ARMED ATTACKS ON SUBPOSTMASTERS ARE A ‘A FIRST DIV

ARMED ATTACKS ON SUBPOSTMASTERS ARE A ‘A FIRST DIVISION

CRIME’ AND ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTS THEM ‘WILL GET NO MERCY FROM THE

COURTS’ AN APPEAL COURT JUDGE SAID TODAY.

‘THIS KIND OF OFFENSE IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE FREQUENT,’

SAID LORD CHIEF JUSTICE LAWTON AT THE HIGH COURT.

‘IT’S A SERIOUS

MATTER FROM THE PUBLIC POINT OF VIEW AND EVEN MORE SERIOUS FROM THE

POINT OF VIEW OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO MAN SUB-POSTOFFICES.

‘

STEWART GRAHAM CARPENTER, 27, OF CLAYPOLES GARDENS, EALING,

AND PHILIP RICHARD GATFIELD, 29, OF HARLECH GARDENS, HESTON, WERE

BOTH JAILED FOR AN ATTACK ON SUNNINGDALE SUBPOSTOFFICE IN SURREY ON

SEPTEMBER 11, 1984.

DURING THE RAID CARPENTER STABBED WILLIAM FIGG, THE

SUBPOSTMASTER, WHO DIED THREE MONTHS LATER.

CARPENTER ORGANISED A TEAM, CONSISTING OF HIMSELF, GATFIELD

AND TWO ‘HARDENED VILLAINS WHO WENT AROUND COMMITTING OFFENSES IN

SUBPOSTOFFICES, ARMED TO THE TEETH’ THE JUDGE SAID.

BUT THE TWO VILLAINS PULLED OUT AND CARPENTER AND GATFIELD

WENT IN ALONE.

CARPENTER ENTERED THE POSTOFFICE ARMED WITH A KNIFE AND

DEMANDED MONEY.

WHEN MR FIGG RESISTED BY THROWING SOME KEYS AT HIM,

CARPENTER STABBED HIM.

‘IT WAS A SERIOUS WOUND, THOUGH NOT FATAL,’ SAID THE

JUDGE, ‘BUT THERE WERE MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS AND THE SUBPOSTMASTER

DIED 3 MONTHS LATER.

‘

DEFENCE COUNSEL MR ROBERT HOLT SAID GATFIELD WAS ONLY THE

GETAWAY DRIVER AND TOOK NO PART IN THE STABBING.

‘HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT HIS PARTNER HAD A WEAPON AND WAS QUITE

SURPRISED THAT THE SUBPOSTMASTER WAS INJURED.

‘CARPENTER HAD TOLD HIM IT WOULD BE A VERY SIMPLE SNATCH

BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY AN OLD MAN THERE’ HE SAID.

MR HOLT ADDED THAT GATFIELD HAD ADMITTED BEING THE DRIVER.

‘HE SAID HE HAD PLANNED THE RAID AND THAT WAS WHY THERE WAS NO

VIOLENCE.

HE DIDN’T AGREE WITH VIOLENCE.

‘GATFIELD HAD BEEN APPROACHED TO TAKE PART IN ARMED

ROBBERIES, BUT AS SOON AS HE FOUND OUT THAT WEAPONS WERE GOING TO BE

USED, HE MADE AN EXCUSE AND REFUSED TO TAKE PART’.

BUT CARPENTER AND THE SAME TWO HARDENED CRIMINALS HAD

STAGED A PREVIOUS ARMED ROBBERY AT THE TWICKENHAM SUBPOSTOFFICE ON

JUNE 5, 1985 IN WHICH #20,000 CASH AND GOODS WORTH #15,000 WERE

STOLEN, THE COURT HEARD.

AT THE OLD BAILEY IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR CARPENTER WAS

CONVICTED OF ROBBERY, THEFT OF A CAR AND WOUNDING WITH INTENT AND

SENTENCED TO 14 YEARS IMPRISONMENT.

GATFIELD WAS CONVICTED OF ROBBERY ON THE SAME DAY AND

JAILED FOR 9 YEARS.

MR HOLT ARGUED THAT THE SENTENCES IN BOTH CASES WERE TOO

LONG.

GIVING JUDGMENT LORD JUSTICE LAWTON SAID ‘GATFIELD MUST

HAVE APPRECIATED THAT CARPENTER WAS GOING TO USE SOME DEGREE OF FORCE

OR THREATENED FORCE IN ORDER TO SUBDUE THE SUBPOSTMASTER.

IT WAS

INCONCEIVABLE THAT THOSE VILLAINS WERE GOING TO ROB A POST OFFICE AND

THEY WEREN’T GOING TO USE A WEAPON’.

HE WENT ON: ‘ THESE UNFORTUNATE SUBPOSTMASTERS ARE THE

SUBJECT TIME AND TIME AGAIN OF THESE ROBBERIES.

THIS CLASS OF CASE IS

BECOMING MORE AND MORE FREQUENT AND MORE AND MORE SERIOUS FROM THE

PUBLIC’S POINT OF VIEW.

‘

IN CARPENTER’S CASE, THE JUDGE SAID THAT HE COULD SEE

NOTHING WRONG WITH A 14 YEAR SENTENCE.

‘WHERE THERE IS THIS KIND OF ROBBERY, VERY SEVERE SENTENCES

MUST BE IMPOSED’ HE SAID.

BUT IN THE CASE OF GATFIELD THE JUDGE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT

THAT HE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE KNIFE AND HAD STAYED OUTSIDE THE POST

OFFICE, THAT HE HAD PLEADED GUILTY AT THE TRIAL AND HAD SHOWN REMORSE

ABOUT THE STABBING.

GATFIELD’S SENTENCE WAS REDUCED TO SEVEN YEARS

IMPRISONMENT.

ENDS