Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1882-11-25 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SHOOTING CASE AT  LIVERPOOL.  At the Liverpool Assizes, before Mr. Justice Day, Thomas Alexander Reyes Robinson, 40 years old, described as a gentleman of independent mean., of Orrell Mount, near Wigan, was charged with shooting at two police-constablm, with intent to do serious bodily harm, and with shootiog at a third policemen with intent to murder him. He was further charged with resisting the police in the execution of their duty. Mr. Shea, in stating the else to the jury, said prisoner some time ago had been guilty of contempt of court, under circonatances which need not he detailed, and a warrant for his commitment had been issued by Mr. Justice Chitty, and had been entrusted to a man named Rogers, managing clerk to a firm of London solicitors, to execute. On the 15th of August Mr. Rogers went to the police-station at Pemberton, near the risoner's residence, and obtaining the aid of two constables, named Riga and Dean, went at night to the prisoner's house and rang the bell. After repeatedly ringing they heard a window open, and the prisoner put his head out and asked who ti-as there. Rogers then told him his name, and added that he was there to execute the warrant, upon which the prisoner retired and shut the ri indow. They again rang, whereupon the prisoner again opened the window and mid, "It you don't leave off ringing the bell I will shoot you :as dmd as the devil," and very soon after that a gun was fired. No one was hit, however, and that episode was not included in the present indictment. The party then retired, but did not leave the premises, and the nest morning between seven and eight o'clock, the kitchen door being open, all three effected an entrance the back way and proceeded upstairs. When th-y got on the landing they Raw the prisoner standing in,ide a room, and a colloquy ensued to the same effect as on the previo is night, the prisoner threatening to shoot Rogers and the policemen if they did not go downstairs. lie then endeavoured to shut the bedroom door, but the constables were too quick, and one of them getting his foot between the door and the wall, succeetied in keeping it ajar. The constables pushed at the door from the outside, and the prhoner, who was a heavy man, pushed from the inside. At last he quitted the door suddenly, end it taw open with such force as to strike against the wall and rebound again. At this time the prisoner lied a gun In his hand, which he raised at the precise moment when the door was again closing. The contents of the cartridge lodged, therefore, in the door, and the only injury to those outside arose from a splinter which entered the hand of one of the constables. Aft, this the party left the house, but returned again at eleven o'clock with reinforcements,and on this occasion encountered the prisoner on the stairs. Thomas Steed, a police-constable, and one of the new Somers, at once rushed at him, whereupon the prisoner fired a revolver full at the police-officer. The ball, however, missed him, and buried itself in the wall behind, and before he could again fire the prisoner was secured. In the course of the nor it was elicited that the prisoner had been committed for contempt in assaulting an officer of the Court of Chancery, and threatening to shoot the tipstaff. In defence, it was urged by Mr. Aspinal that the prisoner had been drinking, and he asked the jury to convict the prisoner on a minor count In the indictment. The jury found the prisoner guilty of shooting with Intent to resist his lawful apprehension. Sentence was deferred.