CAPTURED WHILE ASLEEP

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 104, 15 February 1950, Page 5

CAPTURED WHILE ASLEEP

ESCAPED CONVICTS END OF INTENSIVE HUNT (N.Z.P.A.—Copyright) SYDNEY, Feb. 14. Captured while asleep in a holiday cottage at the seaside resort of Collaroy this morning, .the escaped convicts, Darcy Dugan, aged 29, and William Mears, aged 27, appeared later in the Central Court on 11 charges, including those of holding up the Ultimo Bank and the Morts Dock payroll ear. The men appeared before the Court heavily handcuffed and guarded by 10 detectives. Dugan denied all knowledge of the charges and made an emotional claim that Mears had been kicked by detectives and forced to sign a confession. The police prosecutor refuted Dugan’s allegations, and said that Mears was terrified of Dugan, not of the police. Mears then said that the statement had been dictated to him and that he had to write. He claimed that he had been kicked unconscious.

The charges including escaped from custody, assaulting S. A. R. Tuck while armed with a sub-machine gun at Balmain on February 3 and with wounding him, shooting at C. Sayle with intept to murder at Balmain on February 3, shooting at F. G. Simmonds and W. Forbes on the same date, wounding Tuck with intent to murder, assaulting-A. R. Grant while armed with a revolver and robbing him of £3O belonging to the Commonwealth Bank, wounding L. Nalder at Ultimo on January 13, shooting at A. Robinson and wounding R. W. Joseph with intend to murder, wounding Nalder and robbing J. W. Thompson of goods and money worth £3OO at Randwiek on January S. Asked if he would consent to a remand, Dugan claimed that Mears had been beaten into making a signed statement The police prosecutor said that Mear’s statement was in his own handwriting and, that Dugan had been intimidating Mears in the dock. Mears then denied making the statement.

The men were remanded without bail and were taken to Long Bay gaol under heavy guard.

Raid Planned

The dawn raid which resulted in the men’s arrest after 62 days of freedom was planned after information had been received as to the men’s whereabouts. Twenty-one detectives in fast radio cars took varying routes to Collaroy and converged at a predetermined spot near the beach. The party, under Detective Inspector J. Flint, then moved in on the five-roomed fibro cottage. As a detective smashed the back door with a hammer others broke windows, forced the doors and swarmed into, the premises. The escapees were alone in the house. Mears in pyjamas backed toward the wall with his hands raised, but Dugan dived beneath the bed. After a brief struggle Dugan was hauled to his feet and securely, handcuffed. As police had anticipated no weapons were found. Inquiries revealed that the men had been living in the cottage for a fortnight and that two women had been with them for part of the time, probably doing their shopping and acting as spies. The manhunt ended to-day was the most intensive in the history of New South Wales, having .been continually in progress since December 15.

REWARD TO BE PAID DETECTIVES SEARCHING FOR TWO WOMEN (Rec. 12.20) SYDNEY, This Day. A rewai’d of £SOO will be paid by the State Government to the man who gave the police information leading to the recapture of Dugan and Mears. Armed detectives are searching Sydney homes for two women believed to have lived with the escapees at Collaroy for a week. Detectives say that when they handcuffed Mears he said: “Thank God you’ve got me. For a long time now I thought of giving myself up to detectives I knew. lam tired of being hunted.” At Long Bay gaol last night the men were medically examined, because of Dugan’s claim that Mears had been beaten by the police.