior Constable Affleck running across the road in front of him trying to get the spikes under the vehicle.
”I couldn’t swerve; I couldn’t dodge him. I was going too fast. It’s like he [Affleck] didn’t care what happened.
”To me it was like it was suicide. He could see how fast I was going. He could see I could not stop.
”I have just been so angry … he could have avoided me so easy.”
He had said he knew about road spikes from playing the computer game, in which the main method of avoiding spikes is to veer off the road onto a median strip or the grass.
The state Opposition has called for compulsory life terms to be imposed on anyone who kills a police officer, after the “lenient” sentencing of a man who ran down a highway patrol officer.
Trevor Edward Holton, 27, was jailed yesterday for a minimum 12 years for the murder of Senior Constable Jim Affleck, killed while laying road spikes during a high-speed pursuit in western Sydney on January 14 last year.
In handing down sentence in the Supreme Court, Acting Justice Thomas Davidson said the jail term had to deter others and demonstrate that such acts against police in the execution of their duty would not be supported by the courts.
But the shadow attorney-general, Chris Hartcher, said this was not reflected in the sentence and called on the judicial system to stand behind police officers.
“Mr Holton should go to jail for the rest of his natural life. He certainly would if the coalition was in office,” Mr Hartcher said.
The Attorney-General, Bob Debus, said he had sought advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on prospects for an appeal. “Understandably, there is considerable community concern about the sentence imposed,” Mr Debus said.
The court heard Holton was re-enacting one of his PlayStation computer games and was testing his car rally skills during the 40-minute pursuit.
Constable Affleck’s distraught family said it was “extremely disappointed” at the sentence and wanted harsher terms imposed on anyone convicted of murdering a police officer.
“If someone is prepared to kill a police officer they’re prepared to kill anybody, and I think they should have a sentence which is much stronger for police,” the victim’s brother, Paul Affleck, said outside court. “They’re out there doing their job, protecting us, and it should be reflected in the sentencing. Mr Carr’s talking about minimum sentences all the time.”
Inspector Hans Rupp, who led the investigation, said: “Trish has lost a good husband, his work colleagues have lost a great mate and, unfortunately for NSW, we’ve lost a great policeman. You just can’t replace police of the calibre of Jim Affleck.”
The family of murdered policeman Jim Affleck has described his killer’s attempt to appeal against a 12-year jail sentence as “an outrage”.
A year after Trevor Edward Holton was sentenced to serve a minimum of 12 years (maximum of 16) in jail for the highway patrol officer’s murder, he has initiated an appeal against the severity of the sentence in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Holton, of Claymore, south-west Sydney, was sentenced in August after he ran down and killed Affleck in January 2001.
He hit Affleck with a stolen four-wheel-drive when he swerved to avoid road spikes the policeman was laying across the M5 Freeway at Campbelltown.
Delivering the sentence in the Supreme Court, Acting Judge Thomas Davidson said the jail term needed to act as a deterrent and demonstrate that such acts against police in the execution of their duty would not be tolerated.
However, the Department of Public Prosecutions has since lodged an appeal against the leniency of the sentence, with a hearing due next month.
The Crown’s stance is in contrast to Holton’s planned appeal against the harshness of the same sentence.
“If he does [appeal], it may well be that the Crown appeal in December will be vacated,” a court spokesman said. “The court likes to deal with these things as one.”
Any appeal against the severity flies in the face of the outrage that greeted the sentencing last year.
“We thought he deserved more,” the victim’s brother, Paul Affleck, said. “Before the sentencing we sat down with [then police minister] Michael Costa. He gave us an idea of what they were looking at for minimum sentences and more stringent sentencing.
“It has now been 12 months since the sentencing and nothing has been done. How many more policemen have to die before someone does something?”
NSW shadow attorney-general Andrew Tink said he had a simple approach to the matter.
“Anyone who kills a police officer while they are carrying out their duties should go to jail for life,” he said. “That is our strong stance.”
Mr Affleck said Holton’s bid to reduce his sentence was not a surprise, just unfortunate.
“We have been expecting that all along, just the way the defence was talking after the trial,” he said.
“Anyone who kills a policeman should spend his life in jail – he had a criminal record going back until he was 13 or something.
“I think it’s ridiculous and I don’t know why we tolerate these things. I just think it’s ridiculous he has the opportunity to [appeal].
“I think anyone who kills anyone doesn’t deserve any freedom.”
A policeman who died after being run over by a fleeing car thief should have shot his killer “between the eyes”, his widow says.
The widow of Senior Constable Jim Affleck was speaking yesterday after a court rejected the Crown’s appeal against the leniency of the sentence given to the man who ran him down.
Trish Affleck compared the situation her husband was in when he was killed by Trevor Edward Holton to that faced by another policeman, Inspector Shane Cribb, who has been charged over the shooting of a criminal who drove a getaway car at him three years ago.
“You have got Inspector Cribb looking down the barrel of a jail term for doing what I wish to God Jim had done. I wish to God he would have shot Holton between the eyes,” Mrs Affleck said with tears in her eyes.
The NSW Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, yesterday rejected the Crown’s argument for a tougher sentence for Holton, who was jailed in August 2002 for a minimum of 12 years, and a maximum 16, for the murder of Senior Constable Affleck.
On January 14, 2001, the stolen four-wheel-drive Holton was driving hit Senior Constable Affleck, a highway patrolman, as he laid out road spikes on M5 to stop the vehicle. Holton was being pursued by police after committing a robbery.
Holton also appealed against his conviction, but that was unanimously dismissed by justices Michael Grove, Robert Hulme and Rex Smart yesterday.
Wall To Wall Ride 2012 – M5 Motorway South of Sydney. Slowing down in tribute to Jim Affleck, crossing the bridge named in his honour. Polair was hovering above filming, but because I didn’t check my vertical camera angle, I missed it!
In January 2001 Senior Constable Jim Affleck was a Highway Patrol Officer who was run over a killed whilst deploying a set of ‘road spikes’ during a high speed police pursuit. The offending driver actually drove his vehicle at Affleck in a deliberate attempt to run him down. He was subsequently charged with murder.
Alone in his patrol car, Chris Thornton had the police siren flashing as he chased a white sedan through Woy Woy.
Thornton, 35, a highway patrolman, had been in the force for 15 years. He was, his mother says, “the best driver I have ever seen”.
The reason for the chase that night in April 2002 is unknown. Both cars were seen travelling at high speed. Thornton was about 50 metres behind.
Meanwhile, Leonard Rowley, 56, an unlicensed driver, was driving to his local KFC to pick up dinner. He saw the first car flash past and judged – wrongly – that he had time to turn out in front of the patrol car. Thornton tried to avoid Rowley’s car but clipped the back, veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a power pole.
Thornton died on the spot, which is marked by a permanent stainless-steel cross. Rowley later received a suspended two-year sentence.
“His life from the age of 12 was about helping people,” says Thornton’s mother, Freada Thornton. “He was in the surf club and he was there to rescue people and then he went into the force and he was doing the same thing.” His father, Barry Thornton, says: “He loved life. He had been in Gosford for 15 years and was so popular with the community there.”
Police pursuits are, says Barry, a necessary evil: “If they don’t catch the criminals there will be more deaths on the roads. The ones that they’re in pursuit of are the idiots that have done the wrong thing to start with.”
But pursuits have come at a cost to the NSW Police Department. Fifteen officers have died as a result of high-speed chases, beginning with the death of Constable George Boore in 1937.
Details provided by the NSW Police Association show a steady stream of fatalities involving cars and motorcycles. The full list of casualties is as follows:
Rank: Junior Trainee from about April 1970 ( ” 6 Week Wonder ” )
Probationary Constable – appointed 22 June 1970
Constable 1st Class – appointed 22 June 1975
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 20 November 1985
Senior Sergeant – appointed 1990 – death
Stations: ?, Rockdale – Clearway Cyclist, Goulburn for 18 years to become Sgt, Maitland District HWP Supervisor ( SenSgt ), Traffic Co-ordinator Northern Suburbs District Hornsby – 3 years, Parramatta – Traffic Support Group Operations Manager – death
Service: Frompre June 1970 to 13 July 1998 = 28+ years Service
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 2 December 1995
Born: 2 August 1950
Died on: 13 July 1998
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police motor cycle – Non Urgent
Event location: F3 Freeway, Calga
Age: 47 Single, unmarried with no children
Funeral date: Friday 17 July 1998
Funeral location:
Buried at: Cremated Woronora Cemetery
Memorial location: Police Memorial Wall – Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland
Plot: Centenary Court, Rose Garden 2, #01
Raymond Keith SMITH
[alert_green]RAYMOND IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
On the morning of 13 July, 1998 Senior Sergeant Smith was riding a police motor cycle to work along the F3 Freeway near Calga when a piece of wood fell from a truck, hitting him and causing the cycle to collide with a rock wall. It is thought that the sergeant was killed instantly.
The sergeant was born in 1950 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 22 June, 1970. At the time of his death he was attached to the Traffic Support Group, Parramatta.
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Woronora Cemetery Police Memorial Wall
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Police pay tribute to Sen Sgt Ray Smith 20 years on
Richard Noone,
Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
TWENTY years ago today we lost one of the state’s most experienced police motorcyclists and the public face of road safety.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was riding to work along the F3 Freeway (now M1)3km south of the Calga interchange, near Mount White, at 6.10am on July 13, 1998, when a 30cm by 40cm piece of wood fell off the back of a truck in front.
The wood bounced off the road and into the 47-year-old’s helmet as he travelled 100km/h.
The impact sent his bike into a concrete wall, killing him instantly.
Police inspect the scene where Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was killed.
Today, two decades later and the state’s top traffic cop Chief Inspector Phil Brooks said the dangers to motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users was as real now as it was then.
“Primarily it certainly highlights the risks police face every day of the week,” Chief Insp Brooks said.
“Police leave home and their families expect them to come home after their duties.”
Traffic & Highway Patrol Command held a tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith’s death this morning.
Chief Insp Brooks was a relatively junior officer when Sen Sgt Smith was killed but remembers well the profound sense of loss which swept through the entire NSW Police Force.
At the time Sen Sgt Smith was one of 26 police motorcyclists patrolling NSW roads.
Today Chief Insp Phil Brooks said of the fleet of 680 Traffic and Highway Patrol vehicles, 100 were motorcycles.
The front page of The Daily Telegraph on July 14, 1998
He said they remained an important asset to enforcing road safety and minimising congestion in the event of crashes and other road issues.
He said there were 6.19 million licence holders in NSW driving 6.5 million registered vehicles and the M1 — which has seen vehicle movements increase dramatically in the past 20 years — continued to be a big focus for police.
Senior police officers salute as the coffin of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith is carried during procession at his funeral service.
“Our road safety programs are such that cars and Highway Patrol vehicles are tasked to that road every day of the week,” he said.
“While there are significant road works along the M1 the crash risk is minimised by a very visible police presence.”
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff at Huntingwood came together to recognise the service of Senior Sgt Smith.
Police bikes have changed but the job remains the same.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day.
Meanwhile police on the Central Coast observed a minute’s silence this morning.
Only yesterday Brisbane Water police found the body and the wreckage of a man who had gone for a ride the previous day along the Old Pacific Highway at Bar Point.
The 34-year-old had left his Ryde home about 2pm on Wednesday.
When he had not arrived home at 11pm his worried partner contacted police.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith uses a radar gun on Parramatta Road, part of the Operation Slow-down campaign in 1997.
Officers scoured the Old Road where they eventually found his body at 3.30am.
The man had lost control, gone down an embankment and collided with a tree.
Meanwhile the Coronial Inquest into the death of Senior Sgt Smith found the truck driver — who continued on oblivious to the carnage behind him — “had done everything right” in securing his load.
