The Heirs of Owain Glyndwr

by Peter Murphy

  ‘Had Trevor said anything about driving Dai Bach to Bangor?’

  ‘No, not a word. If he was going to do that, he would have to come back home to pick up the car, and I would have expected him to look in and tell me where he was going. I looked outside and the car was there, so I knew Trevor hadn’t taken it.’

  ‘Were you worried at that point?’

  ‘I wasn’t worried, exactly. I just didn’t know what was happening. I thought there had probably been some mix up over the time, but I didn’t have any way to contact Trevor.’

  ‘What did you decide to do?’

  ‘Dai Bach sounded very anxious, for some reason. It seemed strange to me. It wasn’t that he was going away for a few days. As I say, a lot of people were doing that. It was more his tone of voice. Anyway, since he sounded a bit upset, I thought the simplest thing would be to drive him myself. It’s not that far to Bangor. I knew I could take him over there, pick up the suitcase, and drop him off in the Maes within the hour, if the traffic wasn’t too bad and there were no police roadblocks. We weren’t expecting the police to close the town centre to traffic until later in the morning.’

  ‘And did you do that?’

  ‘Yes. I woke Harri and put him in his seat in the back of the car with a couple of toys, and drove to the Maes. Dai Bach had asked me to meet him outside the Castle Hotel, which I did.’

  ‘Did you ask him about what was going on?’

  ‘Yes. I asked him where Trevor was. He said he didn’t know. He said they had got separated during the demo. He was expecting Trevor to meet him with the car, but he never came. Beyond that he didn’t say that much at all.’

  ‘Were you worried by now?’

  ‘I’m not sure I would say worried. I did sense that something was not quite right. I did wonder what had happened to Trevor, but I wasn’t really worried about him. Trevor can look after himself. I was mostly concerned for Dai Bach. He was on edge, quite agitated. That’s not unusual in itself for Dai Bach, but this was different.’

  ‘Did you drive to Bangor?’

  ‘Yes. But that was another surprise. We drove to Bangor, but not to his house. Instead, he directed me to a garage.’

  ‘Before he directed you, did you know where the garage was?’

  ‘No. I had never been to that street before.’

  ‘Did you ask him about why he wanted to go to the garage?’

  ‘Yes. He said he used it for storage, and that was where he had left his suitcase.’

  ‘Did you think anything about that?’

  ‘Again, it seemed a bit odd. But by that time, I had had enough. I just wanted to take him back to Caernarfon and go home. Harri was awake again by the time we got to Bangor, and he wasn’t happy about not being in bed, so I was trying to calm him down as well as concentrating on driving.’

  ‘Did you see the suitcase when Dai Bach collected it from the garage?’

  ‘No. I was turning round to attend to Harri. I was aware that he was putting the suitcase in the boot, and I saw him slam the boot door shut. Then he got back into the car and we drove back to Caernarfon. I’m not sure we said another word until we arrived back.’

  ‘Where did you drop him?’

  ‘When I turned off the Bangor Road towards the Maes, he asked me to turn down New Street, and we stopped just before the corner of Chapel Street.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  She did not respond for some time.

  ‘You will have to excuse me,’ she said. ‘I’m not feeling well. Could we stop for a while?’

  Ben looked up at Mr Justice Overton, who nodded.

  ‘We will rise for lunch,’ he said. ‘Two o’clock, members of the jury, please. Mrs Hughes, you know that you are not allowed to speak to your counsel or solicitors until you have finished giving evidence?’

  She nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Very well. Two o’clock.’

  ‘She will be all right,’ Eifion said, as they left court. ‘It’s just that you’re getting to the really painful part now. Her memory still has gaps, and it really hurts her to talk about it. But she’s a strong girl. She will get through it.’

  ‘I hope you’re right,’ Ben replied.

  65

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ Ben asked, once Arianwen had returned to the witness box. ‘Are you all right to continue?’

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied. ‘I am ready.’

  ‘Before lunch, you told us you stopped in New Street near the corner with Chapel Street. What happened then?’

  ‘Dai Bach had said that was where he was meeting his friend. Then, quite suddenly, he got out of the car, closed the door, and started walking down New Street towards Chapel Street. He walked across Chapel Street and then a short distance further down New Street. And then…’

  She had closed her eyes and taken a deep breath.

  ‘Take your time.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m afraid my memory of all this is just bits and pieces. It was so horrible for me, and it all happened so quickly, and I can’t always remember…’

  ‘Take your time. Tell us as much as you can remember.’

  ‘I saw Dai Bach coming back towards me, and I saw that he was with another man. I didn’t see where the other man came from. I assumed it must be his friend, and I remember thinking: “Thank God for that”, because I was anxious to take Harri home and go home myself. And then…’

  This time Ben waited, and she recovered her composure.

  ‘And then, I looked again and I saw that the other man was Caradog. They began walking back across Chapel Street towards me.’

  ‘What did you think about that?’

