Chapter 17

Shooting at Shepperton

unbury police station was situated right on the southwestern boundary of the Metropolitan Police District (it is now part of Surrey Constabulary), and it was normally so quiet that when Anchor Square, Shepperton exploded into action on Thursday, 29 December 1970, with crashing cars and a gunman with blood pouring down his face being chased by police, the clientele of the Anchor Hotel believed that a crew from the nearby film studios were shooting a thriller. It was understandable, but they were wrong. This was real life.

It started earlier that month, when twenty-six-year-old Michael John Francis, a man with convictions for violence and a disqualified driver, together with Roger David Bethray aged twenty-three, stole a Ford Zephyr from London Airport. On 19 December the men broke into a butcher’s shop in Hampton, Middlesex and stole £250 in cash, a knife and a meat cleaver. Three days later Bethray borrowed a shotgun from a friend, in order, he later stated, “to go shooting”.

On Christmas Eve there was an attempted robbery at the White Lodge Garage in Staines Road, East Sunbury. The forecourt salesman, William Smith, was threatened by two men, one of them armed with a meat cleaver, who demanded money, but when he refused, the men drove off in a Ford Zephyr. In reporting this to the police, Mr Smith was unable to provide a registration number for the car. However, on Boxing Day Police Constables Gaitley and Fairweather spotted a Ford Zephyr, registration number BBJ 177H, in Shepperton High Street. The driver was talking to a pedestrian when PC Gaitley opened the door and asked him to get out. In response, the driver slammed the door shut, breaking Gaitley’s thumb, and reversed sharply. Gaitley hung on to the car and Fairweather attempted to grab hold of the driver through the window, but as the car accelerated away the officers were obliged to let go. However, they were able to record the registration number of the rapidly disappearing vehicle.

Bethray would later say that on 28 December he met Francis and asked to borrow the Zephyr. When he returned the car to Francis later that night and Francis drove off in it, Bethray, to his horror, suddenly remembered the borrowed shotgun was still in the car.

The CID at Sunbury had already carried out a great deal of work, circulating the description of the car and its occupants as well as making more covert enquiries. These demonstrated the advantage of using underworld informants, because Francis had upset several of them by carrying a gun and threatening to use it ‘if he was stopped by a cop’. Members of the underworld knew that if matters were to go badly awry in the police’s search for a gunman, officers in the closing days of 1970 would not take action which nowadays would be considered ‘proportionate, accountable or necessary’ – in fact, they kicked in doors and turned everybody over. Therefore, one of those faceless, nameless informants picked up the telephone, and Sunbury’s CID were informed that it might be worth their while to be in the vicinity of Anchor Square at 2.30 that afternoon.

Getting a team of men together at Sunbury was a problem at any time, particularly over the Christmas period, but six uniform officers plus Detective Constable Jack Hardwick were in and around the area of Anchor Square on 29 December 1970. Two marked police Panda cars were parked out of sight in Chertsey Road, when at 2.35 the officers received a call on the radio from Police Sergeant 89 ‘T’ Brian Derek Parsons, that the suspect Ford Zephyr with one occupant – Francis – was travelling along the Chertsey Road. Parsons followed the car as it turned into the square, and as it stopped, some four feet behind a parked vehicle, so Parsons drove his Panda car behind the suspect vehicle and hemmed it in. Parsons, who had carried out his National Service with the Royal Artillery, was then forty years of age. Married, with two daughters, he was now in his twentieth year of service with the Metropolitan Police, had already been commended for arresting a persistent thief and for the past six years had been based at Sunbury. Now Parsons got out of the police car and went over to the driver’s door of the Zephyr, only to find it was locked. Station Police Sergeant 2 ‘T’ Arthur Howard Garner, wearing a civilian coat over his uniform, walked towards the car and tried the front passenger door, but it too was locked. Then Francis suddenly reversed, crashing the Zephyr into the Panda car; he then drove forwards, causing DC Hardwick and a uniform officer to jump clear, and drove on into Old Ferry Boatyard, a car park without any other form of exit – so he turned the Ford round and accelerated back towards Garner in the square.