At the time of his death Sen Sgt Smith was a member of the Traffic Support Group and the focal point of the previous year’s road safety campaign Operation Slowdown.
But 27 years’ riding experience and a life dedicated to road safety were unable to save him from the freak accident.
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
“There was no way of escaping,” Sen Sgt Smith’s colleague of seven years, Sergeant Graeme Priest said at the time.
Sen Sgt Smith lived at Maitland and was travelling to work at Parramatta when the accident occurred.
He never married and had no children. Fellow officers said his life was dedicated to serving in the police force and he had a love of motorcycles, of which he had a collection.
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff, Huntingwood, came together to recognise the service of Senior Sergeant Smith, who tragically lost his life at 6:10am on the 13 July, 1998, 20 years ago today.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day, keeping road users safe, as Senior Sergeant Smith proudly did during his career. A/Inspector Clint Williams acknowledged Senior Sergeant Smith‘s career history, and Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue told those present that ‘…those who served alongside Ray were his family..’, and noted the sad loss that Ray‘s sister must have suffered after this sad event. Father O’Donoghue then offered a prayer where those present observed a minutes silence in memory.
Featured in these photographs is ‘HWP-200‘ (Call sign Traffic 200) which we struck in memory of the life & career of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith.
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Article from Goulburn Post, Wednesday 22 July 1998
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on Sunday 20 February 1994 ( aged
Probationary Constable – appointed 19 August 1994 ( aged
Constable – appointed 19 August 1995
Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?
Time employed with NSW Police: From: 19 August 1994 to 18 April 1997 = 2 years, 7 months, 30 days
Served: From 20 February 1994 to 18 April 1997 = 3 years, 1 month, 29 days Service
Retirement / Leaving age: = 25 years, ? months, ? days
Time in Retirement from Police: 0
Stations: Liverpool ( 22 Division )( 19 August 1994 – 19 November 1994 ),
Fairfield ( 20 November 1994 – 18 April 1997 ) – Death
Awards: Commended for Good Police Work & Professionalism displayed in connect with an attempted hold-up of a takeaway food store in Fairfield in February 1996.
Commissioners Valour Award
No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 1971 in Parkes, NSW
Age: 25
Died: Friday 18 April 1997
Cause: Stabbed ( Murdered )
Event date: Friday 18 April 1997
Event location: Cambridge Tavern, Horsley Dve & Alan St, Fairfield
Location of the Murder:
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried / Cremated: Carty Family property – Parkes, NSW
Memorial location: 1/ Police Dog Carts ( coincidentally also stabbed to death )
2/ David Carty Reserve, Fairfield East, NSW ( cnr Fairfield St & The Horsley Dve )
3/ David Carty Conference Room – Fairfield Police Station, Smart St, Fairfield, NSW ( Dedicated / Opened on 18 April 2017 )
Constable David Carty ( 1997 )
David Carty – whilst a Student Police Officer
DAVID IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
About 8pm on 17 April, 1997 Constable Carty and other police had reason to speak to a number of people in the street at Fairfield while carrying out foot patrols. Some time later the constable and other police, then off duty, attended a local hotel, the Cambridge Tavern. About 2.10am as he was leaving the hotel Constable Carty was set upon by a number of offenders, including some of those he had spoken to earlier, and was stabbed to death. Senior Constable Michelle Auld ( # 23293 ), who had gone to his assistance, was also seriously assaulted in the cowardly attack.
Both Constable Carty and Senior Constable Auld were awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
The constable was born in 1971 and was sworn in as a probationary constable in August, 1994. At the time of his death he was stationed at Fairfield.
Constable David Andrew CARTY touch pad at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
A small section of St John Of God, Richmond Hospital, where Police ( and others ) with PTSD have gone for Inpatient Treatment.
This is a small Memorial that previous patients ( Police ) have done to remember our friends who have fallen before us. The Black & Dark Blue Memorial stones are by Army members.
Photo posted up on NSW Cops, Old, Bold & Retired FB Group on 28 May 2017.
Remembering our colleague, Constable David Carty after 25 years.
An Official Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 19 April 2022 @ 10am at the Fairfield RSL ( Due to weather conditions it won’t be held at David Carty Park ).
Senior Constable Michelle AULD ( # 23293 ) at Constable David Carty’s Funeral – 1997
Tuesday 18 April 2017 20 year Memorial
18 April 2017
18 April 2017
Fairfield Police Station Wall of Remembrance Smart St, Fairfield
David Carty Conference Room – Fairfield Police Station ( Dedicated / Opened on 18 April 2017 )
Constable David Carty was remembered as a respected man at the 17th anniversary of his death
Kimberley Caines
Fairfield Advance
April 23, 201412:00AM
Constable David Carty is remembered as a respectable country man.
THE pain of April 18 doesn’t get any easier for Fairfield police officers who recall Constable David Carty as a respectable country man.
Const Carty (pictured) was remembered by police officers and former colleagues at Fairfield police station on Friday, the 17th anniversary of his brutal death.
On April 18, 1997, Const Carty, 25, was stabbed in the Cambridge Tavern car park, after having a drink with colleagues after a late shift.
Superintendent Peter Lennon said April 18 was one date he and his fellow officers would never forget. “He (Const Carty) came from the country and was well-respected by everyone,” he said.
During the memorial service, a minute’s silence was held and wreaths were laid in memory of the young man.
Supt Lennon said being in the police force meant brave men and women confronted dangers as they performed their duties.
“Police officers put their lives on the line every day for their community,” he said. “Whilst this event was after hours, he was still a serving officer because he was known to be a police officer when the incident occurred.”
HONOURING DAVID CARTY
■ David Andrew Carty, from Parkes, joined the NSW Police Force on February 20, 1994
■ After being posted to Liverpool police station, he was transferred to Fairfield police station on November 20, 1994, and confirmed to the rank of Constable on August 19, 1995
■ During the early hours of April 18, 1997, Constable Carty, 25, was stabbed in the car park of Fairfield’s Cambridge Tavern, where he had enjoyed a drink with colleagues after a late shift
■ His memory was honoured at Fairfield police station on Friday for the 17th anniversary of his death
Friday was the 17th anniversary of the murder of David Carty. Fairfield police officers held a minute’s silence at the station’s Wall of Remembrance. Picture: Tim Clapin
Fairfield police officers and former colleagues holding a memorial for the 15th anniversary of the death of Constable David Carty.
The David Carty Memorial set up at this week’s service in Sydney.
NSW Police Force held a memorial service on Wednesday to commemorate the life and service of former Parkes man Constable David Carty, who was slain 15 years ago.
Const Carty was stabbed to death as he left licensed premises in the Sydney suburb of Fairfield in the early hours of Friday, April 18, 1997, after having a drink with colleagues following a late shift.
At 10am on Wednesday April 18, 2012, colleagues and friends gathered at Fairfield Police Station for a memorial service, on the 15th anniversary of his death.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Michael Gallacher, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, South West Metropolitan Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli, Fairfield Local Area Commander, Superintendent Peter Lennon, former colleagues, local police officers, local members of Parliament and members of the Fairfield community also attended.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Michael Gallacher, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, pay their respects to slain local police officer, David Carty and Wednesday’s special memorial service in Sydney.
Senior Catholic Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue, led the blessing for serving police and emergency service officers.
Constable Carty’s family also held a memorial service on the family property in Parkes where Lachlan Local Area Commander, Robert Ryan, and local police officers paid their respects.
Supt Lennon said while it was painful to recall the circumstances of Constable Carty’s death, it was important for his memory to be honoured.
“David was a young man with a great future, personally and professionally,” Supt Lennon said.
“He had committed himself to protecting his community and paid the ultimate price.
“Every day, officers confront dangers as they perform their duties, and the memory of a departed colleague reminds us that a safe community can come at a high price for officers and their families,” Supt Lennon said.
Police officers during the ceremony
Constable Carty joined the NSW Police Force on February 20, 1994, attesting as a Probationary Constable on August 19, 1994, and began working at Liverpool.
On November 20, 1994, he was transferred to Fairfield and confirmed to the rank of Constable on August 19, 1995.
Before joining the NSW Police, David Carty worked on the family farm and showed as much dedication and independence there as he did as a Constable.
“Constable Carty’s relatively short experience in the NSW Police Force showed him to be an exemplary police officer,” Supt Lennon said.
Mr GUY ZANGARI (Fairfield) [12.11 p.m.]: On 18 April 2012 Fairfield police station held a 15-year memorial service for the late Constable David Carty. The memorial was to be held at David Carty Reserve but due to the torrential rain it was held at Fairfield police station. Besides the Fairfield memorial, a memorial was held also at the Carty family property in Parkes where Lachlan Local Area Commander Robert Ryan and local police officers paid their respects, together with the Carty family. The memorial at Fairfield was attended by the police commissioner, assistant commissioners, police Minister and local and State government representatives. Local fire, ambulance and State Emergency Service representatives paid their respects on this solemn occasion. Also present were the emergency response officers who, in the words of Superintendent Peter Lennon, moved heaven and earth to save this officer’s life. Inspector Brendan McMahon was the official master of ceremonies, with Commissioner Andrew Scipione offering kind and comforting words to the entire community. Superintendent Peter Lennon brought home the message of the loss to the community of David Carty and how to this day, so many years later, people in Fairfield still feel the pain. Father Paul O’Donoghue offered blessings and prayers to the gathering. Following the prayers a wreath-laying ceremony took place. It was at that point that emotion set in and not a dry eye could be seen in the gathering. Many of those who were present did not know David but they had grieved his loss for years. I recall that David’s death in 1997 was a shock to the entire community. So brutal was his death that churches around Fairfield held masses and services in his memory. At that time I was teaching at Patrician Brothers College, Fairfield, and I remember witnessing the grief that beset the community. Students and teachers held prayer services following David’s death. Sitting at the memorial service gave me the empty feeling that Fairfield experienced in 1997. I can only imagine what it was like for David’s work colleagues and especially for his family. David Carty was a country boy who came to Sydney to fulfil his dream of becoming a police officer. He joined the NSW Police Force on 20 February 1994, was sworn in as a probationary constable in August 1994 and began working at Liverpool. On 20 November 1994 Constable Carty was transferred to Fairfield and quickly established himself in the Fairfield Local Area Command and in the community as a hardworking police officer. On 17 April 1997, whilst on a daily foot patrol, David and other police officers had reason to speak to a number of people on a local Fairfield street. Later that evening, whilst off duty, Constable Carty and his colleagues attended the Cambridge Tavern. At about 2.10 a.m., as he was leaving the tavern, David was set upon by a number of offenders, including some of those he had spoken to earlier that day. Constable David Carty was stabbed to death by his attackers. Senior Constable Michelle Auld also was seriously assaulted whilst giving David assistance. Early that morning a piece of Fairfield was taken away. We will never forget David Carty. As a community we keep his memory alive by having a reserve named in his honour—the David Carty Reserve. There are plans in the Fairfield community to include a memorial garden in the reserve, to create a place where the community can offer prayers and thanks to the late Constable David Carty and reflect on the many sacrifices that he ultimately made as a result of his vocation as a police officer. David was never given a chance to marry, to have children and to experience what so many of us take for granted. What we as legislators can do is to ensure that our police are given the powers and support they need not only to keep the community safe but also to keep uniformed officers safe in the line of duty. Constable David Carty will never be forgotten by Fairfield.
