Harry Roberts, the notorious cop killer and mastermind behind the ‘massacre of Baybook Street’ in 1966 that saw three police officers lose their lives, has died
15:15, 16 Dec 2025
Cop killer Harry Roberts has died(Image: Roland Leon/Daily Mirror)
A triple cop killer and the mastermind behind the 1966 Shepherd’s Bush murders, Harry Roberts, has died.
The Mirror confirmed the death of Roberts, aged 89, today (December 16). Three Metropolitan Police officers were shot and killed in what is known as the ‘massacre of Baybook Street’ on August 12, 1966.
The horrific deaths saw cops being fired upon following a routine traffic stop. The men were in possession of firearms, including a Luger P08 and a .38 Enfield revolver.
The men were heavily armed as they had intended to steal a car to facilitate a later robbery. Roberts was with his accomplices John Duddy and Jack Witney.
Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, Temporary Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and Police Constable Geoffrey Fox, 41, all suffered serious gunshot wounds. Two of them died instantly, reports the Mirror.
Image for the memorial service for the three policemen, killed in the Shepherd’s Bush murders, held at Westminster Abbey(Image: Mirrorpix)
The court heard how Roberts shot DC Wombwell through the left eye.
DS Head attempted to run back towards the police vehicle but was again shot by Roberts before he could reach cover.
Duddy and Witney were arrested by police in the hours and days that followed, but Roberts – an ex-soldier with experience in jungle warfare from the 1948 Malayan Emergency – used his survival skills to evade capture for three months.
He had hid in Epping Forest in Essex, living in a makeshift camp until he was eventually apprehended on November 15, 1966, near Bishop’s Stortford.
Harry Roberts was released from Prison in 2014(Image: DAILY MIRROR)
On December 12, 1966, Roberts was convicted of murder along with Duddy and Witney. Judge Mr Justice Glyn-Jones described the incident as “the most heinous crime for a generation or more.”
The men were spared execution, as capital punishment had been abolished in Britain only a few months prior, and were instead sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 30 years.
Roberts was released from prison in 2014 and spend a decade free before his death.
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