Barry Prudom

Background

Barry Prudom was the prime suspect in the killings of police officers after police compared bullets which had killed PC Haigh and the Lincolnshire pensioner and found they came from the same gun. Prudom had given false details when he was unexpectedly disturbed by PC Haigh, but he could not immediately come up with a false date of birth, a fact which the police said was well known to them.

Prudom had stolen a car in Lincolnshire to return to the North York Moors, where he went on the run and hid in the Dalby Forest.

The offence

Prudom fatally shot two policemen and a male robbery victim.

In Malton, Prudom killed another policeman, Sgt David Winter.

Prudom also held an elderly couple hostage in their home.

Investigation

Police set up an incident room in Malton from where they handled a huge amount of press, TV and radio enquiries. The story became international.

The incident led to a precedent for police dealing with the media during major investigations. A police PR man spoke to the media directly from the crime scene. Police believed they had to keep the media on their side by giving regular updates. They wanted Prudom to believe that they were seeking him elsewhere so that the immediate pressure on him would be reduced, with the safety of the public uppermost in police minds.

The media reports were said to have been invaluable because they led Prudom to believe that the hunt was concentrated outside the town in Dalby Forest.

The account also said that Prudom had earlier shot and injured another policeman in Dalby Forest.

Arrest

Police knew Prudom was still in Malton. Believing immediate pressure was off him, Prudom fled the house leaving his hostages unharmed.

Minutes later, police cornered Prudom on Malton tennis courts. Faced with imminent capture, he shot himself.

Outcome

Prudom committed suicide during the shoot-out with police on July 4, 1982.

Other details

The account described that Prudom was an expert in outdoor survival, but hunger forced him into the small market town of Malton. The account also stated that, before he fled the house, he held elderly couple hostage in their home and that if he had known police were getting close to him, he could well have harmed his hostages.