Major Incidents and Policing Diary
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1. MAJOR INCIDENTS AND POLICING DIARY Murder/attempted murder 1.1 Murder of Eric Hingston – Plympton Audrey Hingston, aged 81, was arrested on 7 October and has been charged with the murder of her husband, Eric. 1.2 Serious assault - Falmouth Police and ambulance were called to an address in Falmouth during the early hours of 11 October because a man had stopped breathing and had no pulse. He was revived by ambulance staff and taken to Royal Cornwall Hospital. A man was arrested later the same day and charged with attempted murder. During the early hours of 17 October, the victim died and the offence was changed to murder. 1.3 Operation Teal - murder enquiry, Paignton On 20 October, a 38-year-old Torbay man was charged with the murder of Eileen Walsh in her home on 6 September. 1.4 Operation Patina – murder enquiry near Ivybridge On 16 November, a 39-year-old man was charged with the murder of teenager Alicia Eborne, who had been missing for several days. A major search and investigation had been undertaken. 1.5 Murder in Plymouth – Operation Lambeth A member of the public reported seeing an elderly female lying on the floor at Bretonside bus station at 6am on 18 October. Police attended and found the woman was dead. She was identified as Florence Seccombe, who was killed by a single knife wound. A major enquiry room has been established at Crownhill police station and the investigation continues. 1.6 Murder – near Wadebridge – Operation Rowan At 08.48am on 6 November, officers attended the report of a body found at Perch Garage on the A39 near Wadebridge. A second body was found inside the bungalow at the garage. The victims were Carol and Graham Fisher, who ran the petrol station. An incident room has been set up at Bodmin police station and the investigation is ongoing. 1 A 42-year-old man was arrested in North Devon and a 28-year-old man in Exeter. Both have been bailed for one month. 1.7 Murder – Delabole - Operation York A missing person’s report was received at 5.55pm on 8 November, expressing concern for Joan Roddam, a 74-year-old woman who lived alone in Delabole. At 9.20pm the same day, police found her body in a field behind her house. An investigation is underway. 1.8 Murder – Stoke Woods Police attended the area of Stoke Woods in Exeter on 13 November following a report of a female with a head wound. A 69-year-old woman was found dead at the scene. A member of the public and a traffic warden detained a 66 year- old man nearby. He was arrested and later charged with murder. The victim and suspect were husband and wife from Crediton. 1.9 Major challenges Pressures within the constabulary have been at an all time great recently, with the Force dealing with a number of active murder enquiries and eight other major incidents. With over 200 staff committed to these incidents, Force resources have been stretched. We have coped exceptionally well with these challenges and neighbourhood policing has not been affected. Suicide 1.10 Attempt suicide - Truro A man was seen standing at the edge of the NCP car park on the morning of 5 October. Two officers in plain-clothes attended and were able to talk the man away from the edge. He was arrested after resisting the officers, using a knife. One officer received cuts to his hands while removing the knife and defending himself. The man was a suspect for a previous offence and has been charged with kidnap and indecent assault. 1.11 Sudden death - Plymouth The body of a 45-year-old woman was found at an address in Plymouth at 4am on 6 October. An inquest has yet to report on the cause of death. 2 1.12 Suicide - Higher Ashton, near Exeter On 19 November, the body of a female was found by police officers at the base of Belvedere Tower, Higher Ashton, near Exeter. An examination of the scene found the circumstances and injuries consistent with a fall. Assault on police/injury to officers 1.13 Injury to officer – Paignton Police executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at an address in Paignton on 15 October. During the search, a police officer sustained a puncture wound from a hypodermic needle. He attended Torbay Hospital for treatment. 1.14 Assault on police - Redruth On 18 October, a man was arrested in connection with a road traffic collision at Tolgus Mount, Redruth. The driver became violent when asked to give a roadside breath test. On arrest he started struggling violently and bit an officer on the outer thigh. The officer was taken to Treliske Hospital at Truro for treatment. 