Chapter 5: Two Squashed Crooks

Five years ago, Constable Jack Clancy and his colleague answered a call to a break in at a house on the outskirts of town. Arriving just as the thieves were leaving in a four by four, Constable Clancy who had got out of the police car, turned into the gate just as they moved off.

He had tried to stop them by smashing the side window with his truncheon. The window broke but the villain in the passenger seat grabbed hold of the truncheon. As the strap was round his wrist, Constable Clancy was pulled along at the side of the car whilst the villain laughed at him through the window.

After dragging him for quite a distance at increasing speed, the villain finally let go of the truncheon, so Constable Clancy had fallen under the back wheels of the four by four which went over him but didn’t stop. When his colleague raced up to him, Constable Clancy was still conscious. His last words had been, ‘He laughed at me as he hung on to the truncheon,’ Then he had died in his colleagues’ arms. He was twenty-five, married with two young children.

Another car responding to the call saw the fleeing vehicle as it approached, gave chase and caught them. The driver was Moreton West age twenty with a list of violence and break ins going back years. His partner, Roland Tarrs was nineteen, also with a long list of convictions, some violent.

They were both charged with murder. No one had any doubt they would get a long sentence. The householder had been beaten up during the break in and they had stolen goods from the house in their car. Although they weren’t charged with any other offences as there was no evidence to connect them, it was widely believed that they had been responsible for a number of other violent break ins which had started just after they came out of prison last time and finished with their arrest for Constable Clancy’s murder.

In court they pleaded not guilty to murder. Their barrister argued that although there was no doubt that their actions caused the death of Constable Clancy, they didn’t intend him to die therefore the charge should be reduced to manslaughter.

The prosecutor reminded the court that Tarrs had laughed at Constable Clancy whilst he was being dragged to his death and that West had run over him but not stopped. The Judge ruled that despicable as these actions were, they had no certain knowledge they would cause the constables death, so he ordered the charge to be changed to manslaughter.

When the charge was reduced, West and Tarrs changed their pleas to guilty. They were sentenced to ten years for the manslaughter of Constable Clancy, five years for the aggravated burglary and five years for leaving the scene of an accident. However, the Judge ruled that the sentences should be concurrent, which meant they only served ten years in total.

The system today is that you automatically get released half-way through your sentence for good behaviour. So, unless they did something really bad whilst in prison, they would only serve five years. There was a public outcry after the case and although the judge concerned ‘retired from the bench’ a few months later, it left a bad feeling with the public and the police.

They had served their prison time in a local prison, under the control of one Governor Davies. He had been as disgusted as anyone at the time with the sentence, but it wasn’t his remit to question it and at the time there was nothing he could do about it anyway. During the five years he had had them in his prison he had learned that they constantly boasted about having killed a copper.

Also, that many of the inmates held them in high esteem because of it. In their last six months he had kept a closer ear to the ground regarding them. He learned that they were openly making plans to resume their life of crime and boasting that if another copper got in their way, they would despatch him the same way.

There had been a number of serious violent incidents during their ‘stay’ involving injury to other prisoners and some members of staff, none of which could be proved to be them as no one ever admitted to seeing what had happened.

A few weeks before they were due for release, after much soul searching, Governor Davies shut himself up in his office, opened his safe and took out the burner phone he had been sent quite some time ago. Sitting it on his desk, he dithered for a little while then having decided, he picked it up.

Sitting in his safe since he had received it, it was well and truly flat, so putting it on charge, he went to the staff canteen. Sitting with a few of the prison officers over a coffee, he said, I see we’re getting rid of West and Tarrs in a few months. That immediately started a discussion with several of the officers saying they should have been put down. Everyone was quite sure they would be back in prison in no time.

Returning to his office and his decision now made, he opened the phone and sent a text to the only number listed in it.

The text read ... Moreton West age 25 and Roland Tarrs age 24 are due to be discharged on Tuesday 25^th next at eight am. They were both sentenced to ten years for the Manslaughter of Constable Clancy and for aggravated burglary. It is my belief that they have been involved in a number of acts of violence to fellow prisoners and staff during their stay although I have no proof of that. I am also of the belief that they have not changed at all. They openly boast of fresh crimes and killing on their release.

A few hours later the phone pinged. Thank you for your text, the message said. Please destroy this phone, you will receive a new one in a few days. Governor Davies put it in his pocket. That night he took it home with him, smashed it to pieces with a hammer and put the bits in his dustbin.

Three weeks later both inmates got a letter,

RELEASED PRISONERS SUPPORT GROUP

Dear Mr West and Mr Tarrs,

We have been informed of your release from prison on Tuesday 25^th next. Our group exists to aid longer term prisoners on their release. We have arranged for a taxi to meet you at the prison gates at eight o’clock. The driver and the taxi will be at your disposal for the morning to take you home or to anywhere else you might wish to go. The fare up and until two pm will be paid by the RPSG.

You will also receive a donation of one hundred pounds each to assist with anything you might need to buy. This will be given to you in an envelope by the driver at your first stop.

On the envelope will be our contact number, so that if you need any further help in your first few months of freedom, we will do our best to support you.

I wish you luck for your future as free men,

Yours sincerely,

Charles L Grant-Williams

Hon Sec. RPSG

Ingoing and outgoing mail in a prison is censored. The officer reading the letter had let it go through to the prisoner’s but had taken a photocopy which he took to show the Governor.

The Governor read it with interest, he guessed immediately that it had something to do with the text he had sent. Keeping that to himself, he said, ‘Typical, no one sends me or you a taxi and a hundred pounds. Still, we’ll be glad to be rid of them.’ He put the letter in his safe along with the new phone that had arrived the day before.

Tuesday 25^th duly arrived. West and Tarrs were sent out through the prison gate, free men although they were on licence. That meant that they were released early for ‘good behaviour’ but if they did anything wrong, they would be recalled and would have to serve the rest of their sentence on top of any fresh one.

A black cab was waiting with its engine running. When they went over to it, the driver asked, ‘Mr West and Mr Tarrs?’ When they confirmed it, he told them, ‘Gentlemen I’m at your service until two pm. There are two envelopes in the back for you.’ The two of them jumped into the back and picked up the envelopes. ‘Where would you like to go?’ the driver asked. ‘Home,’ they said giving him their addresses.

The cab set off. As the two ex-con’s tore open their envelopes and eagerly counted their cash, the driver pressed a button under the dashboard. As happens with all black cabs, as soon as the vehicle moves the doors lock closed for safety. His extra button stopped all the windows opening and the seat belts being released.