  ‘I was totally confused. I didn’t know why Caradog would be there. He was supposed to be working. I still didn’t know where Trevor was. I switched the ignition off, and I was going to get out of the car. But then I saw that Caradog was in a real state. He was shouting at Dai Bach, and Dai Bach was trying to get a word in edgeways and couldn’t. You could tell from the way they were behaving, walking very quickly, flinging their arms all over the place.’

  ‘Were you able to hear what either of them said?’

  ‘No. By the time they were close enough for me to hear they had stopped talking. They made straight for the rear of the car. I got out and walked around the car to join them.’

  ‘What did you see?’

  ‘Dai Bach had opened the boot. There was something covered with an old blanket I kept in there. He took the blanket away and I saw a metal case of some kind. He opened it, and I saw…’

  ‘Take your time.’

  ‘I saw inside the case, and there was what looked like an alarm clock and strands of electrical wire, and what looked like sticks of dynamite. That was as much as I saw.’

  ‘Did you say anything?’

  ‘I tried, but I was speechless. Literally. I was staring at Caradog and Dai Bach, open-mouthed, and I couldn’t find any words.’

  ‘Why do you think that was?’

  ‘I was in shock. And I’ve been in shock ever since that moment. I haven’t been able to get over it.’

  ‘What happened next?’

  She shook her head. ‘As best as I can remember a man appeared from nowhere, and put Caradog up against the back of the car, and another man came and did the same to Dai Bach. I still couldn’t speak. Then from nowhere a man came and dragged me around to the rear door on the passenger side, and slammed me up against the side of the car. It winded me, took my breath away. Then I felt him pull my hands behind my back and I felt him putting handcuffs on me. I was aware of a lot of shouting going on.’

  ‘You know, of course, that the men were police officers?’

  ‘I know that now. At the time I had no idea what was happening.’

  ‘Do you remember anything in particular that was being shouted?’ />
  ‘Just fragments. I am sure I heard someone shout about a bomb, and someone else was shouting that they had to evacuate the area. I can’t remember any more. I was totally confused.’

  ‘Were you aware that you were being arrested?’

  ‘On some level, I suppose I was, but as I say, nothing was making sense.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘The man who had put me up against the car was trying to drag me away, and it was then that I remembered I had Harri in the car. That’s what brought me back to my senses, I think. I screamed at him, but he didn’t seem to understand at first. After two or three attempts, he reacted. He shouted at the other men that there was a child in the car. He took my handcuffs off and told me to stay where I was. He went around and took Harri from the car, and told me to follow him, which I did.’

  Ben paused.

  ‘Mrs Hughes, before you went round to the back of the car to see what Caradog and Dai Bach were doing, did you have any idea of what was in the boot of your car?’

  She sobbed.

  ‘No. Of course not.’

  ‘If you had known what Dai Bach was putting into the boot while you were at the garage in Bangor, would you have agreed to carry it?’

  She suddenly looked up and stared Ben full in the face.

  ‘Would I have helped him to take a bomb to Caernarfon Castle? No. No. I can’t believe I have to answer the question.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I have to ask…’

  ‘No. And even if I had the inclination, would I do it with my child in the car? Do I seriously have to answer this? What kind of person do you think I am?’

  She was almost shouting now.

  ‘I have to ask.’

  ‘No. I can’t believe this is happening to me. It can’t be real. I want my son back.’

  She began to sob violently. Ben waited for some time before turning to the judge.

  ‘My Lord, I wonder whether your Lordship would allow me to continue tomorrow morning? Mrs Hughes is obviously very distressed.’

  ‘We are proceeding at a rather slow pace, Mr Schroeder.’

  ‘Yes, my Lord, but I don’t have very much left, and I would prefer to allow Mrs Hughes some time to recover rather than rush her when she is distressed. We have made good progress in the trial as a whole.’

  ‘Yes, very well,’ the judge replied reluctantly.

  ‘I am most obliged to your Lordship.’

  ‘I thought she did rather well,’ Gareth commented, as they gathered up their papers for the day.

  ‘I can never tell when I’m on my feet,’ Ben replied. ‘She didn’t do Dai Bach any harm, did she?’

  Gareth shook his head.

  ‘No, not at all. Incidentally, I thought I would open the bowling myself tomorrow morning once you’ve finished with her.’

  Ben looked at him blankly.

  ‘I didn’t know you had anything to ask her.’

  ‘I don’t really,’ Gareth replied. ‘But I thought I might start her off with an underarm delivery. Might help a bit.’

  66

  Tuesday 12 May 1970

  Court had assembled and Arianwen had returned to the witness box. She looked composed, and had put on a smart new pale orange cotton dress. Ben eyed her anxiously for any tell-tale signs of distress.

  ‘Mrs Hughes, yesterday afternoon I was asking you about your arrest. I must now come to the time when you were at the police station. I know this will be difficult for you, and I will take it as shortly as I can.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she replied.

  ‘Were you taken by car to the police station?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It’s not very far, of course. Was Harri with you?’

  ‘Yes. Once we were in the car, the officer allowed me to travel with Harri sitting in my lap.’

  ‘Please tell my Lord and the jury what happened when you arrived at the police station.’

  She held her head in her hands silently for some time.