1.15 Ram raid – Tiverton Two constables were on patrol at 4am on 3 November when they saw suspicious activity at a service station in the town. They confronted three men who were leaving the premises and a struggle ensued. The officers were assaulted with a wheel brace and an iron bar before the offenders escaped in a car. The constables sustained cuts and bruises but were not seriously hurt. A registration number for the vehicle was obtained but it was established that the car was stolen. It is thought that the incident is linked to a series of ram raids and enquiries are ongoing. 1.16 Injury to police officer - Newton Abbot A constable was assaulted while dealing with a domestic incident outside a Newton Abbot nightclub and she sustained a fractured ankle and a black eye. Four men were arrested in connection with the incident, which happened in the early hours of 8 November. Three were charged, including one for Section 18 wounding and another for indecent assault as well as charges for escaping/assisting escape from lawful custody. A fourth has been bailed. 3 1.17 Assaults on officers It is pleasing to report that the number of assaults on our officers has reduced. In the period October 2001 to September 2002, there were 262 reported assaults. In the corresponding period for 2002/2003, 251 assaults were reported, which is a 4.9% reduction. Firearms 1.18 Firearms incident -Exeter Police received a report on 23 October that a man had attempted to strangle his partner and had threatened her with an air rifle. On a previous occasion the man had assaulted police officers called to deal with a dispute. Armed officers were deployed along with negotiators and the man was called out of his address and arrested. He was charged with ‘assault, occasioning actual bodily harm’. 1.19 Air rifle incidents - Tiverton Two children were struck by air gun pellets in the Armory Park area during the afternoon of 1 November. An 11-year-old girl suffered minor bruising and a 12-year-old boy had a pellet lodged in his neck, which had to be removed at hospital under anaesthetic. Local officers arrested a 14-year-old boy who had been firing his air rifle from his bedroom window. The weapon was seized. 1.20 Firearms incident – Helston – Operation Polka A Ministry of Defence Police member of staff reported an incident on 5 November of a man who was holding a firearm. Police units, including firearms officers, contained the building and negotiations continued. The male was found dead inside the premises the following morning. A full investigation is ongoing. Burglary 1.21 Burglary and pursuit - Exeter A report was received on 30 October about a burglary in progress at Bridge Motorcycles, Marsh Barton. The offender's vehicle was found on the outskirts of Exeter with the help of the county council’s CCTV system. A pursuit ensued along the northbound carriageway of the M5, involving units from the traffic department and the Force helicopter. The vehicle’s rear windscreen had been broken and items of motorcycle clothing were thrown out, causing minor damage to police vehicles. 4 The occupants of the vehicle brandished a large carving knife and threw it at one of the traffic vehicles, cracking the windscreen. With assistance from Avon and Somerset traffic department, a TPAC resolution was declared and executed by the units. The vehicle was stopped. All three Devon and Cornwall traffic units sustained minor damage but no injuries were reported. The stolen items included a number of leather motorcycle suits valued at several thousand pounds. Items thrown from the vehicle onto the carriageway were also recovered. Three males from the Bristol area were charged with burglary. Robbery 1.22 Robbery - Plymouth A panic alarm was activated at Morley Service Station in Plymstock in the early hours of 31 October. An offender, wearing a balaclava, had brandished knives at the attendant and stolen a quantity of cigarettes. A dog unit saw a suspicious van drive from the scene and a stop check found property that matched the stolen goods. The male driver was disqualified and provided a positive breath specimen. A 28-year-old man from Plymouth has been charged with robbery, driving while disqualified and driving with excess alcohol. 1.23 Robbery - Barnstaple At 1.24am on 7 November, officers were called to a robbery in Vicarage Street, Barnstaple. An 18-year-old female was found on the ground and her handbag had been stolen. Two offenders made off but her handbag was found after a search. Arson 1.24 Fire at Webbs Hotel - Liskeard Emergency services were called to a large fire at Webbs Hotel, Liskeard, at about 1am on 5 October. Six fire pumps attended and the blaze was quickly brought under control.