Scots PC killed in hail of bullets trying to fire Taser

Saturday 9 February 2013

A SCOTTISH policewoman died in a hail of 24 bullets lasting 31 seconds along with a female colleague after responding to a call-out to a house where a fugitive was holed up.

DEATH: Dale Cregan is accused of the murder of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes.

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Pat Hurst

PC Fiona Bone, who was raised in Moray, died shortly after PC Nicola Hughes following a call-out in their patrol car to the property in Hyde, Greater Manchester, where one-eyed fugitive Dale Cregan was hiding out.

Cregan fired 24 shots at 32-year-old PC Bone who, despite her injuries, fired a round from her Taser, which is thought to have hit the ground. She had been struck between five and eight times, Preston Crown Court heard.As the officer fell, a bullet struck under her arm, entering the upper left side of her chest and causing fatal heart injuries.Jurors heard how PC Bone died soon after PC Hughes, 23, after both officers were initially hit in the chest on their body armour.PC Hughes ran back down the garden path but Cregan continued firing, hitting her in the back below her vest.After shooting PC Bone, he then fired three times into PC Hughes' head. In total, she had seven gunshot injuries, four of which were potentially fatal.Her spinal chord was severed, causing instant paralysis and a potentially fatal wound to her abdominal aorta.Nicholas Clarke QC, prosecuting, said: "The three final shots fired into the head severely damaged her brain."He added: "Cregan had discharged a total of 32 bullets at the two unarmed police officers." Mr Clarke told the court Cregan dropped his weapon and jumped into a blue BMW following the killings in Abbey Gardens in Mottram, Hyde in September last year.He threw a fragmentation grenade back towards the garden of the house where the two officers lay. It exploded, causing further injuries to PC Hughes, who was nearest the grenade. But the court heard she was already dead.Cregan, 29, is accused of murdering the officers and his gangland rivals, father and son David and Mark Short. The court heard that he had switched his sights from an "old rival" to the police and executed a "detailed plan" to lure officers to their deaths in a gun and grenade attack.After the incident, Cregan drove to Hyde Police Station after telephoning his girlfriend Georgia Merriman. He turned himself in, telling officers at the station: "I'm wanted by the police and I've just done two coppers." The court heard that Cregan had gone on the run after organising the killings of his rivals following a "simmering feud" between two Manchester families.The court was told that Cregan then went to Abbey Gardens, which was the home of his barber, Alan Whitwell.Mr Clarke said: "Cregan spent the night at the house and had with him the gun he used to murder David Short and a hand grenade."Mr Clarke also told how Whitwell had been involved in the murder of David Short. The following morning Cregan is said to have ordered Whitwell to cut his hair and trim his beard before taking a bath and changing into new clothes.The jurors were told that on September 18 Cregan made a 999 call using a false name to falsely report a burglary. His last comment to the call handler was "I'll be waiting".Mr Clarke said: "When he was arrested and questioned, Cregan told an officer: 'I've murdered two police officers. You were hounding my family so I took it out on you.'"He later said he was "sorry about those two that have been killed – I wish it was men..."Cregan and five other men are accused of the murder of Mark Short and the attempted murders of three others in a pub at the time. All six deny the charges.Four others also deny a range of charges, including murder, attempted murder and firearms offences. The case continues.

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Scots PC killed in hail of bullets trying to fire Taser

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