The Heirs of Owain Glyndwr (26 page)

52

‘We have heard that
at some point, there was intelligence that Man F, Trevor Hughes, had escaped arrest and travelled to Ireland. Is that correct?' Ben asked. Gareth had indicated that he had no questions.

‘Yes. Actually, that intelligence came from us. We passed it on to Special Branch. It never came to anything.'

‘But there were subsequently some reported sightings of Hughes in Northern Ireland, were there not?'

‘Yes, but I am very sceptical about them.'

‘Why is that?'

‘Because there were so few of them. Hughes is a very high-profile fugitive and you would expect a certain number of sightings in various places. I myself would only start to believe in them if they were frequent and reasonably consistent as to dates and places. We never had anything like that here. Actually, there has been a surprising lack of sightings everywhere, not just in Ireland. It's as if he has disappeared from the face of the earth.'

‘So your Service can't really assist the court about Hughes' movements or present whereabouts at all?'

‘I'm afraid not. But I can tell you this. We received the ports and airports alert, and we kept a close eye on things. If Trevor Hughes did escape to Ireland, it's very unlikely that he came by any conventional route – by that, I mean ferry or scheduled flight. We would have spotted him. It's far more likely that he had his own private means of transport, and it is almost certain that he wasn't using his real name. We will keep monitoring any fresh reports, of course. But I wouldn't hold your breath.'

After the judge had risen for the day and the barristers were gathering up their papers, Gareth leaned across to Ben.

‘I tell you what,' he said. ‘As far as Trevor Hughes is concerned, I am coming around to Caradog's view. I think he may have come to some harm.'

Ben nodded.

‘It's hard to believe that he vanished into thin air so completely. He only had a couple of hours' head start, didn't he? He was with Dai Bach in the square for most of the evening.'

‘Exactly,' Gareth said.

‘Arianwen thinks he is alive and well,' Ben said.

‘Wives generally do,' Gareth observed. ‘That's what makes this kind of case so terribly sad when the truth finally emerges.'

‘If you're right, I hope they don't find him for a long time,' Ben said. ‘She can't cope with any more at the moment.'

53

Thursday 7 May 1970

‘Police Sergeant Emrys Pugh,
of the Gwynedd Constabulary, my Lord, attached to Caernarfon Police Station.'

‘Thank you, Sergeant,' Jamie said. ‘On the early morning of 1 July last year were you on duty in uniform in Caernarfon?'

‘I was, sir.'

‘Did you make a note of the events about which you are going to give evidence? Was that note made at the first practicable opportunity and while the events were fresh in your memory?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Unless there is any objection – I see there is none – please refresh your recollection using your notes. At about 1.30 on that morning, were you at Caernarfon Police Station?'

‘I was, sir.'

‘Did you receive any instruction from Superintendent Rees?'

‘Yes, sir. Superintendent Rees told me that a suspect by the name of Trevor Hughes was at large, and that it was urgent to apprehend him because there was a danger of further explosive devices having been planted, or about to be planted, in Caernarfon, with which Hughes was likely to be involved.'

‘When you say “further devices”, Sergeant, I take it that you were aware that a device had been found in a car near the town square.'

‘Yes, sir, I was aware of it.'

‘Please tell my Lord and the jury what you did.'

‘I rounded up every uniformed officer I could find – five in all. I found them in the canteen on their break having a cup of tea. I quickly briefed them that we needed to search for Hughes at two places. One was the
Tywysog
book shop in Palace Street, and the second was a residential address in
Penrallt Isaf
. These were Hughes' known place of work and home address. I told the officers that Hughes was to be arrested, and that he was to be regarded as dangerous. Superintendent Rees indicated that he would make armed officers available as soon as he could, but we were to proceed to these addresses immediately and attempt to locate Hughes without delay.'

‘And is that what you did?'

‘Yes, sir. I took two constables with me, and proceeded to the home address in
Penrallt Isaf
. I assigned the other three constables to the book shop.'

