At 10:18 the front door of Baker’s house was opened. The same man as seen earlier came out of the house and walked away on foot toward the Newsagents. He was wearing the same clothing as before except for a brown leather jacket and he was carrying a sports bag. He was followed by officers and he was seen to walk past the shops and he turned left into the service area at the rear of the Parade. The suspect was briefly lost to view but a member of the team managed to regain contact with him in time to see him walking to the garages at the rear. “Baker” unlocked the padlock on a garage and he went inside.
The surveillance team, anticipating that the suspect “Baker” would soon be on the move in a vehicle, then plotted up to ensure that they would be able to cover his departure, whichever direction he chose to take.
After about two minutes a vehicle was seen to reverse out of the garage and details were passed to the team of a dark blue Ford Cortina index number HUT125F. It moved off to the main road and turned right towards the Seafront. The Cortina was followed by the team for about a mile with “Baker” at the wheel. He was driving at a steady 30 miles per hour until he reached a second address where he parked and went inside having been admitted at the front door of the house.
The team sat up and waited. A situation report was passed to the OP and the other teams. Details of the address- 3 Crown Road, Lee-over-sands were passed to the Operations Room together with the Registration of the Cortina. A quick check was carried out on the vehicle and no current keeper was shown on record. Checks on the address showed no connection to either of the suspects and the Cortina was not listed as a stolen car.
At 11:10 two men came out of the house and they got into the Cortina. The driver was now the second man who was described as being 6 feet tall, of heavy build, about 40 years, long blonde hair with a moustache, Blue Denim shirt and jeans. The description fitted that of the suspect “O Dowd.”
The Cortina then carried out a three point turn and drove back in the general direction of the town centre, again keeping to a steady 30 miles per hour. On reaching the town the Cortina turned right into College Square and stopped. It then reversed into a parking space where the suspects sat for a few minutes talking with the engine running.
The Midland Bank was only two streets away from where the target vehicle had stopped and although the OP officers were unable to get a view of it they were monitoring the radio transmissions of the surveillance Team. It was all getting very close.
Then Benny, who was in the OP, heard a radio transmission, made by the Information Room Controller on the Force wide network, which made him recoil in horror. ‘Oh shit! No.’ He turned to Bob Turner. ‘Governor, we’ve got a problem.’ He then explained to the others that the Information Room had dispatched a Panda Car to the building society. The very building where they were located, to deal with a sudden death. They were later to learn that the caretaker had hung himself from a water pipe in the basement.
They certainly did not want a marked Police vehicle parked right in the middle of their robbery plot.
Bob Turner telephoned the Force Control Room Inspector and told him of the circumstances but as he did so they could see the Panda vehicle arrive outside the building and come to a halt. They could see the officer gathering his things together and he started writing on his clipboard. Minutes went by and there was no movement on the part of the constable at all. They were desperate to get a warning to him but they were 8 floors up and could not afford to draw attention to themselves by shouting down at him. The windows of the car were closed and he may not have been able to hear them in any case. This meant that there was a frightening prospect of the operation being compromised and of an unarmed officer unwittingly becoming embroiled in an armed robbery.
Terry Connor took a bold decision. He ran down the stairs, of which there were 16 flights, as he simply could not afford to risk that the lift would take too long to arrive at the top floor or that it might get stuck between floors. With a Superhuman effort he managed to reach the ground floor in quick time. He was panting heavily. He then had to compose himself for a few seconds. Having done so he walked casually to the Police vehicle and on reaching it he tapped on the driver’s window. The officer, who recognised him, wound down the window to greet him.
‘Hello, Skip.’
‘Graham. I need you to go back to the station. You are parked in the middle of CID operation and we are expecting it to come on top any moment now. Please just drive off and try to do so nonchalantly. I will explain it to you later.’
‘Will do. But I’m supposed to be dealing with the Sudden Death of a bloke in the building society.’
‘He’s not going to go anywhere mate. I’ll speak to the manager. Go now please.’ Terry Connor casually walked back into the building but he had the feeling that the whole world were watching his every move. The Panda moved off along the road and away from the scene.
At 11:35, some two minutes after the departure of the Panda car, the Cortina, still containing the two suspects, drove out of College Square and it turned right into Civic Drive. It came to a standstill in the layby immediately outside the Midland Bank and was facing back out towards the main road having first carried out a U-turn. Terry Connor could see it from his position and he was mightily relieved that the lad in the Panda had just managed to get clear. He had avoided the suspects and their Cortina by the skin of his teeth. The arrival of the suspect vehicle outside the bank was notified via the radio commentary of the surveillance team.
OP then carried out a positive communications check by radio with the officers in the Armed Transit which was parked on the other side of Civic Drive directly opposite the layby.
‘From OP. Target vehicle outside the Bank facing the main road. One target sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running. Second target believed to be the “B” man out of the Cortina and leaning on the offside door of the car talking through the open window.’
‘From Romeo One.’ ’It looks from our position like the “B” man is standing outside the target vehicle and he’s cradling a weapon inside his jacket.’ ’Any sign of the Delivery vehicle, OP?’
