Early this morning Sidney Grant, 28, was arrested at gunpoint in a
guest house at North Sydney, and charged with the murder on Sunday afternoon of Detective-Constable
Victor Donald Ahearn. A police cordon had been thrown around Sydney to apprehend Keith George Hope,
23, alias Beckett, and all trains, planes and ships are being closely watched while the cooperation of the
Victorian police has been sought in case Hope should break through the cordon in an at tempt to return to
Victoria. The search for Hope is also being intensified in the Newcastle district. Grant was arrested by armed
police while he was breakfasting at a guest house. He offered no resistance. A large squad of police was
rushed to the guest house and, while all exits were guarded. Detective H. Hughes and Sergt. R. K. Knight,
with revolvers drawn, rushed inside. They threw open the door of a room and found Grant having breakfast.
Later, Grant appeared before the North Sydney Court with his head bandaged and was charged with the
murder of Detective Ahearn on which charge he was remanded to the Central Court on August 20, bail
being refused. Grant appeared in court handcuffed to a detective-sergeant and was later removed under
a heavy escort.
Sergeant M. Whelan, who conducted the prosecution, told the court that Grant and another man had been
arrested at the entrance to the women's reformatory at Long Bay Gaol. The two men were placed in a police
car, which was driven by Detective-Constable Bowie, while Ahearn sat between the men. After the police
car had proceeded about a mile and a half from the reformatory, Grant drew a revolver and twice shot
Ahearn, who died in a few minutes, Bowie, stopped the car and struggled with Grant, who was disarmed,
but Bowie was assaulted about the face. Grant and the other man then disappeared.
Shortly before 3.30 p.m. Grant was again before the North Sydney Court and was remanded until August 20,
on nine charges of breaking, entering and stealing, including the theft of four sub-machine guns, two revolver
chambers, and a quantity of ammunition, to the value £50, from Rushcutters Bay naval depot, on July 30.
Four counts dealt with alleged thefts of wireless Sets. He was also charged with stealing clothing, valued at
£200, from a shop at Crow's Nest on July 31, with breaking into a shop at King's Cross Road on July 5
and stealing women's clothing, worth £100, and with breaking into a garage at Killara on July 28, and stealing
tyres and money to the value of £30. Grant was also remanded on two charges of having been in possession
of firearms.
The police produced four Thomson sub-machine guns and two ammunition cases which were found among
some bush at Roseville. The Victorian police advised that ballistic tests proved that the revolver which bad
been used in the murder, had been stolen from a resident of Hawthorn in 1942. It is believed that Grant left
a considerable sum of money in Melbourne. His arrest followed probably the greatest man-hunt ever staged
in this State. Almost 500 police and soldiers were engaged. Grant told the police that he arrived by car from
Melbourne on Saturday and, with a companion, booked in at the guest house early on Sunday morning. |