Wilfred TUNSTALL

Man shot dead in Sydney siege

SYDNEY, Monday. — Police used tear gas to force a man from a Sydney house today and shot him dead as he ran out firing a high powered rifle.

The man, 55, had held police at bay in the house in Glanville *( possibly Granville ) for nearly three hours.

He wounded a policeman ( Wilfred TUNSTALL ) in the arm before he was shot dead.

Another policeman suffered from gas inhalation when two cannisters of gas were lobbed into the house.

Earlier witnesses reported that a woman *( Nadia Wehbe ) staggered out of the house wounded and collapsed in the gutter. A man who went to her aid was ordered away.

The woman and the policemen are in a satisfactory condition.

COURT REPORTS

Charged man said ‘You’re kidding’, SM told

SYDNEY: An entertainer told a detective, “You’re kidding”, when informed he would be charged over the Woolworths extortion attempt, Central Court was told yesterday.

Detective-Sergeant Wilfred Tunstall said this was the reaction of Mr Larry Burton Danielson, 48, of Huskisson, who, with Mr Gregory Norman McHardie, was appearing before Mr Webb, SM, charged with conspiring to demand money with menaces and by force between July 1 last year and January 13, 1981.

Each is also charged with attempting to steal $500,000 in cash, 22 diamonds and 10 50-ounce gold bars, the property of Woolworths, on January 13. Mr Danielson is further charged with breaking into Pro Diving Services at Huskisson on October 15, 1980, and January 13, 1981.

No plea has been entered.

Sergeant Tunstall said he had   interviewed Mr Danielson at Nowra police station on January 29. He had also played tapes of two telephone calls made to Woolworths employees by an

extortionist.

“I told him he would be charged in relation to these matters”, Sergeant Tunstall said. “He said, ‘You’re   kidding’ “.

Earlier, evidence was given that on January 17 Mr Danielson had bought a diver’s oxygen tank from a shop at Rushcutter Bay, Sydney. That night the shop had been broken into and other diving equipment stolen.

Mr Christopher Charles Benning, diving instructor, of Manly Vale, said he had locked the shop when he left it at 10.30pm. After the robbery, diving gear and a diver’s propulsion unit had been missing.

Mr Benning said a propulsion unit produced in court was of the same colour and type as the one stolen.

Mr John Pritchard, for Mr Danielson, objected when the police prosecutor, Sergeant Garry Wells, tried to tender the propulsion unit as an exhibit. He said there was nothing to connect his client with the unit.

Sergeant Wells said the unit had been found in Sydney Harbour about a mile from where a diver, alleged to be Mr McHardie, had tried to collect a bag of extortion money from under a wharf at Taronga Park.

Mr Webb said he would admit the exhibit, but was doubtful about its value. He adjourned the case until 10am today.

Escaper, store bomb link  SYDNEY: Police are “keeping an open mind” on the possibility of a link between convicted Woolworths bomber Mr Graham McHardie and an explosion at the Woolworths variety store at Liverpool early yesterday.

Detective Superintendent Noel Morey ( NSWPF # 5283 ), of the Sydney CIB, confirmed that two sticks of gelignite had exploded, causing damage estimated at about $10,000.

Police intensified their search for Mr McHardie, 28, who escaped from Parramatta jail last month during his trial for the extortion bombings of three Woolworths stores in 1980. The police believe Mr McHardie or some of his associates could be responsible for yesterday’s explosion.

They also have not ruled out the possibility that the explosion was intended as revenge. “We are keeping an open mind,” a police spokesman said.

Detectives from the Special Breaking Squad, which investigated the 1980 bombings, spent several hours in the store yesterday, with members of the Police Scientific Squad, after it was found that the explosion was similar to previous Woolworths explosions.

Police said last night that the explosion had been caused by two sticks of gelignite which blew a hole three metres by one metre in the roof of the store about 4.40am. It also blew a hole in the wall of a second-storey office and was heard five kilometres away.

The means of detonating the explosive had not been discovered, although the area was searched yesterday by an officer from the Army Bomb Disposal Unit.

The bomb could have been placed on the roof, or thrown up, since there was no sign of breaking and entering, or theft.

Police said blasts at Woolworths stores in Warilla and Maitland in 1980 were caused by gelignite bombs placed on the roof.

The store opened to the public at 3.30pm after workmen had repaired the damaged corrugated-iron roof and cleared debris.

A spokesman for Woolworths, Mr John Hendry, said security would not be increased “because previous experience shows it to be at a pretty high level”.

No ransom demand had been made by last night to Woolworths, and Detective-Sergeant Bill Tunstall, who investigated the previous Woolworths bombings, said that at that time demand letters had not come for two days. If the style was to be the same this time “we might not get any letter for a few days yet”, he said.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/126896567?searchTerm=%22sergeant%20tunstall%22&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc#pstart13937840

Valuable paintings recovered

SYDNEY: Two valuable Australian paintings, stolen in 1976, have been recovered in a raid on a Darling Point house in Sydney.

The raid was carried out on Sunday by the Penrith-based regional crime squad, led by Detective-Sergeant Bill Tunstall.

Six paintings by well-known Australian artists were stolen from the   Manly Art Gallery in May, 1976.

The recovered paintings were an oil by Tom Roberts, painted in 1895, and entitled ‘The Flower Seller’ and a Norman Lindsay water colour entitled   ‘Swans and Peacocks’.

No arrests were made and inquiries are continuing in relation to the other paintings.

Rogerson used false name, bank man says

SYDNEY: Former Sydney detective Mr Roger Rogerson had used a   false name for an account he opened at a Penrith bank in July 1985, Glebe Local Court heard yesterday.

A former Westpac Bank branch manager, Mr Albert Blatch, told the court that Mr Rogerson had opened an account at his bank using the name Robert Tracey with a $58,000 bank cheque on July 9 that year.

Mr Blatch was giving evidence at committal proceedings against Mr Rogerson and two others charged with conspiring to pervert the course of  justice.

He said that Mr Rogerson had come into the bank with Detective Sergeant Bill Tunstall — whom Mr Blatch knew — and two others to discuss opening the account.

Mr Blatch said the cheque represented the balance of an account from another bank. Mr Rogerson had said he was not happy with the service.

Mr Rogerson had been introduced to him as Mr Rogerson, but had indicated he would like to keep his account   in the name of Robert Tracey.

Mr Blatch said he understood the account was opened to hold funds “coming from Mr Rogerson refurbishing motor vehicles that had been sold”.

Mr Blatch said that Mr Rogerson had telephoned three days after the account had been opened and inquired about withdrawing $40,000.

Mr Blatch said the funds subsequently had been transferred to the Taxation Department.

Earlier yesterday, “Miss Jones”, the protected witness giving evidence about a drug deal she allegedly made with Mr Rogerson in May 1985, broke down and wept after she was questioned about fears for her safety.

Under cross-examination by counsel for Mr Rogerson, Miss Jones said she feared for her safety after the death of Mr Dennis Allen, who died in April last year.

She told the court she feared one person and she wrote that name on a piece of paper.

Mr Rogerson, Sydney businessman Mr Maurice Nowytarger and Mr Nick Paltos have been charged with conspiring with Mr Ross Karp between May 1985 and March 1986 to pervert the course of justice.

The hearing resumes on Monday.