‘From OP. Negative, Negative.’
After 2 minutes…
‘From 5CS10. Unit 4 van just passing our position in First Avenue and travelling in your general direction. Two in the van. Driver and passenger.’
‘From OP relaying to all units Delivery van about one minute away. Romeo One receive?’
‘From Romeo One. All received.’
‘From 5CS10, Delivery Van turning onto Second Avenue.’
‘OP received Delivery van indicating to the nearside and turning into Civic Drive. Manoeuvring onto the pavement outside bank. Driver out of van and going to the rear of the vehicle to the back door. The “B” man is walking towards Delivery van.’
‘Romeo One. Strike! Strike!
‘The doors of Romeo One then burst open and the Firearms team converged on the Cortina and Baker who was holding a sawn off shotgun.’
‘Armed Police! Drop the gun!’ ‘Fucking drop it now.’
Baker was stunned. Two officers had their Machine Pistols aimed at his chest. He dropped the sawn off shotgun to the floor immediately. Although swearing in the street is not a trait to be desired in a Police officer it is deployed in firearms situations to add force and emphasis to an armed challenge.
‘Kneel on the floor with your hands behind your head. Do it now!’ Baker went down on his knees. He was visibly shaking. ‘Now lay on your stomach with your hands behind your back.’ Baker complied and two other officers rushed across to handcuff and to search him.
As this was taking place an elderly lady wandered along the forecourt behind the Security van and in front of the Bank. She did not take a blind bit of notice of the events unfolding but she carried on regardless with her shopping trolley alone with her own thoughts. She disappeared off around the corner totally oblivious to what was happening within only a few yards of her.
As the Romeo Team
were challenging Baker armed Crime Squad officers ran towards the Cortina and O’Dowd who was sitting in the driver’s seat. They ordered him at gun point to place both his hands on the steering wheel. They quickly opened the driver’s door of the Cortina, seized the keys and then they dragged him out of the vehicle onto the pavement. He was handcuffed and searched. Other Police units then began to converge on the scene.
Baker and O’Dowd were taken off to the Police Station. They both had solicitors and neither Baker nor O’Dowd said very much during their interviews, but then, they didn’t need to. They were snookered.
Both were charged with Robbery and they were remanded in custody by the Magistrates. Thomas Baker and Patrick O’Dowd later pleaded guilty at the Crown Court and they were sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.
The source of the information was in for a large reward payment indeed. Great credit was also due to Benny Cohen and this enhanced his growing reputation as a “Thief Taker.” He had come to the attention of the Detective Chief Superintendent (Regional Crime Squad Co-ordinator) as an officer with reliable sources of information and this was very much their stock in trade. He was marked down as having potential for future secondment to the Squad.
As for the poor Caretaker who had hanged himself in the basement of the building society. In all probability he had done so with the intention of making some kind of desperate statement. However, he was relegated to second place in the order of interest. Timing being everything!
Chapter 40 – Up for coffee.
It was 7.50pm on Friday 6th July 1979 and Benny was in a particularly good mood. ‘Tonight is the night,’ thought Benny as he drove into the village of Dedham. He had left nothing to chance in his preparations. Haircut, new gear, shoes highly polished. He was the bollocks! He had managed to persuade Ivor to loan him his Volvo Estate and he fancied that it gave him a bit more of an air of style and gravitas. It had been a busy week, what with the robbery and all, but Felicity had not been far from his thoughts. Benny was experiencing a mixture of emotions. On the one hand there was nervous anticipation, but on the other, he found it hard to contain his excitement.
Despite the exertions of the previous two days he had managed to find time to visit Burtons where he kitted himself out with a new sports jacket and trousers. He had even managed to buy a new pair of brogues in a size that actually fitted him well and he counted this as quite an achievement since he had size eleven feet that were particularly broad. He told himself that this was a good omen but he also reflected on the saying that the size of a man’s feet was in direct correlation to the size of his manhood. Clearly untrue! Still, he could manage with what he had, given the chance, and although he was from a Jewish background his parents had not been so devout as to have had him circumcised. That in itself was small bonus.
After a short drive through the village Benny found The Maltings and he pulled the Volvo into the car park. He then locked the car, walked to the foyer, and pressed Felicity’s intercom.
She answered almost straight away and he announced himself, ‘Hi its Ben.’
‘Hi Ben, I’m just on the phone. Can you give me a couple of minutes and I will come down.’
After about ten minutes the lift doors opened and out stepped Felicity. She looked stunning in a red satin dress which was cut just above the knee. This was topped with a white fur stole and she was wearing red high heeled stilettos with black stockings. These had the vertical line down the rear of the leg with a black bow just above the shoe line.
‘Sorry about the wait,’ she said ‘I was silly enough to answer the phone. I should have ignored it. Anyway. How are you?’
‘I’m fine thanks and how are you?’
‘I’m OK. I was worried about you though, from what I read in the Evening Gazette you have had a bit of a dangerous week.’