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.15 p.m.]: I take this opportunity to thank the member for Fairfield for reminding us of the terrible murder of David Carty. I am sure that all members and the people of New South Wales remember the despicable murder that took place late at night in a car park outside licensed premises when David Carty was off duty. David Carty’s father, John Carty, is a constituent of the member for Dubbo who is in the Chamber. I was interested to hear the member for Fairfield mention the David Carty memorial that is to be established in the Fairfield reserve—a nice tribute to a man whose life was cut short by a most heinous crime.
Rank: Commenced training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 17 August 1981 ( aged 22 years, 6 months, 15 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 6 November 1981 ( 22 years, 9 months, 4 days )
Constable – appointed 6 November 1982
Constable 1st Class – appointed 6 November 1986
Senior Constable – death
Final Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Kempsey
Service: From 17 August 1981 to 9 July 1995 = 13 years, 10 months, 22 days Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Commissioner’s Medal for Valour – posthumously
National Police Service Medal – granted 9 July 2015 – posthumously
Born: Monday 2 February 1959
Died on: Sunday 9 July 1995
Death location: Main Street, Crescent Heads
Cause: Shot – murdered
Age: 36 years, 5 months, 7 days
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Rose Garden, Innes Gardens Memorial Park, NSW:
Grave location: Lat/Long: -31.462153 , 152.858907
Memorial location: Killuke St, Crescent Head’s
PETER IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
SenCon Peter John ADDISON – shot – 9 July 1995 – Crescent Head
Peter John ADDISON – touch plate at National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Grave plaque for Peter ADDISON
Redfern Police Academy Class 175 – Sub Class A Back Row L to R: R. BARRIE # 19933, R.F. EDWARDS, Peter John ADDISON # 19914, A.J. CATTELL # 20205, J. DeROTA # 19902, G.J. DUNCAN # 19913, D.P. ELLIS # 19906, E.S. BIRCHALL # 19917 Centre Row L to R: Sgt 3/c J.A. SHIPLEE # 11230, P. DAVIES # 19919, D.F. BAILEY # 19916, P.G. DUNWORTH # 19937, M.D. BALDOCK # 20162, P.A. BLAIR # 19942, S.G. BENNETT # 19934, Sgt 3/c R.E. FORD # 10076 Front Row L to R: A.C. BURNS # 19904, J.M. CLUGSTON # 19895, Donna M. BURTON ( Donna McMAHON / Donna Thompson ) # 19929 , M.E. AUSTIN # 19908, Suzanne Joy DEARNLEY # 19945, J.A. CAMPBELL # 19903, M.L. CORNISH # 19898, J.A. DAHLBERG, D.M. CONNELL # 19891
&
Robert Bruce SPEARS
( late of Port Macquarie )
New South Wales Police Force
Redfern Police Academy Class # 227
ProCst # 98500
Regd. # 23854
Rank: Commenced training at Goulburn Police Academy on Wednesday 1 April 1987 ( aged 28 years, 16 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 26 June 1987 ( aged 28 years, 3 months, 10 days )
Constable – appointed 26 June 1988
Senior Constable – death
Final Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Liverpool, Kempsey
Service: From1 April 1987 to9 July 1995 = 8 years, 3 months, 8 days Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Commissioner’s Medal for Valour – posthumously
National Police Service Medal – granted 9 July 2015 – posthumously
Born: Monday 16 March 1959
Died on: Sunday 9 July 1995
Cause: Shot – murdered
Age: 36 years, 3 months, 23 days
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?, Liverpool, NSW
Buried at: ?
Grave location: Lat/Long: -31.462153 , 152.858907
Compass Rose Garden, Innes Gardens Memorial Park, NSW:
Memorial location: Killuke St, Crescent Head’s
ROBERT IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
SenCon Robert Bruce SPEARS – shot – 9 July 1995 – Crescent Head
Bob Spears and his son
Touch plate for Senior Constable Robert SPEARS at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Grave plate for Robert SPEARS
Crescent Head memorial as of July 5, 2013. The memorial to Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears is being well cared for. 2013 marks the 18th anniversary of their death. Such a sad waste of the lives of such good men. Their bravery was exceptional. R.I.P.
About 12.35am on 9 July, 1995 the constables were performing night shift at the Kempsey Police Station when they were called to a malicious damage complaint at the nearby township of Crescent Head. Having attended one address in relation to the complaint they drove to a dwelling in Main Street, Crescent Head. There they parked the police vehicle in a driveway and began to walk toward the front door.
At 1.22am an urgent radio message was received from Senior Constable Addison requesting urgent assistance. It was later learned that the offender McGowan had hidden near the carport of the dwelling and, camouflaged and armed with a high-powered Ruger rifle, had opened fire on the two police.
While withdrawing to the police vehicle Senior Constable Spears received a severe wound to the head and collapsed onto the ground. After exchanging shots with the offender Senior Constable Addison quickly sought help from neighbours. While apparently seeking a house with a telephone so he could call for assistance for his partner, he was also shot to death.
The murderer then committed suicide with the rifle.
At the inquest into the deaths of the two constables the New South Wales Coroner Mr Derek Hand commended both men for their extraordinary courage. Special mention was made of Senior Constable Addison‘s bravery in that “No-one would have blamed him if he had decided to seek safety. Not only was he obviously concerned about Constable Spears but he was faced with an armed man who could have caused much more death and injury in the neighbourhood”.
Mr Hand also commended the brave actions of Detective Senior Constable Michael Clark, Ambulance Officer Edward Hill and Mr Gregory Barnett.
Senior Constable Addison was born in 1959 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 6 November, 1981. At the time of his death he was stationed at Kempsey. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
Senior Constable Spears was born in 1959 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 26 June, 1987. At the time of his death he was stationed at Kempsey. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
New South Wales. State Coroner (1995). [Inquests into the deaths of Robert Bruce Spears, Peter John Addison and John Craig McGowan : transcript of the Coroner’s address, findings and recommendations of 13 October 1995.]. New South Wales State Coroner’s Court, [Penrith, N.S.W ( no link )
Commemorative service 10:30am, Thursday 9 July 2015 Addison/Spears memorial site Corner of Baker Dr and Killuke Cr, Crescent Head
Valour not forgotten
A ceremony this month will mark the 20th anniversary of one of our darkest days.
STORY SHAUN FEWINGS
PUBLIC AFFAIRS BRANCH
On the face of it, it was a routine call to a domestic violence complaint but within an hour two police officers were ambushed and shot dead.
When Kempsey-based police officers, Senior Constables Peter Addison VA and Robert Spears VA arrived in the small mid north coast town of Crescent Head, they came under attack from a hidden assassin. Local electrician John McGowan was drunk and dressed in camouflage gear, hiding near a car port on his Walker Street property.
The 35-year-old, armed with a high-powered modified Ruger 14 rifle, opened fire on the officers as they got out of their 4WD. The pair took cover behind their vehicle and exchanged shots with the gunman.
As Snr Cst Addison got back in the car to radio for backup, McGowan shot his partner in the head.
Snr Cst Addison ran to a neighbouring house to seek help but it didn’t have a telephone. He continued to exchange shots with the offender but was also shot dead. The killer then turned the gun on himself.
It happened at 1.22am on 9 July, 1995 and remains one of the darkest days in the history of the NSWPF. The deaths led to major reforms, including the introduction of automatic pistols and bullet proof vests for first response officers, improved radio equipment and coverage, and advances in police tactical training.
A special ceremony will mark the 20th anniversary of their deaths at a memorial site within the town. Commissioner Andrew Scipione will present the widows of Senior Constables Addison and Spears with National Police Service Medals in honour of their courage, service and diligence.
Today the ranks of the NSWPF are filled with many officers too young to remember the Crescent Head shootings but who remain protected by the legacy of two brave police officers.July 2015Police Monthly3
The medals awarded to widows of Peter Addison and Robert Spears. Picture: Lindsay Moller
$18 loader may have saved police life
Feb. 6, 2001, 9:02 p.m.
ONE of two police officers killed after being ambushed by a drunken gunmen at Crescent Head in 1995 may have survived if he had been issued with an $18 speedloader the Industrial Relations Court has been told.
NSW WorkCover Authority is proceeding with eight summonses against the Crown over alleged Occupational, Health and Safety Act breaches by the NSW Police Service stemming from the shooting deaths of Kempsey policemen, Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison.
The matter, being heard by Justice Hungerford, began in Sydney on Monday and is expected to take three weeks to complete.
Senior Constables Addison and Spears, both Port Macquarie residents, were shot by John McGowan on July 9, 1995 when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint.
In the preceding Coronial Inquest, Coroner Derrick Hand found the two officers had been ‘massively outgunned’, lacked bulletproof vests and were hampered by poor radio communications.
WorkCover alleges the breaches of the Act contributed to the deaths of the policemen and specifically refers to inadequate equipment and training and the alleged failure to provide self-loading firearms.
When the officers arrived at the home of McGowan he was armed .223 calibre Ruger Rifle.
Constable Spears was shot dead in McGowan’s first salvo before Const. Addison managed to enter a house across the road to use a phone for help, when he was told there was not one he left the house only to be shot dead himself.
McGowan then shot himself.
WorkCover alleges the Crown failed to ensure the health and safety of Const. Addison and Spears by not providing them with a speedloader or a self-loader weapon such as a the 9mm Glock pistol, which holds 17 rounds, now used by the service.
WorkCover’s Barrister Steven Crawshaw told the court a speedloader, a round device used to load all six bullets into the then standard police weapon, a .38 Smith and Wesson, would have let Const. Addison reload more efficiently under pressure.
Police Service Barrister, Peter Hastings, QC, told the court Const. Addison did not appear to be reloading at the time he was killed so the issue was irrelevant.
The officers were issued with speed strip reloaders that enable rounds to be loaded two at a time.
The court heard Const. Addison had fired all six rounds from his revolver and investigators found his unused speed strip lying near his body.
WorkCover has also alleged that the police service failed to provide the two officers with training addressing in a practical way the tactics to be employed in a high-risk situation such as they were faced with and the systems the police service had in place to ensure training was deficient.
Training of police attacked May 3, 2001, 9:06 p.m.
SIX years after the shooting deaths of two Kempsey police officers a NSW court has found the NSW Police Service negligent in not providing adequate training and communications for the officers.
Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison, both Port Macquarie residents, were gunned down by a drunken John McGowan when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint at Crescent Head on July 9, 1995.
NSW WorkCover, in January, started proceedings against the NSW Police Service through the NSW Industrial Relations Court over breaches of the Occupational, Health and Safety Act in relation to the deaths of Constables Addison and Spears.
On Wednesday, Justice Barrie Hungerford found that the NSW Police Service failed to provide adequate training and radio equipment.
Justice Hungerford found that the radio communications equipment was inadequate.
In the judgement Justice Hungerford said Senior Constable Spears and Addison were placed at risk of injury in that they could not communicate with other officers and vice versa.
“This created a working environment in which there was a greater risk of physical harm,” he said.
Justice Hungerford said there was evidence that supported the proposition that the officers concerned had not received up-to-date training in the various matters relevant to operational situations.
“Those subject matters, specifically, were weapons handling, tactics in high-risk situations, method of approach to buildings, concealment and the use of lights and torches.
“The very nature of the circumstances as they existed at Crescent Head during the subject incident made relevant the type of training the two officers had not recently received,” Justice Hungerford said.
Justice Hungerford dismissed eight other charges brought against the NSW Police Service by WorkCover relating to firearms, firearm equipment and training and operational duties.
The case was adjourned for a number of weeks to give the Police Service time to prepare mitigating evidence to be presented to Justice Hungerford before he announces the penalty.
On that night in 1995, after talking to a woman complaining of domestic violence threats, Constables Spears and Addison attended McGowan’s house in Walker Street at Crescent Head.
It is believed an altercation occurred between McGowan and the two officers. At some point McGowan produced a modified Ruger 14 rifle and the two officers retreated behind their 4WD.