A former cadet with Stockport Borough Police, Garner had joined the Metropolitan Police in 1961 and had been commended by the commissioner and a judge at the Old Bailey for ability and determination in catching a persistent criminal. Married, with two sons, Garner was a powerful adversary at just under six feet tall, and as an enthusiastic footballer, cricketer, squash and tennis player, he had acquired quick reactions, which would now be brought into play. As the Zephyr raced towards him, Garner drew his truncheon and smashed the driver’s side of the windscreen. This caused Francis to crash the car into a parked vehicle; and at that moment, Police Constable 353 ‘T’ Keith Victor Giles drove up in a police car, blocking any further advance by the Zephyr. Giles was then thirty-five, a former corporal in the RAF before joining the Metropolitan Police in 1955. Married, with two daughters, Giles was a keen rugby player.

Garner ran up to the car, saw that Francis was holding a shotgun and smashed the rest of the windscreen with his truncheon, shouting, “Don’t be a fool, give yourself up, there’s policemen all over the place.” Francis shouted back, “You fucking bastards, I’ll get you all,” and Garner leant into the car and tried to pull him out through the broken windscreen, without success. Garner then attempted unsuccessfully to knock the shotgun away with his truncheon, telling Francis, “You don’t stand a chance.” Just then, as Parsons went to Garner’s assistance, Francis shouted, “One of you bastards will pay for this,” and with that, he levelled the gun at Garner. Immediately prior to Francis pulling the trigger Garner dropped to the ground, before hearing the ear-splitting roar of the shotgun’s discharge. PC Giles later stated, “When Sergeant Garner ducked down, it was within a split-second of the gun going off.” The shot blew a hole six inches in diameter through the roof of the Zephyr and hit a furniture van. Garner crawled to the rear of the Zephyr and through the back window he could see Francis brandishing the shotgun at officers around the car. Garner dashed back to the front nearside of the car and began hitting both Francis and the shotgun with his truncheon through the broken windscreen, while on the offside of the car Parsons was doing the same. Francis crawled out through the broken windscreen, stood on the bonnet and again pointed the gun at Garner, who dropped to the ground. Francis then pointed the shotgun at PC Giles, who threw his truncheon at Francis; Garner, believing (with some justification) that Francis was going to shoot Giles, also threw his truncheon at him.

Now Francis took to his heels and dashed off along Chertsey Road, followed by Garner in a police car. Stopping in a doorway, Francis pointed the shotgun at Garner from a distance of four feet. “Give yourself up,” shouted Garner. “Put the shotgun down.”

“Leave me alone,” replied Francis, “or I’ll do for one of you.”

“You’ll get life for murder,” Garner told him reasonably, adding, “it’s not worth it.”

But Francis ran off again, stopping frequently and looking back. He was followed by Garner in the police car, which was then overtaken in another car by Parsons and Giles, who stopped ahead of Francis; both got out of the car and unsuccessfully tried to reason with Francis, who then ran into Range Way. Francis may not have known that this road was a cul-de-sac, but the officers certainly did, and as they chased after him they knew that when Francis reached the end of Range Way an already tense situation would become doubly fraught because there was nowhere else for him to go. As Francis pointed the gun at the officers Garner told him, for the last time, to put the gun down; but it was clear that Francis would not. Garner was now six feet away from Francis, and with enormous bravery he rushed him, pushing the barrel of the gun towards the ground and eventually wresting it from him. It was not the end of the affair; Francis continued to struggle violently in an effort to get away, but Parsons, Giles and other officers succeeded in overpowering him. When Garner examined the shotgun he found there was a spent cartridge in one of the shotgun’s barrels, a live one in the other. The stolen Zephyr was searched; inside were the knife and the meat cleaver, part-proceeds of the burglary at the butcher’s shop.

In the next few days Roger Bethray was picked up, and both men were committed for trial from Staines Magistrates’ Court to Surrey Assizes. Both faced a whole range of charges, the most serious being that Francis was charged with the attempted murder of SPS Garner. To all of the charges both defendants pleaded not guilty.