  ‘I got out of the car with Harri, and I remember walking with him into the police station, holding hands. And then suddenly, this woman police officer, a uniformed officer, just came and yanked Harri’s hand out of mine. She started to take him away. Just like that, without a word. I couldn’t even say goodbye, or say something to tell him that it would be all right. She just grabbed him and took him off. Harri was screaming and calling for me…’

  She started to cry.

  ‘Take your time,’ Ben said.

  ‘That made me start to scream,’ she continued. ‘I was screaming at them to bring Harri back, and I was trying to go after them, but there were two male officers holding me back. They more or less dragged me, still screaming, to a cell, threw me inside, and slammed the door. I fell on the floor quite heavily. I noticed the following day that I had some bruising on my thigh, though I didn’t feel any pain at the time. I was too upset.’

  ‘What happened next?’

  ‘Some time later – I don’t really know how long – two plain clothes officers came into my cell with a female officer in uniform.’

  ‘Did you know who they were at the time?’

  ‘I am sure they introduced themselves, but I could hardly concentrate on anything for thinking about Harri.’

  ‘Was the female officer WPC Marsh, who gave evidence to the jury?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Was she the officer who took Harri away?’

  ‘No. That was someone else. WPC Marsh was very polite to me, very proper.’

  ‘Do you now know that the male officers were DCI Grainger and DS Scripps?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And how did they behave towards you?’

  She began to cry again.

  ‘They were shouting and carrying on, demanding to know where Trevor was. I didn’t know, so I couldn’t answer their questions, but they wouldn’t believe me. They went on and on.’

  ‘Did they say anything in particular that distressed you?’

  ‘Yes. They told me that I would never see Harri again unless I told them where Trevor was. They said that they had the power to keep him from me, that he would be put in a foster home until he grew up. On the other hand, if I cooperated, they would put in a good word with the court, and I might be able to see him and have him back one day.’

  ‘Do you remember anything that was said specifically?’

  ‘Yes. I remember the younger officer…’

  ‘DS Scripps?’

  ‘Yes. I remember him saying that they would lock me up and I would be lucky to get out in time for Harri’s silver wedding anniversary.’

  ‘This may be obvious to the jury, but how did that make you feel?’

  She sat silently, shaking her head for some time.

  ‘I lost my mind. I was beside myself. I remember screaming and even jumping at Mr Grainger at one point. Then, when he pushed me away, I just curled up on the floor and wailed and wailed, begging them for pity, asking them why they wouldn’t believe me.’

  ‘How did WPC Marsh behave during this time?’

  ‘She was very upset by it all. She was trying to get them to stop, but of course, they wouldn’t listen to her. She did her best to comfort me.’

  Ben paused.

  ‘You later made a written statement under caution, which the jury have. Is what you said in that statement the truth?’

  ‘Yes, it is.’

  ‘Do you stand by it today?’

  ‘Yes. I do.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Hughes,’ Ben said. ‘There will be some further questions for you.

  ‘Yes, Mr Roberts,’ the judge was saying.

  Gareth stood.

  ‘My Lord, if I may…’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mr Morgan-Davies. I hadn’t anticipated that you would have anything for this witness.�
��

  ‘One very brief matter, my Lord. Mrs Hughes, Dafydd Prosser accepts that you knew nothing about any plan there might have been to cause explosions. But…’

  ‘Oh, really,’ Evan Roberts said loudly, springing to his feet. ‘That is entirely improper. My learned friend is not asking a question, he is giving evidence. Dafydd Prosser has not given evidence, and it is not for my learned friend to…’

  ‘Yes, Mr Roberts, I have your point,’ the judge replied. ‘Mr Morgan-Davies, if you have a question, please ask it.’

  ‘Yes, my Lord, of course. My question, Mrs Hughes, is this. It is correct, is it not, that Dafydd Prosser did not direct you to the garage until you were already in Bangor?’

  ‘That is correct.’

  ‘No reference was made to a garage over the phone, or during the drive to Bangor?’

  ‘None at all.’

  ‘Yes. Thank you very much,’ Gareth said, resuming his seat and ignoring stares from the judge and Evan Roberts. He grinned mischievously at Ben. ‘How’s that for an underarm delivery?’

  ‘I can’t believe you did that,’ Ben whispered.

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ Gareth replied. ‘I just thought Dai Bach’s evidence might help.’

  67

  ‘Mrs Hughes,’ Evan Roberts began, ‘if I understand you correctly, your position is that you knew nothing, at any time, about any plot to plant a bomb in Caernarfon Castle, is that right?’

  ‘That is correct.’

  ‘And you were blissfully unaware that you were driving from Bangor to Caernarfon in the early morning of 1 July with a bomb in the boot of your car?’

  ‘There was nothing blissful about it, but I had no idea that the bomb was there.’

  ‘You had known your brother, Caradog Prys-Jones, all your life, of course?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘You had known Trevor Hughes since 1961, and you had been married to him since 1963?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You had known Dafydd Prosser for many years also?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Would it be fair to say that you were close to all three, in different ways, naturally?’

  ‘Yes, that would be fair.’