McGowan then fired a number of shots at the officers while they sheltered behind their vehicle. Both officers returned fire from their position. A short time later Constables Addison and Spears got into the 4WD.
While Constable Addison radioed that they were in trouble McGowan shot Constable Spears in the head.
Constable Addison then again radioed that an officer was down before retreating across the road and entering a house in a bid to use a telephone to call for help.
After realising the house didn’t have a telephone Constable Addison left the house and exchanged shots with McGowan who was still beside the police vehicle.
A witness stated that then Constable Addison might have emptied his revolver while retreating to the rear of the house he just exited.
For reasons which were not clear, it is believed that Constable Addison attempted to go forward, with an empty gun and his torch shinning, but was shot dead by McGowan .
McGowan then shot himself and was found the next morning slumped on the lawn.
THE NSW Police Service has been fined $220,000 for not providing adequate training to two Kempsey police officers killed in a shootout at Crescent Head in 1995.
Senior Constable Peter Addison and Senior Constable Robert Spears, both residents of Port Macquarie, were shot and killed by John McGowan when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint in the seaside village on the night of Saturday, July 9, 1995.
NSW WorkCover started proceedings, in the NSW Industrial Court, against the NSW Police Service in January 2001.
NSW WorkCover alleged a number of breaches of the Occupational, Health and Safety Act in relation to the deaths of Constables Addison and Spears.
In May of last year Justice Barrie Hungerford found that NSW Police had not provided Constables Spears and Addison with up-to-date training in high-risk situation tactics.
Justice Hungerford described the offence as being ‘extremely serious’ and noted that the officers had not undergone mandatory training in the use and reloading of weapons, use of torches, defensive tactics and communications.
In assessing the penalty, Justice Hungerford said the action taken by the Police Service since that fatal day to develop training programs and its previously clear occupational health and safety record.
“It is not unreasonable to conclude, in light of the clearly dangerous nature of the industry in which the Police Service operates, that the fact it has a clear occupational health and safety record is a weighty factor in its favour…,” Justice Hungerford said in his decision.
“Another relevant subjective consideration is the action taken by the defendant in respect of the Police Service in developing training programs for police officers, including the important program of ammunition training, and its leading role in that respect compared with police forces in other states,” he said.
WorkCover NSW acting general managerMichelle Patterson said “this tragic incident highlights the need for all employers to undertake appropriate risk management and to provide adequate training so that employees are able to carry out their duties”.
Honouring their grandfathers: Blake Addison, Joey Addison and Liam Jones.
THE memories of former police officers Bob Spears and Peter Addison are being preserved by three Port Macquarie boys who never met their grandfathers. Blake Addison, 6, Joey Addison, 4, and Liam Jones, 4, were not born when the Kempsey-based senior constables were shot down at Crescent Head in 1995. Late last month the boys were taken into their grandparents’ former world of crime and justice during an open day at Port Macquarie Police Station. They joined retired officers and their families on a tour of the station to uphold their family’s connection with the NSW Police Force.“I wasn’t lucky enough to meet them but my brother Joe and cousin Liam and I were treated so special at the open day we know our pops were important and special,” Blake said. There has been a concerted effort by the Addison and Spears families to ensure the boys understand the sacrifices their grandfathers made to protect the community before their death. Policing had been such a dominant part of the Addison and Spears lives before the shooting that the boys’ parents wanted it to be part of the next generation too. Blake and Joey Addison were an indirect result of the tragedy 12 years ago. The shooting brought their parents Jade Spears and Glen Addison together – Jade Spears and Glen Addison were the children of Bob Spears and Peter Addison. Liam Jones is Bob Spears’s grandson – Liam’s mother Hayley Jones changed her maiden name from Addison when she married.
The web of family connections and history has only brought the Addisons and Spears closer.
The trio of boys, their sisters, their parents, and their grandmothers are almost inseparable.
Next year, they will all attend Police Remembrance Day for the first time as a whole family to reflect again on the lives Bob Spears and Peter Addison.
SACRIFICE and sadness will hang heavy in the air on Thursday for officers and wider family of the Mid North Coast Local Area Command.It will be the 20th anniversary of senior constables Pete Addison and Bob Spears‘ murders at Crescent Head.The two officers, stationed at Kempsey but both of whom lived in Port Macquarie, were killed while responding to a violent disturbance on Main Street about 1am on July 9, 1995.Electrician John McGowan killed Sen Const Spears first by using a .223 calibre Rutger Rifle, before taking the other officer’s life.McGowan then shot himself.The two officers were posthumously awarded the NSW Police Force’s highest honour, the Commissioner’s Valour Award, the following month.More than 200 officers and guests are expected at Crescent Head’s Killuke St memorial tomorrow at 10.30am to commemorate the fallen colleagues.
Killuke St memorial Stone to Addison & Spears – 2015
“It will be an opportunity for all colleagues to show we haven’t forgotten what happened,” Superintendent Paul Fehon said on Monday.
“It’s for us to remember, and for us to let the families know we will never forget their bravery.
“There was an impact on so many people.”
Police chaplain Father Paul Gooley will lead the service, which will be co-celebrated by Fr John Casey who was the LAC’s chaplain 20 years ago and conducted Sen. Const. Addison’s funeral.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione will then present the National Police Service medals to the widows of the two officers to mark the men’s heroism and diligence to duty.
Deputy commissioners Catherine Burn and Nick Kaldas will also be at the service, as well as former commissioners, politicians and the heads of Ambulance NSW and Fire and Rescue NSW.
Former State Coroner Derrick Hand, who investigated the murders, is another notable guest.
The general public is also invited to attend, with plenty of space available in surrounding parkland.
The slain officers’ families will lay wreaths, followed by Commissioner Scipione and fellow police.
The community are also able to lay a wreath. A reception will take place following the ceremony at the Crescent Head Country Club.
Families of slain officers Peter Addison and Robert Spears united by love
Samantha Townsend
The Daily Telegraph
July 09, 2015 1:02PM
Glenn Addison (centre back) and Jade Spears (centre front in blue) with family members of Peter Addison and Robert Spears at Crescent Head. Picture: Lindsay Moller
TWO families united in the most horrific of circumstances are forever joined through the generations.
Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, both 36, were killed by a gunman after responding to a domestic violence call in Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast on July 9, 1995.
Their children Glenn Addison and Jade Spears, who were 16 and 15 at the time, met after their fathers’ deaths and went on to get married.
The pair, with their children Blake, 14, Joe, 12, and Charlie, 10, joined their mothers Liana and Kathy as well as family and friends today at a ceremony in the coastal town to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Liana (Addison) Stewart, said their families would always be connected not only because of their loss but through the marriage of their children.
“There has to be good come out of this,” Liana said. “Our families will always be connected.”
Haley Addison and Liana (Addison) Stewart at the special 20th Anniversary ceremony. Picture: Lindsay Moller
Jade Spears with her son and husband Glenn Addison at Crescent Head. Picture: Lindsay Moller
She said the ceremony was a special day for the family and she knew “without a doubt” their legacy would stay strong.
“It’s nice they have never been forgot,” she said.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione presented National Police Service medals to the widows of the slain officers today in honour of the men, who gave their lives while attempting to apprehend an armed offender.
The Kempsey-based senior constables had been dispatched to Crescent Head to investigate a report of domestic violence in the early hours of July 9, 1995.
As they arrived in Walker St, the policemen came under fire from drunken gunman John McGowan, dressed in camouflage gear and hiding near a carport.
The officers returned fire as they sought cover behind their four wheel drive. Addison tried to call for back-up on their police radio when Spears was fatally wounded.
Robert Spears was fatally wounded trying to apprehend an armed gunman.
Peter Addison who was gunned down in the line of duty.
In a desperate bid to seek help for his dying friend, Addison ran to a nearby house but it didn’t have a telephone.
As he tried to enter another property, still returning fire, the 14-year police veteran was also shot dead by the gunman, who then turned his high-powered rifle on himself.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the heroic officers had “stood their ground, defending themselves and their community from a cowardly assassin”.
“Peter Addison was not prepared to leave his wounded friend and colleague… together they made the ultimate sacrifice and we will never forget them for it,” he said
Their deaths led to major reforms within the force including the transition from revolvers to automatic pistols, bulletproof vests for first response officers, improved radio coverage and equipment as well as state-of-the-art tactical training for uniformed police.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione handing the National Police Service medal to Kathy Spears. Picture: Lindsay Moller
The Spears and Addison families are connected by love and tragedy thanks to a marriage between the officer’s children. Picture: Lindsay Moller
Walker St, the scene of the Crescent Head shootings, on July 9, 1995.
Crescent Heads police killings: Two decades on, ceremony will mark sacrifice made by senior constables on duty
Samantha Townsend Regional Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
July 09, 2015 12:00AM
The scene in Walker Street, Crescent Head, the morning of the shootings, with the body of gunman John McGowan (right) covered by a sheet as police speak with shocked residents.
Pair on night shift when they attended to domestic dispute call
Arrived to find gunman in camouflage gear carrying high-powered rifle
Gunman shot two policemen dead before killing himself
Tragedy led to major reforms within police force
IT WAS supposed to be a routine domestic violence call, but what happened next not only tore apart two families but also stunned a NSW coastal town.
Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison made the ultimate sacrifice when they were killed in the line of duty while protecting the community of Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast from an armed gunman on July 9, 1995.
Today is the 20th anniversary of their deaths and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has presented National Police Service medals to the widows of the slain officers in honour of the pair’s heroism and diligence to duty.
Spears and Addison, both 36, respectively the fathers of two and three children, had moved to the Mid North Coast for a better lifestyle.
The Daily Telegraph reported at that time that on the night on July 8, 1995, the officers had kissed their families goodbye and headed out for the late shift at Kempsey Police Station.
At 12.35am the officers received a distress call about a domestic violence incident at nearby Crescent Head from the former girlfriend of electrician John McGowan.
The scene after two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call were gunned down by John McGowan.
Senior police officers next to the covered body of McGowan.
When they arrived into the township around 1am, The Daily Telegraph Mirror reported the police officers were confronted by a drunken McGowan dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a high-powered rifle.
THE DAY MURDER CAME TO MY SLEEPY BEACH TOWN
The officers were armed with police-issue .38 Smith and Wesson revolvers.
A call for back-up was made around 1.22am.
A NSW police spokesman told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that Spears was fatally wounded first, having been shot in the head.
John McGowan shot and killed the two policemen before committing suicide in the street.
Unable to get radio assistance, the spokesman said Addison dashed to a nearby home to use the landline but the occupants did not have one.
On his way to a second house, Addison was shot dead.
McGowan then turned the gun on himself.
In the hours after the incident, police swarmed into the town, warning residents to stay inside their homes.
Police guard lines route of Senior Constable Robert Spears‘ funeral at Liverpool.
Glen Addison weeps as his brother Scott consoles him at their father’s funeral.
Uniformed police link arms at funeral of colleague Senior Constable Addison.
Police carry the coffin of Senior Constable Peter Addison.
At that stage they did not know the gunman had killed himself.
It has been reported that police found his body around 9am.
Not long after the senior constables deaths, the fallen officers were awarded the Police Force’s highest honour, the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
Their deaths led to major reforms within the force including the transition from revolvers to automatic pistols, bulletproof vests for first response officers, improved radio coverage and equipment as well as state-of-the-art tactical training for uniformed police.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says the shootings of two police officers at Crescent head is the darkest day in the NSW police history.
Around 250 people gathered at Crescent head including families and friends of the dead officers where their widows were awarded with medals for officers valour.
“Senior Constables, Peter Addison and Robert Spears, walked into an ambush,” he said.
