A housewife sobbed in the witness box as she told

A housewife sobbed in the witness box as she told an Old
Bailey jury today Wednesday how a policeman was brutally murdered
outside her home.

Mrs Carol Stevens saw Sgt Alan King, 41, desperately flag down
a passing car only to be attacked as he tried to get to safety
inside.

Knifeman Nicholas Vernage, 26, had allegedly already murdered
two other people when he was challenged by Sgt King, the court
heard.

Mrs Stevens said she heard the commotion of the clash outside
her Walthamstow home and looked out the window to see Sgt King
desperately trying to flag down a passing car.

‘He appeared to be shaking.

He was looking like he was about
to collapse at any second.

‘He was making groaning noises as if he was hurt and was
wanting help.

‘As the police officer reached the car, the man ran up to him
and shouted: “I’m going to get him”.

‘He got hold of him by the jumper.

The officer had one leg in
the car.

The man pulled him back out and was hitting him.

‘He just kept hitting him.

They were strong sort of hits.

‘The officer finally got away from him and the car shot off
up Forest Road.

‘
Unknown to Mrs Stevens, Vernage was armed with a knife and
had already stabbed Sgt King before going on to viciously knife
him again as he tried to get in the car, the jury heard.

The officer was rushed to a nearby police station and then to
Whipps Cross Hospital but could not be revived from knife wounds
which pierced his heart and other vital organs.

Sgt King, an officer in the Met Police since 1969 and based
at Chingford, east London, left a widow Monica and two children.

Earlier, the jury was told Vernage had boasted that he wanted
to ‘have a war’ with police and was prepared to murder anyone
who got in his way.

His first alleged murder was of a friend, Miss Lorna Bogle,
who was stabbed 21 times in the chest, back and hands at home in
West Avenue Road, Walthamstow, on November 21 last year.

Three days later, Vernage stabbed Mr Javaid Iqbal, 37, to
death after he apparently surprising the burglar in his home in
Napier Road, Leytonstone, the court heard.

Vernage then allegedly teamed up with Peter Grenfell, 29, for
more burglaries.

On November 28, they were challenged in their stolen car by
Sgt King, the jury was told.

Another eyewitness to the fatal clash that night was Mr Peter
Brooks, who heard a fight outside and thought his son might be
in trouble.

By the time he looked out, Vernage had already stabbed Sgt
King, the jury was told.

Mr Brooks said: ‘I saw a policeman and a coloured fellow.

The
policeman was backing off towards my house.

It looked like the
coloured fellow was going for him.

‘The officer stumbled and fell over backwards.

The coloured
fellow was very athletic and moved very quickly.

‘I said to my wife there was a policeman downstairs getting
a kicking.

‘
He said the officer went out of sight as he staggered towards
Forest Road as if to flag down a passing car, pursued by the
coloured man.

Mr Brooks said he did not think the officer was badly hurt
but learnt on the news that night that Sgt King had died.

Grenfell and Vernage allegedly sped off.

They were challenged again the following day in Thornton
Heath when two officers spotted them in the stolen car, the
court heard.

Vernage lunged at PCs Simon Castry and John Jenkinson,
seriously wounding each of them.

He was arrested nearby soon
afterwards, the jury was told.

Grenfell fled as his colleague launched his knife attack and
was arrested the same day as he took the train to Southend.

Vernage, of no fixed address, denies three charges of murder,
two of attempted m

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Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey,
London, EC4.

Tel: 071 236 0116
(Old Bailey/jh/bm)
20/11/92

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