Birmingham Evening Mail from Birmingham, West Midlands, England • 83

EVENING MAIL THURSDAY JULY 15 1976 Neil son tells of Grayland death Shooting DONALD NEILSON man accused of PTE ends a school service Evening Mail Reporter HANDICAPPED children at Wolverhampton will no longer-be taken to schools in West Midland Passenger Transport Executive vehicles from September The two ambulances used for the work are the point of members of the Passenger Trasport North Area Advisory Committee heard at their Walsall meeting Councillor Chris Laws a member Of Wolverhampton Council pointed out that the PTE had looked at the cost of replacing the vehicles and did not now wish to renew the contract He said later: Social Services Committee is trying to get loan sanction to buy two replacement buses to run the service is estimated that it can run the service at no more than it Costs to hire vehicles from the gate I knew what had gon wrong The man had within reach of the shotgun and the plan that he should not at any time be able to grab hold of On the night Neilson broke into the Higher Bax-enden sub-Post Office at Accrington he found himself facing postmaster Derek Astin Neilson claims that as Mr Astin tried to get the gun off him after pushing him from the bedroom door into the bathroom the gun went off Two months later Neil-son selected the Langley sub-Post Office for his next raid- Neilson said he had decided on post office raids because the money involved belonged to the Government and would be loss to Mr Gray then asked about his movements on the night of February 14 Hiift 1974 when he the man had got within reach of the shotgun The Accrington incident occurred after lot of time had gone By chance some months before he had visited the Accrington sub post office and had been served by a pleasant so he decided to go again at everything logically it looked as though it would be easy I knew where my mistake had been on the first one and I could guarantee that would not happen again a young man with a young family a young wife he would tend to think more about his family than he would about the money He would be more inclined to protect his family rather than protect the Wearing his flood and carrying the shotgun he was aware of a movement behind the door of the Accrington sub-post office 1 Holidays visited the sub-post office Neilson tiaid he Arrived by train at Harrogate just after 10 pm He was carrying a pack which contained a sawn-off shirt-gun Mr Gray: Did you ever intend to use that shotgun to kill anyone? No sir Did you ever intend to use the shotgun to injure or hurt anyone? No sir Harrogate in spending cuts Evening Mail Reporter A MIDLAND health authority which is deeply in the red may cut convalescent holidays as a money-saving measure Actor Ian braves theatre curse ACTOR Ian McKellen will be casting superstition to the wind when he takes on a leading role at Stratford-npon-Avon next month For Ian (seen here) is defying the theatre legend which says you must not mention the name of Macbeth especially before on opening night Theatre people who be- lieve it brings bad luck to mention the name reefr only to Scottish But Ian who ill play the title role at the Other Place at Stratford opening mi August 4 said: 1 believe in supersitution once when 1 mentioned the name Macbeth in another dressing room he made me go outside turn round three times and recite a blessing to remove the curse Most people in the theatre take it very Macbeth will he third major rale since he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company this season He is already playing Romeo and the part of Leontes in The Tale in repertory at the main theatre It is a welcome return to the Midlands for his fans who first knew him when he joined the Belgrade Theatre Company at Coventry after leaving Cambridge University in 1962 the being a triple murderer told in the witness box of the night that Langley sub-postmaster Mr Sidney Grayland died Neilson said that as he stood hooded on the doorstep of the Post Office storeroom Mr Grayland opened the door and shone a torch in his eyes Neilson said: grabbed hold of my hand and underneath the torch was the ammonia bottle ammonia squirted into my eyes as his grip tightened I got the ammonia in my eyes I just went wild I could sot see anything gun was in my hand and it was the pressure of the grip on the gun Uiat set It After two sub postmasters haw! died because of what he claimed were accidental shootings tie still carried a loaded gun the night he went to the Langley sub-Post Office in SandweH The story of the post office deaths was told to an all-male jury at Oxford Crown Court