‘What did you do on arrival at the home address?'

‘We parked in front of the house. We saw that there were lights on inside. One of the constables gained access to the house.'

‘I take it that he was not unduly gentle in doing that?'

‘No, sir, he was not.'

‘What happened once you gained entry?'

‘We shouted as loudly as we could: “Trevor Hughes, police! We have armed colleagues on the way!”'

‘Was there any response?'

‘No, sir. We made a cursory search of the house. There was no one there.'

‘You say a cursory search…?'

‘We were aware that it would be necessary for scenes of crimes officers to search the premises at a later time, to search for evidence. We did our best not to interfere with the scene. We made no attempt to make a detailed search.'

‘But in the course of your cursory search, did you see any evidence at all of a male being in residence at the address?'

‘Yes, sir. In the wardrobe and chest of drawers in the main bedroom there were numerous items of male clothing – a complete male wardrobe as far as I could see – and in the bathroom there were razors, shaving cream, after-shave lotion and other male items.'

‘What did you do then?'

‘We secured the house as best we could, and I left one of my two constables on guard, in case Hughes should return, and also to prevent any unauthorised intrusion. With the other constable I then proceeded as quickly as I could to the
Tywysog
book shop.'

‘What did you find there?'

‘The other team of officers had gained access to the premises, but there was no sign of Trevor Hughes. I radioed in to the station to report this. The officers drew my attention to a number of documents which were potentially of interest to the inquiry. I instructed the officers to leave these items in place for a later search by scenes of crimes officers. We secured the book shop, leaving an officer on guard, and returned to the police station to await further instructions.'

‘Sergeant Pugh, I don't think this has been done yet, so can I ask you please to look at the floor plan of the book shop, which the jury have. It is Exhibit 3. Can you confirm that it is an accurate plan of the layout of the
Tywysog
?'

‘Yes, sir, I can confirm that.'

‘Thank you. My Lord, my learned friends have indicated that there is no dispute about the later detailed searches made of the various premises the jury has heard about. So rather than take up time unnecessarily by calling each of the scenes of crimes officers, we have agreed that I may summarise their evidence through Sergeant Pugh, who was in overall charge of that phase of the operation.'

‘That is correct, my Lord,' Gareth said.

‘Yes, very well,' the judge said.

54

‘Sergeant Pugh, as you
have said, you made only a cursory search, leaving the more detailed search for evidence to specially trained scenes of crimes officers, is that right?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Those officers conducted a thorough search later the same day, and seized a number of items of evidence?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Those items were then sent for forensic testing where necessary. Are you able to help the jury with the results of those tests?'

‘I am, my Lord.'

‘Thank you. Let me begin with a scene you have not yet told the jury about, and that is Caradog Prys-Jones's home in Pretoria Terrace. Were those premises searched, and is it right to say that nothing relevant to the investigation was found there?'

‘That is correct, sir. There were a few books dealing with the history of Wales and with Welsh nationalism, but these were books in general circulation published by highly reputable publishing houses, and they were not deemed relevant to the inquiry.'

In the dock, Caradog laughed briefly.

‘All right. Turning then to the home address of Trevor and Arianwen Hughes in
Penrallt Isaf
, was that address searched, and is it right to say that nothing of relevance to the inquiry was found there?'

‘That is correct, sir.'

‘Turning next to the
Tywysog
book shop, you have already told my Lord and the jury that the officers who went there looking for Trevor Hughes drew your attention to some documents of interest?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘And were those items later seized by the scenes of crimes officers?'

‘They were, sir.'

‘Very well, let's go through them. My Lord, may we give them sequential exhibit numbers, please?'

‘Yes.'

‘I am obliged. What is Exhibit 11?'

‘Exhibit 11 is a passenger's copy of a reservation for the ferry between Holyhead and Dublin for travel on 3 April 1969, with a return date three days later, in the names of Caradog Prys-Jones, Dafydd Prosser and Trevor Hughes.'