“Human instinct would demand you remove yourself from harm’s way in a situation like that, but not these brave officers.
“They knew they had to try to stop this gunman who could have gone on to kill or injure others.
“They stood their ground, defending themselves and their community from a cowardly assassin.
“Peter Addison was not prepared to leave his wounded friend and colleague…together they made the ultimate sacrifice and we will never forget them for it.”
A memorial plaque was unveiled in the town in 1996 just a few hundred metres away from the street where the officers were slain.
The plaque reads: “The Kempsey Shire Council on behalf of the community, has erected this memorial acknowledging the personal courage and sacrifice of Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, who gave their lives while attempting to apprehend an armed offender on the 9th July, 1995.”
Police Commission Andrew Scipione joined a host of other dignitaries at the Crescent Head memorial to mark the 20th anniversary of their deaths.
A long list of dignitaries including former Police Commissioners, Tony Lauer and Neil Taylor, attended today’s ceremony to honour the officers for their bravery and dedication to duty.
Following the shooting murders of Senior Constables Peter John Addison and Robert Bruce Spears at Crescent Head, on the 9 July, 1995, the Police Association pressed for a serious review of the firearms on issue to general duties police, with the aim of having
the .38 special Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver replaced with a self loading pistol.
The model 10 had been in service for 30 years. Addison and Spears were shot dead by John McGowan, who was armed with a .223 calibre Ruger Mini 14 self loading rifle.
McGowan had several loaded magazines and his rifle was painted in camouflage paint.
The two policemen went to McGowan’s residence in Walker Street, Crescent Head, following a complaint that McGowan made threats to his former girlfriend. Addison and Spears exchanged shots with McGowan but were obviously outgunned. It appeared that when Spears tried to reload his revolver, the speed strip containing his ammunition fell to the ground. McGowan shot himself dead after shooting Addison and Spears and his rifle was found next to his body. It was estimated that McGowan fired 30 shots from the rifle,
with some of McGowan’s bullets hitting neighbouring houses and killing a stray dog.
Peter Addison joined the police in 1981 and Robert Spears had been in the police since 1987. Both men were posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
Since the late 1980s, the adequacy of the revolver for police duties had been in question and the self loading pistol was favoured as a replacement for the Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver. In 1998, the Glock model 22 self loading pistol chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge was being issued to replace the .38 calibre Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver.
The Glock is not the first type of self loading pistol that has been issued to NSW Police.
From the late 1920s, until phasing in of the Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver in the 1960s, an assorted variety of pistols and revolvers were used for police use, many coming from confiscated and surrendered stocks as well as government purchase. Throughout this period leading up to 1965, revolvers such as the .32 Colt Police Positive, the Colt Pocket Positive and also the .38 special Smith & Wesson model 10, were issued to ranks below sergeants 1st class were issued with .25 calibre self loading pistols. While this may have been the desired mode of issue, the types of pistols and revolvers issued depended on things such as supply and availability.
Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995),
Friday 14 July 1995, page 6
Firearms amnesty follows tragedy
SYDNEY: The NSW Government has announced a 12 month firearms amnesty effective immediately.
The Premier, Bob Carr, said yesterday that anyone who was holding an illegal firearm should surrender it to police.
” I have asked the Minister for Police, Paul Whelan, to widely publicise the amnesty, ” Mr Carr said.
” The amnesty means the owner of an illegal and prohibited firearm can hand it over to the police without fear of prosecution. ”
The Victorian Government announced a permanent gun amnesty on Tuesday and Mr Carr said then that he wanted an amnesty up and running in NSW as soon as possible.
He made the announcement yesterday after returning from the funeral of Senior Constable Peter Addison, who with his partner, Senior Constable Robert Spears, was gunned down outside a house at Crescent Head on the NSW mid-north coast on Sunday morning.
The pair had gone to the address in response to a domestic dispute.
The gunman, John McGowan, shot himself in the head later.
He had made his Ruger 14 mini-rank rifle illegal by attaching two magazines so the weapon could fire 30 rounds without reloading. The legal limit is five.
And police said the rifle was not licensed.
” The challenge we face here is that there was a gun, illegal under NSW law, in the possession of someone who did not have a shooter’s licence, ” Mr Carr said.
” Now obviously an amnesty that would drain the number of guns out of the community makes sense. ”
NSW had a gun amnesty after the August 1991 Strathfield massacre when Wade Frankum opened fire and shot dead six people in a suburban shopping plaza before turning the gun on himself.
In April 1994, the NSW Police Service switched on its Computerised Operational Policing System list, on which the name and address of every licensed shooter in the state is on the computer database.
There is a also a “persons’ of special interest” category on COPS which would cater for people with a psychological history of violence or a criminal record.
Coastal holiday village woken to the sound of murder
KEMPSEY: The serenity of a north-coast township was broken early yesterday when two police officers were shot dead while on duty and their killer committed suicide by turning his gun on himself.
Police said that just after 1am Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, both aged 36, had arrived at a house in Crescent Head, 21km south-east of Kempsey, in response to a call about malicious damage to a car.
Within minutes, the pair, who had transferred to Kempsey with their young families about six months ago, were gunned down as they walked toward the house, by a man reportedly drunk and depressed over a failed love affair.
Police have confirmed that no one else was in the house with the man.
Nearby residents heard a series of shots and shouting then further blasts from a semi-automatic rifle as 35-year-old electrician John McGowan tried to comprehend his deed.
Special Protection Group members and negotiators from Sydney were rushed to the house, and residents were warned to stay in doors.
Traffic was barred from entering the town.
Anita Crowley, who lives a few streets away from the shooting, said she was woken up by the shots.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” she said. “I heard somebody shouting and yelling ‘ get down ‘.”
Police said negotiators were assessing the situation when, just before 9am, McGowan’s body was found on the front lawn of the house. He had turned the gun on himself and died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The small town is now trying to come to terms with how a man who seemed “just a normal bloke” could shoot two police officers.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said McGowan was well-known. “He was just a normal bloke, just a resident of Crescent Head,” the man said.
“He was a bloke who would go to the club once a week, have a drink with mates, go to work five days a week.”
Another resident, who lives close to Walker Street, said: “This is just a quiet little holiday village where people come to enjoy themselves. This is the last thing you would expect from it.”
Kempsey’s Mayor, Stuart McIntyre, whose shire takes in Crescent Heads, said the shootings were an “absolute disaster” for the close-knit community, which has a population of 1200.
“It has absolutely stunned everybody,” Mr McIntyre said. “It’s one of those things which you think could never happen here.”
NSW Police Commissioner Tony Lauer said he was deeply saddened by the shooting.
“Two young police officers, going about their duties with commitment and dedication, have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting their community,” Mr Lauer said in a statement. “These tragic events remind us of the unforeseen possibilities any police officer can face while performing their duties.”
NSW Police Association secretary Lloyd Taylor described the killings as “bad and a bloody disastrous day in policing”.
“Policing can be at times a mundane, sedentary job but it is also a job in which you can pay with your life,” Mr Taylor said.
He said the association had sent members to Kempsey to help the dead officers’ wives and children cope with the tragedy.
Local National Party MP Bruce Jeffery called for police to be issued with bullet-proof vests or soft body armour for all potentially dangerous situations.
“What has happened has highlighted the degree of danger police can face every day,” he said.
“The potential cost of these vests is a small consideration when you consider they would be protecting lives.”
The deaths of the constables brought the toll of NSW police shot and killed on duty to six in the past 10 years.
In 1986, Sergeant Paul Quinn died of a gunshot wound received on duty at Bathurst; in 1988 probationary Constable Sharon Wilson died after being accidently shot by a colleague at Leeton; in 1989, Constable Alan McQueen died after being shot when he and his partner disturbed a man trying to steal a car in central Sydney; and in 1992 Constable Juan Hernandez died when he accidently shot himself during weapons training at the Redfern Police Complex.
A police spokeswoman said Senior Constables Addison and Spears would be buried this week. The results of McGowan’s post-mortem examination should be released early this week.
Commissioners Valour Award ( VA ) ( Posthumously )
Born: Friday 1 June 1962
Died On: Friday 5 May 1989
Event: Shot – wounded – Murdered
Event location: Woolloomooloo
Event Date: 24 April 1989
Died: 5 May 1989 ( 9 days after event )
Cause: Murdered – shot twice
Age: 26 yrs 11 mths 4 days
Funeral date: 9 May 1989
Funeral location: St Mary’s Anglican Church
Buried at: Cremated. East Ballina Cemetery, McQueen Family Wall, Sec: Niche, Lot # 2
GPS: 28*51’47″S / 153*35’26″E
Memorial: 1/ Yurong Parkway, Phillip Park , Sydney, 2000
GPS: Lat: -33.872583 / Long: 151.213778
2/ Sydney Police Centre, McQueen Room, 151 – 241 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills.
3/ Police Launch McQueen???.
Allan’s touch plate was polished today, this 27th anniversary, 5 May 2016, by a mate, Craig Coleman, at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
ALLAN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
On the morning of 24 April, 1989 Constable McQueen, Constable 1st Class Ross Judd and Probationary Constable Jason Donnelly were patrolling the Woolloomooloo area. All were members of the District Anti-Theft Squad. About 11.35am they saw the offender Porter, apparently attempting to break into a motor vehicle. While Constable Judd parked the police vehicle, Constables McQueen and Donnelly went to speak to the offender. As he was being detained, the offender produced a concealed weapon and shot Constable McQueen twice in the chest and Constable Donnelly in the abdomen. Both constables then chased the offender, who continued firing at them, until both collapsed from their wounds. Constable Ross Judd also pursued and fired at the offender before returning to assist his colleagues. He then carried both wounded constables to the police car and drove them to the Sydney Hospital.
Constable Donnelly was to recover from his wounds however Constable McQueen had sustained extensive internal injuries and died on 5 May, 1989. The offender was later arrested by Queensland Police.
The Canberra Times of 12 July, 1990 reported on the result of the trial of the offender.
CONVICTION IN POLICE DEATH SYDNEY:John Albert Edward Porter has been found guilty of the murder last year of Sydney police constable Allan McQueen. A Supreme Court jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours before finding Porter, 28, guilty of shooting the policeman on April 24 last year. Porter was remanded in custody for sentencing on August 3. The jury also found Porter guilty on one count of shooting with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of shooting to avoid arrest. He was found not guilty on a sixth charge of attempting to murder Constable Jason Donnelly.
Justice Badgery-Parker had directed the jury to find Porter not guilty on the charge of attempting to murder Constable Donnelly. Porter had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Friends and relatives of Constable McQueen sat comforting each other in the public gallery as the verdict was returned. Constable McQueen, 26, died in St Vincent’s Hospital nine days after the April 24 shooting.
The constable was born in 1962 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 27 June, 1987. At the time of his death he was attached to the Sydney District Anti-Theft Squad. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour and the Star of Courage.
Date: 24 August 1989. Memorial unveiled on corner of Haig Ave & Boomerang St, sydney.
November 2013
Constable Allan Wayne McQueen
Constable Allan Wayne McQueen : November 2013
Photographs supplied by Peter F Williams
Memorial erected in memory of Constable Allan James McQueen who was shot in the line of duty and died from his injuries on the 5th May 1989.
On the morning of 24 April 1989, Constable McQueen, Constable 1st Class Ross Judd (MV, BM ), and Probationary Constable Jason Donnelly (MV, BM ) were patrolling the Woolloomooloo area. All were members of the District Anti-Theft Squad. About 11.35am they saw the offender Porter apparently attempting to break into a motor vehicle. While Constable Judd parked the Police vehicle Constables McQueen and Donnelly went to speak to the offender. As he was being detained the offender produced a concealed weapon and shot Constable McQueen twice in the chest and Constable Donnelly in the abdomen. Both Constables then chased the offender who continued firing at them until both collapsed from their wounds. Constable Ross Judd also pursued and fired at the offender before returning to assist his colleagues. He then carried both wounded Constables to the Police car and drove them to the Sydney Hospital. Constable Donnelly was to recover from his wounds however Constable McQueen had sustained extensive internal injuries and died on 5 May 1989. The offender was later arrested by Queensland Police.