‘Oh that, well I was on the job but I wasn’t actually in the firing line or anything,’ he said modestly.
‘Yes? But how exciting. It beats the hell out of selling cars.’
‘Anyway, enough about work. You look lovely,’ he said.
‘Thank you. So do you,’ she said linking arms with him and kissing him on the cheek. Benny felt his trousers tighten. Down boy!
‘Anyway, young sir, where are you taking me?’
‘How about we go into Colchester for meal and then on to a club. The Affair. Do you know it?’
‘Yes. I used to go there a few years ago but I haven’t been for a while. That will be nice.’
Benny opened the passenger door for her and she slipped onto the seat and in doing so she exposed the tiniest glimpse of a stocking top. He tried to avert his gaze lest she might think that he was being lecherous (even though he was). He then went around to the driver’s side of the car and climbed in.
‘There’s a seat-belt there if you want to use it.’ He leaned across to free the belt and as he did so he could smell her fragrance. They set off towards Colchester at a reasonable pace with Benny attempting smooth gear changes in a strange vehicle. After a couple of loud crunches she said…
‘A new car I see.’
‘No. Not really. Mine has been playing up a bit so I’ve borrowed this one for tonight.’
‘Why? What is wrong with it?’
‘I don’t really know.’
‘Well, why don’t you bring it into the garage? We’ll take a look at it for you.’
Now Benny was lying, in part. There was nothing wrong with his car except for the fact that it was old and deeply unimpressive.
‘I could Felicity, but someone at work is already looking at it for me.’ He lied again.
Now this wasn’t a good start at all. He’d lied twice already. So Benny changed the subject.
‘Did you buy that dress when you were in Milan?’
‘Yes. A little present from me to me. Do you like it?’
‘Yes. It’s beautiful. Red really suits you. Particularly as you have lovely dark hair.’ Oh Benny get a bloody grip! That sounded really smarmy, he thought. She’s going to think you’re a right slimeball. Just try and be yourself.
Felicity then told him about the trip which was part business and part pleasure. The fact that she had travelled with her sister Andrea and that they had visited cousins in Milan. She went on to tell him that their late mother Gina was Italian and that she had met her father when he was in Northern Italy during the war. He now understood where she got her dark Latin beauty from.
Benny took Felicity to a Chinese Restaurant in Colchester High Street where they ate well and they relaxed in each other’s company. She liked him. He had an engaging manner and a winning smile. He made her laugh. But that wasn’t all that she liked about him. She found that he was interested in what she had to say on a variety of topics and that he was an attentive listener. After dinner they moved on to The Affair where the bar and Disco were located in the basement of an old Georgian House in walking distance of the restaurant. Felicity was a very sensuous mover on the dance floor whether the music was fast or slow. Benny was no slouch either. He loved Soul and Tamla Motown in particular and the synergy between them seemed to come very easily.
They left the Club around 1am and walked arm in arm back to the car. Benny then drove Felicity back home to Dedham. He pulled up outside the entrance to the Apartments and switched off the engine. Felicity leaned across to Benny and she ran her fingers through his hair she then gave him a long lingering kiss.
‘Do you have to work tomorrow Ben?’
‘No. I’ve got the weekend off.’
‘Do you have any plans?’
‘Only cricket tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Would you like to come up for a coffee?’
‘Yes I would,’ said Benny, pleasantly surprised and stiffening with anticipation.
He locked the car and they went up in the lift. Felicity’s apartment was something to behold and little did he know at that point that he would get the full tour. Felicity made the coffee and she invited Benny to select an LP from her record coll
ection. He picked out Marvin Gaye and put it on the turntable of the stereogram. They settled down in the living room, Felicity kicked off her stilettos and she drew her legs up onto the sofa.
She then nibbled Benny’s ear and it was clear that she was happy to take the initiative which was a relief for Benny who, ever fearful of rejection, had been desperate not to rush and spoil the relationship. He wanted this woman. She was very special and he had resolved, even at this early stage, that he would do whatever he could to improve his standing so that he would have more to offer her.
Felicity, for her part, did not imagine that a policeman would command a high rate of pay but the fact did not concern her at all. He was a real man, he was rugged, handsome and he treated her with respect. Although a little shy he had a nice personality and a good sense of humour and to cap it all he had a lovely tight little bum.
She took his hand and she rose from the sofa, ‘Come with me please Ben. I need your help with something.’ She led him into her bedroom and Benny followed in something of a trance.
‘I need to get out of this dress. Can you unzip me please?’ She offered her back to him and he carefully took down the zip. The dress dropped to the floor and there she stood in her bra, knickers, stockings and suspenders. She turned toward him, moved forward and draped herself around him.
Benny was breathless. She felt his excitement as she then moved her hand to his crotch and unzipped his fly. She then claimed him by slipping her hand inside his trousers and taking him in her hand. She removed her panties by swiftly untying the bows on each side and she laid back on the bed with her legs apart, offering herself to him. No words were necessary between them as they made passionate love with an overwhelming sense of inevitability.
An Oik's Progress Page 17