‘Exhibit 12?'

‘Exhibit 12 is a cheque book for an account at Lloyds Bank in Caernarfon in the name of Trevor Hughes, with a stub for cheque number 2674 dated 14 March 1969, payable to the ferry operator, which appears to represent payment for the reservations on the ferry, Exhibit 11.'

‘Thank you. Exhibit 13?'

‘Exhibit 13 is an invoice from a company called the Secure Packaging Company Ltd, based in Sheffield, which relates to the purchase by Mr Hughes of a heavy steel carrying case, model number XT453, manufactured by the company.'

‘And why is that relevant?'

‘If you look at the invoice, sir, you will see a picture of the model XT453. The carrying case used to contain the explosive device found in Arianwen Hughes' car was an XT453. There was no serial number on that case, but there is no doubt about the model. And if you look back at the cheque book, Exhibit 12, you will see a stub for cheque number 2682 dated 4th May 1969, payable to the Secure Packaging Company for £150 – the amount of the invoice.'

‘Thank you. Exhibit 14?'

‘Exhibit 14 is a hand-written note purporting to be signed by Trevor Hughes and a man called Arthur Watts for the monthly rental of a garage in Glyncoed Road, Bangor – which is the address where the device appears to have been assembled – specifying a rent of £10 per month, payable in advance, in cash.'

‘Yes, thank you, Sergeant. Now, turning to that garage in Glyncoed Road, was it also searched, and again were a number of items seized and sent for forensic examination?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘What are Exhibits 15 to 19?'

‘Exhibits 15 to 19 are typed documents with hand-drawn diagrams purporting to be instructions for making home-made explosive devices.'

‘What can you tell us about them?'

‘Most of them are known to police and military experts already. They are typical of instructions which have been circulating among criminal and anarchist groups in this country, in Ireland, and in various continental countries, for some time now. No one knows who wrote them. They are in English, except for Exhibit 17, which is in German, but the standard of English suggests that they may have been compiled by persons whose first language is not English. They circulate in the underground market, of course, but someone determined to find them would be able to do so by making the right inquiries.'

‘Are they sufficient to enable a person with reasonable intelligence and practical skills to assemble a home-made bomb?'

‘Provided he – or she – has the necessary ingredients, yes. Bombs corresponding to these instructions have either been detonated or been disarmed on a number of occasions by the military in a number of locations. At the same time, it has to be said that, in the hands of the unskilled, there would be the potential for considerable danger.'

‘You mean, in terms of blowing themselves up while trying to assemble the device?'

‘Exactly. The instructions are not always as precise as you would wish as regards safety, and you have to remember that you are dealing with dangerous, and sometimes unstable, ingredients, and with electrical circuits which have to be wired carefully and precisely. If you know what you are doing you should be safe enough, but anyone coming to it for the first time would be at some risk.'

‘Exhibits 20 to 29?'

‘Exhibits 20 to 29 are small fragments of electrical wire, and trace quantities of dynamite found on small pieces of brown cardboard, possibly from a cardboard box of some kind, which appear to be identical with those incorporated into the bomb. Exhibit 30 is a pair of pliers bearing small fragments of the same electrical wire. Exhibits 31 and 32 are pairs of plastic kitchen gloves bearing traces of the same electrical wire and the dynamite used in the bomb. If I may go on, sir?'

‘Yes.'

‘Exhibit 33 appears to be a box for an electrical alarm clock of Japanese manufacture, which is the same model used as a timing device in the bomb.'

‘Thank you, Sergeant Pugh. Were there also other items which were seized, but have not been produced in evidence, including two trestle tables, two folding chairs, tea-making equipment, a tin containing biscuits, tea mugs and the like?'

‘There were, sir, yes. They are available to be inspected, should anyone wish to do so.'

Jamie paused to consult a note.

‘Did the scenes of crimes officers also search for fingerprints in the garage?'