Front Inscription
IN MEMORY OF
CONSTABLE
ALLAN WAYNE McQUEEN S.C.,V.A.
AGED 26 YEARS
DIED 5TH MAY 1989 FROM
GUNSHOT WOUNDS RECEIVED
IN THE EXECUTION OF HIS
DUTY AT THIS LOCATION
ON THE 24TH APRIL 1989
Location
Address:
Yurong Parkway, Phillip Park , Sydney, 2000
State:
NSW
Area:
AUS
GPS Coordinates:
Lat: -33.872583
Long: 151.213778 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
By LINDSAY SIMPSON ” Chief Police Reporter As one of “Big Al’s” best mates read a moving eulogy, burly police officers, hats in hands, bowed their heads and cried. Big Al was Constable Allan Wayne McQueen, the well-mannered policeman from Kyogle who died in the line of duty, shot trying to apprehend a suspected car thief in Sydney.
Constable McQueen, who had been in the force two years, had been picked to work with the Anti-theft Squad a training ground for young officers on their way to becoming detectives. Big Al, who spent three years trying to become a police officer, was known by that name “not so much because of his height but because of his heart”, said Cheryl Coleman, whose husband had shared a house with Constable McQueen in Coffs Harbour.
As Senior Constable Steve Tedder, who gave one of the eulogies said, “Big Al had the basic love and desire to become a police officer”. In 1986, while running his own cleaning business in Coffs Harbour, he built his own house and several local police officers became his flatmates. At that stage he had five jobs and was studying at night for his HSC English in an attempt to become a police officer. About this time, before he was even in the force, he saved a man’s life. The man had quarrelled with his girlfriend outside a local night club and had head-butted a pane of glass. The glass had cut his throat and Al tore his shirt off and stemmed the flow of blood while waiting for the ambulance.
Big Al. who trained as a boxer and played Rugby League, was not always the muscle builder he was at the time he joined the force. His former Rugby League coach at Kyogle High School, Mr Stan McBride, said that in the 14-year-old competition he had been the second smallest kid in the group.
Ballina townspeople also came to the funeral service. One local, Mrs Val Studdert, said she had never met Allan McQueen but had come out of respect for what he had done. “If we don’t have law and order, we have nothing,” she said.
The pallbearers wore pistols. Perhaps that’s the way it has to be these days, but they touched the pretty white wooden church in the green countryside with vulgarity. They were big, strong young men and their bulky police uniforms made them bigger, so that when they came to the narrow church door carrying their mate’s coffin, they could barely squeeze through. In any case, the coffin seemed too narrow for a young man as big as Allan McQueen.
Nearly 300 police went to his funeral in Ballina yesterday along with his mother and father, Mr John and Mrs Shirley McQueen, and 300 family and friends. They spilled out of St Mary’s Anglican Church into a church hall, where the service was shown on video, and out of the hall on to the grass, where they listened through loudspeakers.
If we are to still violence, we must cherish life. Yesterday, 26-year-old Allan McQueen’s life was cherished. Today, others will cherish the life of 32-year-old David Gundy, the unarmed man killed in a police raid following Constable McQueen’s mortal wounding. Spring had sung in both men for only a while before life escaped them in violence. Senior Constable Graham White told the mourners that Allan McQueen had been a man of honour, love and integrity and a man whose word could be relied upon. He did not search for riches but for life itself, said Constable White. “Today he would be saying, ‘Let’s get on with it. Let’s not have all this fuss and bother’.”
Detective Senior Constable Steve Tedder said that the day McQueen received the letter of his acceptance into the force, “his face lit up as if Manhattan had lit up”.’ Constable Tedder lived with Constable McQueen in Manly and called his mate “Big Al”. “What a joy he was to live with,” he said. Constable McQueen had made more friends in 18 months in Manly than Constable Tedder had in 28 years.
Colleagues of slain policeman Allan McQueen weep as he is laid to rest in Ballina yesterday. One of his favourite expressions was: “Not a problem“. Another was: “I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” Constable Tedder said it was somehow appropriate that Allan McQueen began his long battle for life on April 24, the day before Anzac Day. That was the day Allan McQueen became a hero. Police Commissioner John Avery said Constable McQueen had exhibited the qualities of a police leader of the future. “His father said it was a waste of a fine young life, and I agree,” said the Commissioner. “His was an unforgettable example of courageous service that will enshrine his name in the annals of the history of NSW.” Mr Avery quoted Virgil: “Blessings on your young courage, boy, for that is the way to the stars.”
Outside the church, a senior policeman said: “There’s a finality to heroism.” Mr Athol McQueen, a cousin and the boxer who knocked down champion Joe Frazier in the 1964 Olympic Games, said: “I hope there are more young blokes around like him.”
” The police band played a funeral march for their colleague, past Sunnyhaven Flats. The open-faced country folk let the tears run down their cheeks. As the cortege passed a place called Camelot, on the way to the Lismore Crematorium and another place called Goonellabah, an old woman stood at the roadside and said : “Poor little fellow.” At the crematorium flowers spelled out the letters NSWP -New South Wales Police on the hillside.
A young policeman picked up a rose and handed it to a young woman. , ‘ Mr John McQueen wipes away a tear as he stands with his wife Shirley at their son’s funeral.
Probationary Constable – appointed 17 January 1986
Constable – appointed 17 January 1987
Final Rank: Constable
Service: From28 October 1985to29 April 1989 = 3+ years Service
Stations: ? ,Balmain ( 8 Division ) – death
Awards: ? nil find on It’s An Honour
Born: Monday 25 April 1960
Event date: Thursday 27 April 1989
Event location: Booth St & Jonston St, Annandale, NSW
Event type: Motor Vehicle Accident – Driver – Caged vehicle – Urgent Duty ( Passenger: Cst Andrew Mortimer )
Died: Saturday 29 April 1989
Age: 29 yrs 4 days ( 4 days into his 29th year )
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland
Buried at: Cremated;
Ashes – Wall of Memories, Panel 30, GG, 0256
John Irving BURGESS
Constable John Irving BURGESS – Touch plate at National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
JOHN IS mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance but the DATE is INCORRECT
Should read 29 April 1989
About 2.25am on 27 April, 1989 Constable Burgess was driving a caged police vehicle in Booth Street, Annandale. Constable Andrew Mortimer was observer in the vehicle and they were responding to an urgent call for assistance from Gaming Squad police. At the intersection of Johnston Street, the police vehicle collided with a semi trailer and deflected onto a power pole. As a result of the accident Constable Andrew Mortimer suffered fractures to his ribs and jaw, and Constable Burgess suffered severe head and internal injuries. Constable Burgess died two days later ( on the 29 April ) at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital when life support systems were turned off.
The constable was born in 1960 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 28 October, 1985. At the time of his death he was stationed at Balmain.
The Canberra Times
Monday 1 May 1989 page 3 of 36
Policeman dies
SYDNEY: A policeman who received severe injuries in a collision involving a police paddy wagon last Thursday died late on Saturday.
Constable John Burgess, 29, received head and chest injuries in the accident between the paddy wagon and a refrigeration truck at Annandale in Sydney’s inner-west, shortly before 2am.
Yesterday I attended Balmain Town Hall for the 30-year memorial service of the tragic death of Constable John Burgess on the 27 April 1989 whom died whilst on duty responding to an urgent call for assistance from Gaming Squad Police.
At the intersection of Johnston Street, Annandale the police vehicle he was driving collided with a semi-trailer and deflected onto a power pole. As a result of the accident Constable Andrew Mortimer suffered fractures to his ribs and jaw, and Constable Burgess suffered severe head and internal injuries. Constable Burgess died about twelve hours later at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
John was one of life’s true gentlemen and one of the nicest blokes I ever had the privilege of knowing. He was an excellent Police Officer, compassionate, empathetic and always willing to help. I’m proud to have called him a mate.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen my old 8 Division buddies and whilst under sad circumstances it was great to see Paul Winfield, Don Stuart, Sean Hampstead and Ron Page and share a few laughs about our time working together in the late ‘80’s.
It was also great to see Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, a friend who gave a very moving and emotional speech about his friendship with John and how missed he is. It was refreshing to hear such a senior officer in the NSW Police share such personal reflections about a fellow officer.
It was a tragic time for Policing back then as a week earlier we also lost Constable Alan McQueen fatally shot whilst on duty. We have lost many other Officers before and after that time confirming how dangerous a job it is.
Whilst I was only in the Police from ‘85-‘90 I still feel a part of the thin blue line brotherhood and yesterday confirmed how friendships forged 30 years ago endure the test of time.
RIP John Burgess. ❤️
Sharon Louise WILSON
| 27/10/2012
Sharon Louise WILSON
late of Uralla, NSW
New South Wales Police Force
Goulburn Academy Class # 236
Regd. # 25???
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on Sunday 8 May 1988 ( aged 19 years, 7 months, 16 days )( spent 2 months, 21 days at Academy )
Probationary Constable – appointed Friday 29 July 1988 ( aged 19 years, 10 months, 7 days )
Stations: Leeton
Awards: ? Nil
Born: Sunday 22 September 1968
Age: 20 years, 2 months, 8 days
Service: 8 May 1988 to 30 November 1988 = 6 months, 22 days Service
Cause of death: Accidentally Shot – by collegue – Service weapon
Location of incident: inside Leeton Police Station
Memorial 1: Memorial Tree planted at NSW Police Academy, Goulburn
Memorial 2: Memorial plate on the front outside wall of Leeton Police Station. Dedication done on 30 November 2015. Photos below.
Sharon Louise WILSON – centre, front row. Class 215
About 2.15pm on 30 November, 1988 Constable Wilson was on duty at the Leeton Police Station when she suffered a severe gunshot wound to the head when another member’s service revolver discharged. Although treated at the scene by colleagues until the ambulance arrived, she passed away at the Wagga Base Hospital at 5.45pm the same day.
The constable was born in 1968 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 9 May, 1988. At the time of her death she was stationed at Leeton.
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
Sharon is mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Alan Cope ( # 23769 ? ) thanks guests for attending. Alan spoke about Sharon Wilson and her short time in Leeton.
Superintendent Mick Rowan # 22980 ? ) with Father Robert offer kind words. — with Robert Patrick Murphy
Superintendent Mick Rowan unveiled the new memorial plaque.
Alan Cope closes the ceremony. Monday 30 November 2015
Dedicated: Monday 30 November 2015
2 December 1988
“CHARGES POSSIBLE OVER SHOOTING
SYDNEY: The NSW Police Commissioner, John Avery, will decide whether charges should be laid against a constable allegedly involved in the shooting death of her 20 year-old colleague on Wednesday.
A police spokesman said yesterday a team of detectives was waiting to interview the young officer over the death of policewoman Sharon Wilson at the Leeton Police Station, in the state’s Riverina district.
He said results of the investigation would be forwarded to Mr Avery for consideration.
A police spokesman said the detectives — including two from Sydney’s Internal Affairs department, two from homicide, a ballistics expert and a police psychologist — were waiting to talk to the 19-year-old constable.
Probationary Constable Wilson was shot in the head by one bullet from a service revolver while on duty at Leeton Police Station, at 2.15pm on Wednesday.
She was rushed to Wagga Base Hospital, but died 3 1/2 hours later.