yesterday when Neilson took the stand for the first time At the start of hearing Neilson (39) of Grangefteld Avenue Thorn-bury Bradford changed his plea on two charges of burglary threat Two of the nine counts he faces were put to him again He pleaded guilty to burgling premises in Dewsbury: Yorkshire and Cheadle Hulme Cheshire and stealing a number of guns and ammunition Be pleads not guilty to the remaining charges: three of murder two of attempted murder one of causing grievous bodily harm and one of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life Neilson told how he broke into the Harrogate sub-Post Office and the sawn-off shot gun in his hand went off when Donald Skepper tried to wrest it from him He said there was nothing deliberate in the shooting He carried the loaded gun as a threat Mr Gilbert Gray QC defending asked: if it had been an accident at Harrogate which has troubled you deeply did you go Out yet again to a post office at Neilson said: Harro- Another kiosk PEOPLE living on the Winyates Estate Redditch who had to queue to make telephone calls have been told that a second kiosk is to be installed in the shopping centre The decision comes after 12 months of pressure from Mr Hal Miller MP for Bromsgrove and Redditch Mr Miller said: kept badgering them to put in a second People were concerned at what would happen if there were emergencies or if the only broke double rooms It has a pair of semi detached staff houses in the grounds Coun Austin said he hoped that the home would become part of the community and would not be regarded by the people of Burntwood as an isolated institution Why on earth did you want it? The shotgun a sawn-off shotgun is the tool for job Whenever you see a report of a crime the sawn-off shotgun is the weapon that is used It is the weapon that is understood I should think by everyone that is a criminal the tool for the job It looks as if it means business is that what you mean? Yes On the evening of the Harrogate visit there were cartridges in the shotgun thing was I was going into somewhere and I had no idea positively what I was going to meet inside It may have been necessary to fire a warning Neilson alleged his shotgun had gone off accidentally when Mr Donald Skepper had tried to wrest it from him after he had broken into the Harrogate sup post office Asked how he felt about the death of Mr Skepper Neilson was apparently emotionally disturbed He gulped air and shrugged his shoulders shook his head times from side to side Asked why after the Harrogate incident he wl to a post office at Accrington Neilson said: knew what had gone wrong He said that at Harrogate stopped in Coleridge Close the driver made off up a flight of stairs pursued by the police The door was bolted shut but police managed to get a look at the man He would not answer the door Interviewed later Gibson said: was not in the vehicle It had been moved We had a party and 1 went to bed around 1230 Inquest on road victim An inquest on road victim Diane McLachlan aged 16 of Ettington Close Welles-boiirne near Stratford-upon-Avon was opened at Stratford and adjourned until September 15 Diane died after a car driven by her father struck a wall hear Chari ecote Park Stratford may go The Hereford-Worcester Area Health Authority is being told tomorrow it can save £11000 a year by sending on recuperative holidays only patients who have suffered acute illness Dr Patrick Ferrer the Area Medical Oflicer said that in the last financial year 233 people had holidays costing £9000 in residential fees plus £3000 for transport Offset against this was about £1000 because each patient receiving convalescence pays £2 a week Dr Ferrer said today that holidays were really a problem f6r the Social Services Department but the present economic situation could not take them over- Only one The authority was the only one in the West Midlands which still provided holidays He is suggesting the cuts should affect those people who have holidays because of social problems or had continuing illness such as chronic bronchitis but who could not be regarded as seriously ill He said the authority was £500000 in the red and was looking to make savings where it could Inquest on river death father inquest on a Midland father of two who f'le River Avon at Guy Cliffe will be held at Leamington on July 22 Mr Joseph Mullen aged 37 of Grove Street Learning ton got into difficulties he went for a swim near the Saxon Mill His two children Brendan aged 13 and Michaelle aged 10 stood helplessly on the bank Fired gun The man jumped out of bed and in a flash he was standing there in front of me As soon as I realised that the