An Oik's Progress

by Steve Eastwood

  Dave Phillips and a uniform Constable got on with the house to house enquiries. Nobody on the estate could recall having seen the suspect vehicle except one witness who had actually seen the assault take place. He had also taken down the index number of the car which varied from that taken by Becky in respect of only one digit. The details were passed to the Control room where an operator tried the two numbers on the Police National Computer. She was able to identify a Red Triumph Stag that had been stolen in Lewisham only two days before. The details of the suspect vehicle were again circulated to all cars in case it was making its way back towards the London area. An enquiry was also made with the Police in Lewisham to ascertain whether any suspects had been seen at the time of the theft of the car. Unfortunately, nothing had.

  Initial feedback from the County Hospital was not good. Ted was still unconscious and doctors suspected that he was suffering from a depressed fracture of the skull.

  Details of the attack were disseminated to the members of the Press with an appeal for witnesses. However precise details of the vehicle were withheld for tactical reasons.

  The Headline in the Lee-over-sands Evening Gazette for that day read- “Milkman beaten in front of his daughter.”

  The people were angry and this included the criminals of the town.

  Chapter 17 – Tip off.

  Benny reported for work at 2pm the following day and after the Shift briefing he went through his pigeon hole. He found a message form that had been completed by the telephonist earlier in the day. It read- Pc Cohen –Please call Mr Bailey on 465803 as soon as possible.

  He found the Sergeant’s office empty so he shut the door and used the phone .He dialled the number. It was answered by a female voice- ‘Queens Head.’

  Benny realised then who the message was from- ‘Hello, is that Kathy?’ ‘Yes.’ Came the reply.

  ‘It’s Pc Ben Cohen here. Can I speak to Len please?’

  ‘One minute, Darling.’

  After a short delay Lenny Gibbs came to the phone, ‘Hello, Benny. Thanks for ringing. You know that robbery on the milkman? I think I’ve got something for you, mate. Can you come and see me later?” Benny agreed knowing that he would have to seek permission.

  ‘Only, don’t come in uniform, will you.’

  ‘Give me some credit Len, please.’

  ‘No I’m not taking the piss mate. It’s all very close to home and I’ve got to be careful. If I ignore you when you come into the pub it’ll mean that I can’t talk. I’ll explain it all to you later.’

  Benny spoke to Roy Cook who agreed that he could keep the meeting but only on the condition that Roy changed into plain clothes, drove him to the pub and sat in the car nearby as back-up. He would give him a limit of half an hour. An hour later Roy dropped off Benny at the side of the Queens Head, out of sight of the doors and windows of the pub. Roy was using his own car as both officers were doing this in their refreshment break.

  Benny entered the pub and he made his way into the small Off-Licence which was partitioned from the Public and Saloon bars and out of sight of any of the punters.

  After a short while Len appeared, lifted the flap, and led him to the back stairs and they went up to the living accommodation. He made Benny a coffee and got straight to the point while doing so.

  ‘What I have to tell you has to be strictly between us OK? Don’t even tell anybody at work where this came from. If it gets back I’m a dead man.’ Benny agreed.

  He knew that he would have to tell Roy as he was already privy to the reason for the meeting anyway. (In 1976 the true identity of an informant was rarely disclosed within the service)

  ‘The robbery on the milkman was done by the Kaye brothers who are Kathy’s cousins. Alan Kaye is a nasty bastard who has been put away before for doing Post Offices. Be careful of him he’s about 6 foot 3 tall and completely mad. They both come out of South London originally. Davie, the other one is not so bad he’s just stupid and does what Alan tells him to do. He’s got no brain of his own. They were in here drinking on Friday. Thing is I don’t want this coming back to us.”

  ‘Why did they come to the pub anyway?’ Asked Benny.

  ‘They were trying to screw some money out of Kathy because they’re both pot-less. She gave them 20 quid out of her purse but that’s all she could manage. They wanted money out of me too but I said that I had none to give them. We’re struggling a bit at the moment to be honest but I wouldn’t have given them any even if I’d had it to give.’

  ‘Did they have a car with them?’

  ‘Yeah, a red Triumph Stag. Nice motor.’

  ‘How do you know it was them who did the robbery, then?’ said Benny.

  ‘They are staying with Kathy’s brother Derek in a chalet out in Alresford. He told her about the business with the milkman this morning. He’s shitting himself because he had nothing to do with it and he doesn’t want to get involved. They were out of their heads on Scotch last night and they told him about the robbery. He doesn’t want them there but he’s too frightened to tell them to go. Thing is, it’s ideal for them. It’s well out in the sticks. You wouldn’t know it was there and they can keep well out of sight.’

  ‘If it’s so close to home Len why are you telling me about it? What’s in it for you?’

  ‘Well they were bang out of order doing the milkman like that, they’re a pair of evil bastards and they deserve to go away for it. And they started really taking liberties in the pub on Friday helping themselves to drink from behind the bar and they took money from the till. I was made to look like a total mug in front of my regulars. I can’t have that kind of disrespect otherwise every little tow rag will start trying it on.’