The policewoman awaiting questioning had been treated for shock and was being cared for by friends and welfare personnel, the spokesman said.
Detectives hoped to talk with her last night.
Miss Wilson, of Uralla, in the Northern Tablelands, was well known in the small community. She was regarded as a fine athlete and her 188cm frame was well known in the local basketball league.
Miss Wilson was studying visual arts at the Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education in Wagga.
Her body will be transported to her home at Uralla, where a funeral will be held at 1pm on Monday.”
SYDNEY: Junior police officers could be made to leave their guns at work after a young constable accidentally killed his best friend while cleaning his service revolver at home on Monday.
An internal police investigation into the shooting would look at the controls on probationary constables’ possession of weapons, the NSW Minister for Police, Ted Pickering, said yesterday.
Constable Andrew Pearce, 20, was cleaning his .38 service revolver in the bedroom of his Greystanes home in Sydney’s west at noon on Monday when the gun discharged and hit his friend Andrew James McDonald in the chest.
Mr McDonald, a 20-year-old bank teller from Greystanes, died an hour later in Westmead Hospital.
The incident was the second fatal shooting by a probationary constable in the past four months.
Last November Probationary Constable Sheree Schneider, 19, ( ProCst # 60370 ) accidentally shot Constable Sharon Wilson in the head at Leeton police station in the Riverina region. The young constable now faces a manslaughter charge.
Acting Police Commissioner Angus Graham refused yesterday to comment on Monday’s shooting and was unable to say whether Constable Pearce, an officer with one year’s service, would be charged over the incident.
He said the fatal shooting was the subject of a full investigation by the police’s Internal Affairs Department.
“When we have these incidents we always review our arrangements,” he said.
A policewoman fatally wounded a colleague with a shot from her service revolver which she believed was empty, the Leeton Local Court, in south-west NSW, heard yesterday.
Sheree Ann Schneider ( ProCst # 60370 ), 20, of Pine Avenue, Leeton was charged with the manslaughter of Constable Sharon Louise Wilson, 20, at Leeton Police Station on November 30 last year.
Constable Wilson died of head injuries at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital as a result of the shooting.
Constable Harvey McRae told the court that he was sitting at a computer terminal when he heard the firing pin of a police revolver strike the empty chamber. Constable Wilson had said, “Oh God, don’t do that. You scared the living daylights out of me”.
He said Schneider pointed the revolver toward Constable Wilson and said: “No, it’s empty, see?” The gun then discharged.
Schneider said she went into the sergeant’s office and re-loaded her gun. The court heard that four live bullets and one spent one were later removed from the revolver.
ALBURY: A policewoman who fatally shot a colleague has been cleared of manslaughter after a hearing in the Albury District Court. Sheree Ann Schneider, 20, of Pine Ave, Leeton, was charged with the manslaughter of Sharon Louise Wilson, 20, of Leeton, who died from injuries received in the shooting.
Constable Wilson was shot in the head while speaking on the telephone in the communications room of Leeton police station on November 30 last year.
Miss Schneider gave evidence at the committal hearing on Friday.
She said she had gone to the sergeant’s office where she had unloaded her special issue five-shot .38 service revolver. She told the court she was sure five bullets had fallen from the revolver’s cylinder and into her hand.
Miss Schneider said she had left the bullets in the office and returned to the inquiry counter area.
Thinking the gun was empty, she “dry fired” it.
Miss Schneider said Constable Wilson had become frightened and said: “Oh God, don’t do that. You scared the living daylights out of me.”
She had said to Constable Wilson: “No, it’s empty, see” and then pulled the trigger “to reassure her she had nothing to worry about.” The gun had discharged.
Asked by her counsel, Mr John Dailly, what she had thought when the gun discharged, she said: “I couldn’t believe it! I was sure I had counted five bullets.”
It was not until she had returned to the sergeant’s office that she realised she had made a mistake.
Although Miss Wilson had been shot, Miss Schneider said she was unaware at the time the gun had been pointing at her colleague.
Miss Schneider said she had returned to help Miss Wilson, who lay on the floor bleeding profusely from a wound to the left temple.
She said she placed both hands over the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
The court was told Miss Schneider had received 200 minutes pistol training at the police academy and had been issued with the smaller five-shot revolver after failing her first shoot with the larger six shot model.
Mr Dailly said the shooting had been an accident.
“It was totally unintended, unexpected and unforeseen,” he said.
In discharging Miss Schneider, Magistrate Barry Wooldridge said she had made a “great mistake” when counting the bullets. But the fact remained that there was no intent on Miss Schneider‘s part, no animosity between the two and no evidence she had deliberately pointed the gun at Constable Wilson.
SYDNEY: The Director of Public Prosecutions said yesterday he would review a magistrate’s decision to dismiss a manslaughter charge against a police woman who shot dead a fellow officer.
The director, Reg Blanch, QC, said he would direct Constable Sheree Schneider to stand trial if he found that Leeton Magistrate Barry Wooldridge had made an error in judgement.
Constable Schneider, 20, shot dead Sharon Wilson, also 20, with a service revolver at Leeton police station on November 30. She said she thought the revolver was empty.
Mr Blanch said he would make a decision in four to eight weeks. Constable Schneider, suspended with pay, was to answer a charge on August 31 of using a firearm with disregard for safety.
Schneider Case
In New South Wales, at Leeton police station on 30-Nov-1988, a junior policewoman produced a pistol and shot dead another officer. Sheree Ann Schneider claimed it was an accident. Satisfied the pistol was unloaded, she pulled the trigger without looking where the gun was pointed. The charge of Felonious Assault was dismissed in the lower court on 28th July 1989 under section 41 (vi) – the presiding officer ruled that no jury would convict. Use Of A Firearm In Disregard For Another Persons Safety was dismissed on 27th April 1990. The female did not even lose her job, presumably her fellow officers hope she will be more careful in future.
Court Ignores Duty
It is axiomatic with all weapons training that they never be pointed at anyone unless they are intended to be used —even in jest. Deliberately pulling the trigger without looking where the .38 pistol was pointed was criminal irresponsibility. Sharon Wilson was killed as the result of criminal negligence; a failure that should not be tolerated from any citizen, much less a police officer. Not knowing the gun was loaded is no excuse for anyone, least of all a trained professional. For the courts to fail to penalise this action is to commit more crimes; the denial of the importance of duty and the magnitude of taking a life.
The Law Repeats The Role Of Indulgent Parents
Schneider escaped penalty by adopting the infantile excuse that she was merely the hapless victim of the inadequate police weapons training program; that this was accepted by the authorities is not an aberration. Trial for murder is no longer a matter of resolving fact; it has become a re-enactment of the spoilt child caught by their indulgent parents; if the miscreant can deflect blame while generating sympathy then all is forgiven.
On 1 September, 1986 Sergeant Jennings was at home at the police residence attached to the West Wallsend Police Station. While he was mowing the lawns (one of his duties) he suffered a fatal heart attack.
The sergeant was born in 18 September 1944 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 22 February, 1965. At the time of his death he was stationed at West Wallsend.
National Police Remembrance Day ceremony in Lake Macquarie
David Stewart
September 29 2017 – 4:27PM
POLICE from Lake Macquarie Local Area Command have unveiled plans for a memorial wall at Belmont to honour the seven local officerskilled in the line of duty since 1863.
Plaques commemorating the seven officers were dedicated to the wall in a ceremony at Belmont police stationthis afternoon, National Police Remembrance Day.
Chief Inspector Murray Lundberg of Lake Macquarie LAC presided over a private ceremony attended by police, local high school students, and the families of the fallen officers.
“This is a time for reflection on the ultimate sacrifice that police officers can give in the execution of their duty,” Chief Inspector Lundberg said.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree, the Northern Region Commander, said the wall of remembrance, to be created on the distinctive blue wall at the entrance to the police station, would be striking.
“It will be a sight to treasure,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Greentree said.
“I want the officers, as they are walking out the front doors of this police station, to stop and reflect on the names, stop and reflect on the sacrifice.”
He said he hoped that the inaugural plaques to be installed on the wall were also the last.
“My dream is that we never, ever, add another name to this wall. I hope and pray that our wall is now complete.”
Acting Assistant Commissioner Greentree reached out to the families of the fallen officers.
“No commemoration or recognition can make good the loss that is unfairly carried by family members,” he said.
“I can only offer you my heartfelt condolences. Please know that your loved ones, who are no longer with us, will always be remembered.”
Across NSW, ceremonies were held to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the 269 officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and through injury or illness, since the formation of the NSW Police Force in 1862.
Paul Mitchell QUINN
| 27/10/2012
Paul Mitchell QUINN
New South Wales Police Force
Redfern Police Academy Class # started with 156 – may have ended with 163
Cadet #: 3358
Regd. # 18605
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commenced Training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 4 July 1977 ( aged 17 years, 1 months, 28 day )
Probationary Constable – appointed 29 May 1979 ( aged 19 years )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Constable 1st Class – appointed 29 May 1984
Final Rank: Constable 1st Class – posthumously promoted to Sergeant 3rd Class
Stations: Casino & Bathurst – Death
Service: From 4 July 1977 to 30 March 1986 = 8 years, 8 months, 26 days
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: Sunday 29 May 1960
Died on: Wednesday 30 March 1986
Cause: Murdered. Shot through neck during arrest
Event location: , Perthville, NSW
Age: 25 years, 10 months, 1 day
Funeral Date: ?
Funeral Location: ?
Buried at: ?
Grave location: Maranatha, Sec: Mar2, Row: A, Grave: 112
Memorials: 1/ Chifley LAC has the ‘ Paul Quinn Award ‘ for the most outstanding Officer each year. Paul is Remembered within the Chifley LAC.
2/ Paul Mitchell Quinn – stone monument near the murder scene
3/ Mt Panorama ( Bathurst ) Police Compound – dedicated to Sgt Paul Quinn
Paul Mitchell Quinn – monument near the murder scene
Paul Mitchell Quinn – murder scene
Police Wall of Remembrance – touch plate for Paul Mitchell QUINN – Canberra
Dubbo Photo News, page 3, Oct 6 – 12, 2016
Late in the afternoon of 30 March, 1986 Constable 1st Class Quinn was involved in the high speed pursuit of a vehicle from South Bathurst towards Perthville.
At Perthville the offender lost control of the vehicle and collided with a bridge railing at the intersection of Bridge Street.
The offender then leapt from the vehicle with a .303 rifle and began to fire at the police who had been chasing him.
Constable Quinn was hit in the neck and killed instantly and Constable Ian Borland was seriously wounded.
The offender, Horan, was shot several times by police before being arrested and charged.
Fortunately Constable Borland recovered from his injuries. Constable Quinn was posthumously promoted to Sergeant 3rd Class.
The sergeant was born in 1960 and joined the New South Wales Police Force as a Cadet on 4 July, 1977. At the time of his death he was stationed at Bathurst.
Other Police who assisted with this incident at the time of the shots being fired were Senior Constable John Andrew BYERS BM.
Chifley LAC has the ‘ Paul Quinn Award ‘ for the most outstanding Officer each year. Paul is Remembered within the Chifley LAC.
Childhood pain relived as policeman’s killer poised for release
January 14, 2004
The day Constable First Class Paul Quinn was buried with full police honours, his daughter Rebecca turned four. After a funeral that closed streets in the policeman’s home town of Bathurst, his five-year-old son, Chris, was still asking relatives when Daddy would be coming home.
Lost innocence . . . Chris and Rebecca Quinn aged five and four.
Yesterday the siblings sat together in distress again as the man who killed their sole-parent father was declared ready to return to the community after serving almost 18 years in jail.
