Police Dependants' Trust
Encyclopedia
The Police Dependants' Trust is a body which looks after the interest and welfare of the families of British police officers who have died or been killed while on duty.
It was set up in 1966 from financial donations which flooded in after three officers in London
were shot dead in cold blood by three men whose car they had stopped for a routine inspection (Massacre of Braybrook Street
). The initial contributor was holiday camp
owner Billy Butlin
, who donated £250,000.
The three killers were all given life sentences. One of them died behind bars, while another was released after 25 years but was murdered shortly afterwards. The only surviving member of the group is Harry Roberts
, who is still behind bars some 40 years later and in December 2006 the Parole Board
rejected his latest application for release. This decision came 10 years after the recommended earliest date that the trial judge said Roberts could apply for parole.
It was set up in 1966 from financial donations which flooded in after three officers in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
were shot dead in cold blood by three men whose car they had stopped for a routine inspection (Massacre of Braybrook Street
Massacre of Braybrook Street
The Shepherd's Bush murders, also known as the Massacre of Braybrook Street, was the murder of three police officers in London by Harry Roberts and two others in 1966....
). The initial contributor was holiday camp
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
owner Billy Butlin
Billy Butlin
Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin, , was a British, South Africa-born entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.American Heritage Dictionary 2004, p. 135.Scott 2001, p. 5...
, who donated £250,000.
The three killers were all given life sentences. One of them died behind bars, while another was released after 25 years but was murdered shortly afterwards. The only surviving member of the group is Harry Roberts
Harry Roberts
Harry Roberts may refer to:*Harry Roberts , Australian film actor of the early 1900s*Harry Roberts , England international football forward*Harry Roberts , English football fullback...
, who is still behind bars some 40 years later and in December 2006 the Parole Board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
rejected his latest application for release. This decision came 10 years after the recommended earliest date that the trial judge said Roberts could apply for parole.