bloke was there I stood up and said something like 4 The next thing I remember was being in the bathroom I was shoved or pushed or lifted or thrown into that bathroom Juror freed for holiday in Spain A JURYMAN fa Donald Neilson case at Oxford was discharged from service today to go on holiday to Spain He had told the Judge Mr Justice Mars Jones that his holiday arrangements begin next Wednesday even-ing The Judge said Mr Gilbert Gray QC defending had taken instructions from Neilson and had before him in writing consent that the juror be discharged and the trial should continue with the remaining It jurors The Judge said: is an important and complicated case and it is vitally important that no-one should be under pressure to do anything or say anything within any limits of time that reason I am assenting to this As I landed the man was in the doorway blocking off the door The thought which came to me was to get- a warning shot off to startle the man or frighten him back so that I could get down the staircase The gun was pointing obliquely towards the ceiling and he fired Mr Gray: asked: you actually fired did you think there was any danger of the man being Neilson replied: sir not from the direction in which the gun was Mr Gray: Mr Neilson cynics may say things had gone wrong a second Mr Gray: nonetheless that ember 11 you were going to a post office at Neilson: Neilson agreed be had not wanted what bad happened at Harrogate mid Accrington to happen again (Proceeding Dog found bleeding -owner in court Evening Mail Reporter AN RSPCA inspector calling at a Stourbridge home to investigate a complaint heard a muffled whine coming from an outhouse The dog was bleeding and infested with fleas the magistrates heard Charles Barrington Hanks of Lower High Street admitted causing unnecessary suffering to his dog He was fined £15 and banned from owning a dog for ten years Mr Ian Young prosecuting said that the RSPCA inspector took the dog to a vet who immediately had it destroyed The report stated that the dog an ex-racing grey-Hound was in an emaciated condition The contents of its stomach contained tin foil and plastic bags The greyhound weighed 281bs less than half the normal weight for a dog of its age Hanks told the court that the dog was left alone for 14 hours a day while he was a work He claimed that the dog was fed daily with two tins of dog food and a Pint of milk have had dogs all my life the first time anything like this has happened he told the court Bail plea refused A man was remanded in custody for a further week at Redditch magistrates court on a charge of atempting to murder Mrs Jennifer Muriel Omur Dzmez a Turkish national aged 40 of Forge Mill Cottage Forge Mill Redditch applied for bail but this was refused-He is accused 6f attempting to murder Mrs Edwards of the same address at Redditch Chase -then door bolted on police POLICE chased a car for three miles at speeds touching 70 mph through a deserted town centre early one morning magistrates at Tamworth were told When the driver was Woman took tax refund A woman was placed on probation for 18 months at Worcester Crown Court Novena Ann Broadhurst aged 22 formerly of Shraw-ley Avenue Kidderminster now living at Wilden Avenue Stourport pleaded guilty to stealing an Inland Revenue Order and obtaining £2355 by deception The court was told that she had cashed the Income Tax order sent to her former lodger Services Committee He said: the next five years the capital programme for social services will be very restricted The money just is not Bracken House built to replace a home at King-swinford which is nOw stopped he ran off towards some flats an dbolted a door on the advancing policemen refusing to answer their knocks at the door When police returned to interview the car owner at the flat he denied all knowledge of the incident Michael Roger Gibson a miner aged 29 of Coleridge Close Leyfields Tamworth denied driving at a dangerous speed exceeding the 30 mph speed limit failing to display plates and being unaccompanied by a qualified driver on March 15 He admitted failing to sign his driving licence Magistrates at Tamworth found all the charges proved and ordered him to pay a total of £143 in fines and costs He was banned from driving for six months Mr Anthony Hatton prosecuting said that when the vehicle was eventually Homes are out Evening Mail Reporter A closed will accommodate 42 residents in single or latest old home near Lichfield may be one of the last to be built in the county for at least the next five years The £200000 home at Bracken Close Burntwood was opened by Councillor Austin chairman of the County Councils Social.