Chris has had trouble with the law, but has shown talent as a lightweight boxer. Rebecca runs a coffee shop and turns 22 in a couple of months.
Supporting them was Inspector Ian Borland, who was seriously wounded the day Constable Quinn was killed and still works in Bathurst near where the pair encountered Patrick Francis Horan on Easter Sunday 1986.
The policeman and the Quinn siblings had been told Horan would be granted parole at his third attempt, but the decision moved Chris to climb over the public gallery and storm out the Hospital Road courtroom door.
Weeping outside, he was embraced by Inspector Borland, who still has bullet fragments in his body.
Inspector Borland, the Quinns and the NSW Police Association wanted to keep Horan, 63, locked up until he was dead.
John Watts, for Inspector Borland and the Quinns, had argued that Horan‘s lack of insight into his psychiatric problems and his refusal to acknowledge he had been the aggressor when Constable Quinn was killed made a “potent mix”.
But the Parole Board found Horan, a paranoid schizophrenic, was unlikely to pose a risk to others if he took his medication and that “the jail system is not a substitute for the treatment of people suffering from mental illness”.
Horan‘s prison behaviour had been exemplary and he successfully completed unsupervised work release. He had the family support of a brother and was engaged in “the admirable hobby of bee-keeping”, the board found.
Horan had not been taking his medication when his mother called police about his erratic and violent behaviour on the afternoon of March 30, 1986. One of the officers to respond to the call was Constable Quinn, then 25 and on duty at Bathurst for only his fifth shift since being transferred from Casino, to be near his parents.
After a pursuit that ended 10 kilometres south of Bathurst at Perthville, Constable Quinn got out of his car and ran towards Horan, who shot him in the left clavicle with a .303-calibre rifle.
The officer’s colleagues returned fire as Horan adopted what he described as a Rambo position and emptied the 10-round magazine in his .303.
Constable Borland, then 36, was shot in both legs and a hand, while Horan, who was hit by at least seven of 18 shots fired by police, continued shooting at five other officers.
Constable Quinn was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
In the Supreme Court sitting at Bathurst, Horan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental illness.
Justice Kep Enderby sentenced him to life, with separate terms for wounding with intent to murder Constable Borland and shooting with intent to murder other police.
In March 1998 Justice Peter Hidden set a minimum term of 16 years, which expired in 2002, and a maximum of 22. The crown did not appeal.
Horan will be released next Wednesday, under conditions that include his accepting psychiatric treatment and not entering Chifley Local Area Command, where Inspector Borland works.
ANOTHER LIFE LOST: Chifley Local Area Command Acting Inspector Lionel White ( # 24873 ) said police in Bathurst have been personally affected by the death of Constable William Crews in Sydney on Wednesday night. Photo: BRENDAN ARROW 091010
POLICE in the ChifleyLocal Area Command have been personally affected by the death of trainee detective William Crews.
The 26-year-old died in a Sydney hospital after he was shot while carrying out a drug operation on Wednesday night with seven other officers from the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad in Bankstown, in Sydney’s south-west.
The officers were fired upon outside the targeted property in Cairds Avenue about 9pm. Constable Crews was hit in the head and neck.
Philip Nguyen, 55, has since been charged with shooting with intent to murder and discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Geehad Ghazi, 27, has been charged with possession of an unauthorised firearm.
Yesterday, Acting Inspector Lionel White said the tragic situation in Sydney had personally impacted on a number of officers who knew Constable Crews.
“It is a very shocking situation, a couple of the officers here at the Bathurst Police Station knew him and have been left very upset by the situation,” he said.
“Some of the officers worked with him and trained with him before he became a detective.
“For those officers, we are offering them support and counselling during this tough time.”
Reminding people of those officers who lost their lives in the Bathurst area in the line of duty is a memorial board naming the 13 policemen who have died in the line of duty.
Since Trooper Robert Lovell McDougall died in 1853 near Sofala, 12 officers have fallen in the line of duty in Bathurst area with Sergeant Paul Mitchell Quinn the last, on the March 30, 1986.
Acting Inspector White said the latest death in Sydney brought to the forefront the difficult circumstances that police can find themselves in daily.
“On top of the very mundane things we do every day this is a stark reminder of the dangers police officers can face while in the front line,” he said. “This very much reminded us of the risk officers sometimes have to take while in the line of duty.
The State government has logged objections to Patrick Horan a NSW prisoner’s planned release, convicted of the manslaughter of a police officer and seriously wounding another. Justice Minister John Hatzistergos says the NSW Parole Board intends to grant parole to Patrick Francis Horan, who committed the crimes near Bathurst in NSW’s central west in 1986.
Horan‘s 22-year sentence expires on March the 29th, 2008 but his 16-year non-parole period lapsed on March the 29th last year. Hatzistergos says he’s discussed the matter with Police Minister John Watkins, who he says is also shocked at the board’s intention to release Horan.
In relation to convicted offenders:
(1) What is the status of attempts by Patrick Francis Horan, who killed one police officer and wounded another, to obtain parole?
(2) What action have you taken to ensure that Patrick Francis Horan remains in jail?
Answer—
(1) I am advised by NSW Police that the review hearing on Mr Horan‘s application for parole has been adjourned by the Parole Board until 13 November 2003 pending reports from Corrective Services Health and the Serious Offender’s Review Board.
(2) I have expressed my concerns in writing to the Parole Board in relation to the release of Mr Horan.
Free… but banned from Bathurst By Brooke Newstead Jan. 14, 2004, 6:38 a.m.
POLICE killer Patrick Francis Horan will walk free next week.
However, he will not be allowed to return to Bathurst for at least five years.
The NSW Parole Board yesterday granted Horan full parole with the condition that he is not to enter the Chifley Local Area Command district.
His release date is set for January 21 and he will remain on parole for five years.
Horan was originally sentenced to life plus 125 years after shooting dead Bathurst police officer Sergeant Paul Quinn and injuring then Senior Constable Ian Borland at Perthville in 1986.
On November 13, 2003, he was granted day release and after being released for just seven day-release days since that date, he will now be allowed to fully integrate back into the community.
Subsequent conditions imposed by the Parole Board state Horan must undergo regular psychiatric assessment and counselling.
He is also never to approach any of the victims of the fateful night during which he shot dead Sergeant Quinn.
A prisoner advocacy group has welcomed news convicted police killer Patrick Francis Horan will walk free in a week.
Horan, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, has served the minimum 16-years sentence for the manslaughter of Bathurst police officer Sergeant Paul Quinn and the wounding of his partner, Inspector Ian Borland.
The New South Wales Government has criticised the granting of parole and promised to reform the composition of the parole board.
But a spokesman for Justice Action, Brett Collins, says it was obvious 17 years ago the man had mental health problems and his case needed special treatment.
“Instead we have a tragic situation where we have a policeman killed and another one disabled,” he said.
“Now for the police to actually present themselves at this stage as vengeful, as angry … when it’s clearly a mental health issue, one which requires compassion and requires understanding, it’s a shame.
“It’s not what we should expect from the police force and we certainly should expect better than that from the State Government.”
Mr Collins says it is important in this case to listen to the experts.
“So if you don’t listen to them and if in fact you still at the end of it as a government or as a police association are still saying at the end of it we are still angry, we still have hate, we want vengeance then that’s a misleading situation,” he said.
“We should accept the fact that the institution is there for the purpose of making a decision and accept the judgment of the umpire and give support to them.”
Horan is to be released next Wednesday on the condition he does not enter the Chifley local area command where Inspector Ian Borland works, for the next five years.
It is expected convicted police killer Patrick Francis Horan will issue a statement this afternoon after being released from Sydney’s Long Bay Jail.
Horan shot and killed Sergeant Paul Quinn during an incident in the State’s central west 17 years ago.
He served his minimum of 16 years in jail for killing Sergeant Quinn and injuring then Senior Constable Ian Borland outside of Bathurst in 1986.
Horan fired at police with a rifle after a high-speed car chase.
Corrective Services says Horan will read a statement to the media at the jail’s boomgate, just after his release at 3:00pm AEDT today.
The department cannot say where Horan will be moving, or what possible security arrangements have been made on his behalf.
The parole board has ruled that Horan will not be able to return to the Chifley local area command, where surviving officer Inspector Boland is still serving.
The board says Horan is not a danger to the public, provided he takes regular medication to treat his paranoid schizophrenia.
PROUD MOMENT: The parents of the late Sergeant Paul Quinn, Brian and Barbara, with the inaugural winner of the Paul Quinn Award, Acting Sergeant John Gallop ( # 35307 ). Photo: BRIAN WOOD 051712
SERGEANT Paul Quinn epitomised everything a police officer should be and yesterday the inaugural award named in his honour was presented at the Chifley Local Area Command’s medal ceremony.
Sergeant Quinn made the ultimate sacrifice when, on March 30, 1986, he was shot in the line of duty trying to arrest Patrick Francis Horan at Perthville.
Sergeant Quinn’s parents, Brian and Barbara, attended the ceremony, with Mrs Quinn presenting the recipient, Acting Sergeant John Gallop ( # 35307 ), with the prestigious award.
Local Area Commander, Superintendent Michael Robinson ( # 24785 ) said he approached the Quinn family with the idea of a perpetual award, after marking the 25th anniversary of Sergeant Quinn’s death last year.
“With the consent of Brian and Barbara, the Chifley Local Area Command has introduced a new award – the Paul Quinn Memorial Officer of the Year Award,” he said.
“It is a prestigious award which from now on will be a permanent part of the history of this command.”
Supt Robinson said what will make this award so special is the fact it will be awarded to an officer who has been nominated by his or her colleagues.
He said the award will focus on the officer who continually achieves; the person who epitomises the traits of excellence in policing.
“It’s not about a single effort – the best job, the most difficult or dangerous job,” Supt Robinson said
“This award targets officers who consistently perform to a high level; the officer who gets the job done, who goes the extra yard for the good of the community whether it’s for victims, witnesses, hunting down offenders or proactively engaging in the workplace.”
Presenting the award, Mrs Quinn described the day as both “proud and sad”.
“It never goes away,” she said.
Recipient, Acting Sergeant John Gallop said he was humbled by the award.
“It’s a massive honour to be judged by your peers,” he said.
“But I can’t help feel there are people more deserving,” he said.
Horan was released by the Parole Board on the evidence of a social worker who’s evidence was preferred over a forensic psychiatrist and Ron Woodham, who the Judge described as a public servant when dismissing his forty years experience dealing with the worst of the worst.
As the social worker approached the witness box to give evidence she stopped, hugged and kissed Horan. She has five years experience with Corrective Services.
There were six QC‘s representing many people including the Commissioner of Police, Corrective Services Commissioner, The Justice Minister, Attorney General, the Premiers Department, Ian Borland and Paul’s kids. All those representations were completely ignored in favour of her evidence.
Even worse, the Commissioner of Police’s representative on the Board voted to let him out. He went along with the unanimous decision of the Board.
To his good credit John Hatszistigos got rid of the Judge the next day.
Decision was unable to be reversed, C.O.P. did nothing about his representative as he is independent of the Commissioner?
Horan served nineteen years of a cumulative sentence of life plus a hundred and twenty seven years.
Hi Greg, just a quick note on the great work that you and your pages do, and that of the Wall to Wall Ride.
You keep the memories of those we have lost, very much alive.
On the Wall ride, all the individual groups and sometimes the whole ride, travel to places where our kin have lost their lives, and stop or salute to remember them.
Kudos to NSW for the great job they do on the memorials on the highway, and congratulations to ACT for the best procession on record.
Even a far away place like Perthville near Bathurst was visited and a token of remembrance 30 years on, was placed and left.
Remembrance is not a burden, its an obligation you can choose to carry… Lest we forget!