‘Yes, sir. On their arrest, fingerprints were taken from Dafydd Prosser and Caradog Prys-Jones. On the trestle tables, chairs, tea mugs, and other items in the garage, the officers found a large number of prints, which were submitted for comparison, and were found to be identical to those of Dafydd Prosser. There were a smaller number, I think seven or eight in all, on the trestle tables and one chair, which were also sent for comparison and found to be identical to those of Caradog Prys-Jones.'

‘Has it ever been known for sets of fingerprints taken from two different individuals to be identical?'

‘No, sir.'

‘And does it follow that the prints that were found were indeed those of Dafydd Prosser and Caradog Prys-Jones?'

‘That does follow, sir, yes. Other fingerprints were also found, but there is no evidence that they are related to the inquiry.'

‘I take it you had no prints from Trevor Hughes to compare to those in the garage?'

‘That's correct, sir.'

‘And in fairness, you did have the fingerprints of Arianwen Hughes, and is it right that no prints were found corresponding to hers?'

‘That is also correct, sir.'

‘Did officers also search the home address of Dafydd Prosser in Bangor?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘And were any items seized from that address?'

‘Just two, sir, Exhibits 34 and 35, a green shirt and a pair of brown corduroy trousers, found on close examination to bear microscopic traces of a substance identified as dynamite. However, the traces were too small to enable any comparison to be made with the dynamite used in the bomb.'

‘Thank you. Did the officers search the car which had been used to convey the bomb to the Castle?'

‘Yes, sir. The car was impounded and subjected to a thorough search. There were a number of fingerprints on the steering wheel and dashboard, identified as those of Arianwen Hughes, and a number on the front passenger side door handle, the boot handle and door, identified as those of Dafydd Prosser. That was only to be expected, of course. Apart from that, nothing of relevance to the inquiry was found.'

‘Lastly, Sergeant Pugh, after the bomb squad had examined the device and removed it from the heavy steel carrying case, was the case checked for fingerprints?'

‘Yes, sir. No prints were found either on the case itself or on the timing device, except for one partial thumb print on the carrying case which was inadequate for comparison.'

‘Yes, thank you, Sergeant Pugh. Wait there, please.'

‘Sergeant Pugh,' Ben said, once Gareth had indicated that he had no questions, ‘can you confirm, and I think it follows from what you have said, that the officers did not find Arianwen Hughes' fingerprints on anything relevant to the inquiry, except for the surfaces of the car itself?'

‘That is correct, sir.'

‘Not anywhere in the garage?'

‘No, sir.'

‘Not on the explosive device itself, or its carrying case?'

‘Correct, sir.'

‘Thank you. Going back to the search of the Hughes' home in
Penrallt Isaf
, did the officers find any note in the handwriting either of Trevor Hughes or Arianwen Hughes?'

‘I'm not sure what you mean by a note, sir. There were a number of pages of handwriting in the music room which appear to be that of Arianwen Hughes, and a few pieces of paper elsewhere which might well be in the writing of Trevor Hughes, but none of it was deemed relevant.'

‘I am sorry, Sergeant. My question was not very precise. Let me try again. Was there any note, either from him to her, or her to him, left somewhere like the kitchen table, explaining where he or she might be – saying, “see you later” or anything of that kind?'

‘Oh, I see what you mean, sir. No. Nothing like that, as far as I am aware.'

‘So there was no indication that Trevor intended to be away for any length of time?'

‘No, sir.'

‘Indeed, you indicated that all his clothes and personal effects seemed to be in place?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘And generally, when you entered, you found a scene that suggested an ordinary family home, in use by an ordinary family on an ordinary evening?'

‘Yes, I think that would be fair.'

‘Lights on, as if they were not expecting to be away for long?'

Jamie stood.

‘I'm not sure the sergeant can properly be asked to speculate quite that far, my Lord,' he said.

Ben nodded.

‘I don't press it, my Lord. Thank you, Sergeant.'