  Benny made sure that he got as much detail as possible including descriptions of the Kaye brothers and Derek. Benny got Len to draw a detailed map of the route to Derek’s place.

  Len told him that Derek was a builder’s labourer and that he would usually leave the house around 7am to walk along the lane to the main road where he was picked up by the firm’s truck.

  After satisfying himself that he had got everything he needed out of Len, Benny left the pub by the back door and re-joined Roy in his car. They drove back to the Police Station and after Benny had related the information to Roy, they sought out Ds Terry Connor who was upstairs in the CID office.

  ‘Benny’s got some good information from a snout about the milkman robbery. We need to speak to you in confidence,’ said Roy. Terry Connor took them into the Boss’s office which was empty. Benny then related the information in full. Terry Connor started to feel pumped up with adrenaline. He told himself that he had to stay calm and think things through. He needed to prepare an operational plan. There had been no mention of firearms in relation to the case so Terry reasoned that it was a job that they could handle using their own resources on the Division without involving Headquarters staff.

  Terry Connor had quickly worked out the basis of a plan but in order to be successful he had to resource it properly and without denuding the staff available to cover the ordinary work of the Division. He would have to speak to the Boss and try to gain authority to spank the overtime budget.

  He rang DCI Brian Johnson at home, he appraised him of the situation and he told him what he thought he might do about it.

  ‘Sounds like a good scheme Terry and as you say we’ll need some more staff particularly as you and your team are off tomorrow. Even so I imagine that you will want to run with it yourself. Leave it with me. I’ll call Mr Short and come back to you as soon as I can.’ DCI Johnson called Terry back after about fifteen minutes.

  ‘Right Terry. For once, Mr Short is on side.’ Brian Johnson also held a jaundiced opinion of the Chief Superintendent but openly, and certainly with subordinates, he had to maintain an outward appearance of respect for the little Fuhrer.

  ‘Kevin Kelly and his team are weekend off and due back on late turn tomorrow. I’m going to call them in early today. That will give you another Ds and four. Tomor
row’s early shift will have to cover the evening and work through, as required. Sergeant Cook, Pc Cohen and two others from late turn uniform can take out a crew bus as back-up. Are you and your team alright to cancel your Rest Day tomorrow?

  Terry assured Brian Johnson that that would not be a problem.

  Chapter 18 – Immediate cover.

  At 20:15 hours later the same evening Terry Connor called a meeting of the handful of detectives available to him, at Lee-over-sands Police Station. He related the details of the robbery, that it had taken place in front of the victim’s eleven year old daughter and the fact that Ted Moffat was seriously injured and presently in a Coma. The whole business had left Becky and her mother traumatised.

  Terry Connor then read out the details of the suspects giving as much weight to Derek Bailey as the two Kaye brothers. In truth he had no option at that stage but to regard Derek Bailey as a suspect.

  He stressed the fact that the suspects were likely to be desperate and would use violence against Police officers. Alan Kaye, in particular, was a man of extreme violence and he appeared to be the man who had assaulted Ted. He had, in the past, been convicted of committing Post Office robberies using a sawn-off shotgun. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the current information said nothing about the use of firearms in this case, they would be unable to justify an application for authority for the deployment of a firearms team.

  He then drew their attention to a map of the area around Derek Bailey’s house which was based on that drawn by Lenny Gibbs. He declared that the aim of the operation was to achieve the arrests of the suspects with the minimum of violence and it was intended that this would be achieved by stealth and an element of surprise. But first they needed to reconnoitre the area around the house to ascertain whether the suspects were indeed present.

  Although the source of the information was not disclosed to the team it was said to be reliable. Terry explained that he had already dispatched a three man team to take up covert observation of the premises and that they had established an Observation Post (OP) opposite the house which was affording a good view. He was now awaiting a situation report as to what they had been able to find out.

  It was proposed that a crew bus containing uniformed officers would take up a position in the car park of the village hall which was located about a half mile from the house. They were intended to provide support to the arrest team in the event of sudden movement on the part of the suspects. They were deployed and told to await further instructions.

  At this point, the duty Inspector put his head around the door. “Need a minute Terry.”

  Terry left the room.

  He returned five minutes later looking very solemn. He addressed the group.

  “Ladies and Gents, Mr Marshall has just informed me that sadly, Ted Moffat died in hospital fifteen minutes ago. We now have a Murder enquiry.”

  The covert team, who had managed to set up an observation post (OP) in a barn opposite the Derek Bailey’s house, gave an update that – ‘Lights are on in the house and there are no vehicles visible.’

  Terry Connor, having digested both pieces of information, had a reply passed to the covert team for them to remain in position.

  He then called DCI Johnson at home and told him that Ted had succumbed to his injuries in hospital. As this was now a Murder, Force Instructions dictated that Brian Johnson would have to take personal command of the case. He arrived at the Station within 20 minutes. In the meantime Terry Connor initiated the call-out system for Incident Room Team. This would provide them with specially trained support staff for the hub of the operation.

  He then contacted Ds Clare Morgan and Dc Jenny Freeman and requested that they break the news of Ted’s death to his widow, but this proved to be unnecessary as Brenda and Becky Moffat were at the hospital and they had already been informed by Medical Staff of their loss. Still, Clare and Jenny would remain with them to provide support and cater for their needs.