A forensic scientist – a dour, Scottish former detective chief inspector – gave evidence that the shotgun was a lethal weapon and in good working order. He was asked by the prosecuting barrister, Ronald Bell QC, “What would have been the result if the blast from the shotgun had hit Sergeant Garner from a distance of two feet?”

“Dead,” replied the scientist decisively, adding for good measure, “definitely dead.”

During the course of the trial, Francis admitted some of the charges: the burglary at the butcher’s shop, one charge of driving whilst disqualified, not possessing a driving licence, using a shotgun with intent to resist arrest and as an offensive weapon and having no certificate for it. Bethray still maintained his innocence of all the charges. Before sending out the jury to consider their verdicts, the trial judge, the Honourable Mr Justice Forbes, directed that not guilty verdicts should be brought in with respect to both defendants for the robbery at the petrol station and, with respect to Francis alone, for the assault on the police officer on Boxing Day .

After five hours of deliberations on 29 April 1971 the jury found Francis guilty of the attempted murder of SPS Garner, stealing the car and driving whilst disqualified. Bethray was also found guilty of stealing the car, the burglary at the butcher’s shop and transferring the shotgun to Francis.

Telling Francis, “You have shown yourself as a thoroughly dangerous and desperate criminal,” the judge sentenced him to a total of seven years’ imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for ten years. “Be cautious of the people you mix with,” the judge told Bethray, adding ominously, “Just see what happened to Francis.” He then placed Bethray on probation for two years and fined him £10 for transferring the shotgun. Addressing Detective Sergeant Carr, the officer in the case, the judge stated, “Before I go, I ought – I think – to pass on the appreciation of the way the police behaved in that very difficult situation.” Normally the sentence for the attempted murder of a police officer would have been two or even three times the seven years which was imposed, so many might have thought it was the least the judge could have said.

The three officers – Garner, Parsons and Giles – were all highly commended by the commissioner and all were awarded £20 from the Bow Street Reward Fund. Almost a year after the trial, Garner was informed that he would be awarded the George Medal and Parsons and Giles the British Empire Medal for Gallantry. The presentations took place at Buckingham Palace on 12 July 1972, and as Garner told me, almost forty years later, “Arriving for the investiture in my bright red Ford Corsair, I’m sure the crowds wondered how such an old banger could merit an invitation.” As the medals were awarded, a small boy’s voice was heard to shout, “That’s my Daddy!” and though opinions now differ as to whose son identified his father, it was sufficient to bring a smile to the face of Her Majesty.

Parsons retired on an ill-health pension three years later, and Giles completed his thirty years service and lives in Spain.

One year into his sentence, Francis wrote to Garner, expressing both congratulations on his award and penitence for his own actions. But that was not the last Garner heard of his adversary. Four years after Francis’ conviction, Garner (by then an inspector at Chelsea police station) was called to the Old Bailey to give evidence of the conviction at Surrey Assizes. Allegedly, Francis (released after serving half of his sentence) had tried to run down a police constable at the Oval. Francis was representing himself, and the prosecuting barrister required a little help because Francis had stated that the detective sergeant in charge of the case was having an affair with his girlfriend, and in consequence the officer had been excluded from the proceedings. It was bad strategy on Francis’ behalf, because Garner did indeed assist the prosecution and Francis was later returned to prison. “When normal, he was lucid and intelligent,” Garner told me, “but when roused …”

Prior to the shooting in Shepperton, Garner had already passed a three-year course on ‘The General Principals of Criminal Law’ at Chiswick Polytechnic; then in 1974–75 he attended London University as an external student, studying ‘Current Issues of Criminology’ for which he was awarded a diploma. In 1982 he suggested to the Research and Planning Department a standard, national procedure for forwarding and recording details of persons reporting on bail, and one year later was awarded £100 for it. By now, he had been promoted to chief inspector, and the last two years of his service were spent on ‘W’ Division, before he retired after just over twenty-five years’ service. Sadly, Garner and his wife divorced after thirty-five years of marriage, and he went to live on the south coast. Much of his time is now spent travelling all over the world.

When he is asked nowadays how he won his George Medal, Garner modestly replies, “Ducking at the right time.” But we know different, don’t we?