Notorious triple police killer Harry Roberts has died at the age of 89, more than a decade after his controversial release from a life sentence that outraged the nation.
The Heinous Crime That Shocked a Generation
On a summer afternoon in August 1966, three unarmed police officers were shot dead in cold blood on Braybrook Street, Shepherd's Bush, West London. The officers – Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Constable Geoffrey Fox, 41 – had approached a van containing career criminal Harry Roberts and his accomplices, John Duddy and John Witney.
The trio were preparing for an armed robbery. When challenged, Roberts opened fire with a Luger pistol, killing DS Head and DC Wombwell within 30 seconds. DC Fox was shot dead by Duddy. The judge at Roberts's subsequent trial would describe the murders as 'the most heinous crime for a generation or more'.
A Life Sentence That Didn't Mean Life
After a 96-day manhunt – the largest in Scotland Yard's history at the time – Roberts was captured living in a camouflaged den in Hertfordshire. In November 1966, he was given three life sentences with a 30-year minimum tariff. Sentencing him, Mr Justice Hildreth Glyn-Jones stated it was 'likely that no Home Secretary... will ever think it fit to show you mercy'.
Yet, in 2014, an independent Parole Board deemed the then 78-year-old eligible for release, a decision supported by then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Roberts was freed on licence from Littlehey Prison after serving 48 years, a move that provoked fury across the country. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said simply: 'In this case "life" should have meant what it said.'
A Callous Legacy and Lack of Remorse
Roberts's release was particularly controversial due to his persistent lack of remorse. In a chilling 2014 interview, he described the atmosphere during the killings as 'electric'. He detailed how accomplice Witney said, 'Let the slag have it, Harry,' prompting him to shoot an officer point-blank.
His violent tendencies persisted even in prison. In 2009, his parole bid was rejected after he threatened and intimidated a family who had given him work on day release, vowing to kill them and orchestrating attacks on their animal sanctuary.
Roberts died in hospital last Saturday following a short illness. He had been living in sheltered accommodation in Peterborough, remaining under probation service supervision until his death. His accomplices predeceased him: Duddy died in prison, and Witney was murdered after his release.
The case of Harry Roberts remains a stark and painful chapter in British criminal history, raising enduring questions about justice, punishment, and the true meaning of a 'life imprisonment' sentence for those who kill police officers.