  On arrival at the station Brian Johnson held a planning meeting with Terry Connor who appraised him of actions taken so far. He then established the parameters of the investigation team. He would oversee the investigation and for the meantime establish the Incident Room and appoint an Office Manager. Terry, with vast experience of covert operations, would command the arrest and covert teams until the suspects were detained and the operation was brought to a conclusion.

  At 23.20 hours- Information was received from the Covert team- ‘Triumph Stag DJH 115 L has just pulled up at the house. Two males have entered the house. They are noisy and they appear to be drunk. They were let into the house by a third party. Also there is the sound of a large dog barking in the house.’

  A reply was made to the Covert team who were updated about Ted’s death.

  They remained concealed in the OP.

  Brian Johnson and Terry Connor both agreed on the fact that the OP team should stay in place and, unless the need for urgent action was indicated, they would review the need to keep them in position at first light.

  It would be imperative to preserve the house, the suspect’s clothing and any vehicle present at the house, for forensic examination, however, there was no immediate pressure to take action. It appeared that the suspects had settled down for the night and provided they did not try to leave the plot the team could take a slow and careful approach. But for now they needed to contain the area.

  At 23.45 hours the crew bus (DU3) containing Benny and Roy at the village hall was relieved by another unit crewed by Night Duty officers and they were stood down. They returned to the Police Station.

  Benny, although tired, was very frustrated. He had wanted to be in on the arrest. Roy tried to keep his spirits up. He told him that the job could go on all night and that as they had already been on duty for eleven hours, before long they would both be too fatigued to be of use to anybody.

  Benny went home and although he was tired he knew that he would be unable to sleep a wink.

  At 00.25 hours – Information was received from the O P- ‘The lights are out in the house.’

  At 02.30 hours Terry Connor briefed a team of four detectives who were to be deployed to provide extra peripheral cover. They were all issued with high powered “Dragon” lamps and pick axe handles. They were tasked to drive to the end of the lane leading to the house. Three officers would walk the remaining four hundred yards and secrete themselves in the garden at the rear of the premises.

  They would be in a position to take on any runners should the suspects, for whatever reason, decide to decamp. They would be out in the open air for a few hours but luckily the weather was mild and dry. Also, there was no prevailing wind and the air was still which meant that once their eyes had become accustomed to the dark they should be able to see and hear any movement. However, these factors could also work against them if they were not careful and they were reminded that there was a dog in the house that would most likely be able to pick up the slightest sound. The remaining officer would stay in the vehicle, act as a mobile back up and act as a radio relay for the OP officers who had been experiencing problems with the radio signal. About 03.00 hours they took up their position.

  Chapter 19 – Briefing and deployment.

  At 05.30 hours- An Operational Briefing was given by DCI Brian Johnson, to a team of 20 fresh officers, in the Parade Room at Lee-over-sands Police Station.

  Brian Johnson explained that milkman Ted Moffat had been beaten unconscious in the presence of his daughter on Saturday whilst they were out on the round and that he had later died in hospital. His satchel containing cash and customer cheques had been stolen by the offenders. A baseball bat was the Murder weapon and this was still to be recovered.

  Brian went on to say that information had been received that the men responsible were brothers Alan and David Kaye who are staying at “Hamford Cottage,” Sandbur Lane, Alresford, a house occupied by one Derek Bailey, who may also have been involved in the attack.

  Observation was being carried out
on the suspect’s house. There appear to be no children present and there should only be the three suspects inside, with a dog. Two of the men, believed to be the Kaye brothers, had arrived at the house in the Triumph Stag (confirmed to be that used during the attack) and had entered at 23.20 hours last evening.

  Derek Bailey leaves the house about 07.00 hours to go to work. He walks to the end of the lane to collect his lift from the firm’s truck.

  Brian Johnson stated that it was intended that a team will arrest the suspects Alan Kaye, David Kaye and Derek Bailey on suspicion of the Murder of Ted Moffat and then a search of the house and the Triumph Stag would be carried out. This would be in order to look for evidence connecting them to the Murder, for instance, the baseball bat, satchel and contents. The operational plan will be:

  ● To keep the house under observation and arrest the suspects if they attempt to leave the premises.

  ● Await Derek Bailey’s departure around 07:00 hours and arrest him out of sight and hearing of the other suspects in the house. Search him for a front door key. Question Bailey about those present in the house, the possibility of any firearms in their possession and the temperament of the dog.

  ● Ds Kevin Kelly and his team will go to the address immediately and gain entry with the key. They will be supported by Dog handlers. The Dog Section officers are to isolate the family dog. The house and vehicle are to be secured for forensic examination.

  ● If Bailey is not in possession of a key, force will be used on the front door to ensure as rapid an entry to the premises as is possible. Back up is to be provided by the personnel on crew bus (DU3).

  ● The suspects are to be arrested and taken to Lee-over-sands Police Station. At the earliest practical opportunity their clothing and footwear are to be taken from them by Scenes of Crime officers for forensic examination.