Stephen Tibble
Encyclopedia
PC Stephen Andrew Tibble, QPM
, (1953 – 26 February 1975) was a police officer
in London's Metropolitan Police Service
. During a chase through central London
, Tibble was fatally shot by Liam Quinn
, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
.
s, Temporary Detective Constables Derek Wilson and Kenneth Mathews and Police Constables Adrian Blackledge and Les White in two teams, had spent the day on the lookout for burglary
suspects in the Fairholme Road area of Hammersmith
. At one point during the course of the operation, Blackledge noticed a man behaving in a suspicious manner outside house number 39 on Fairholme Road; when he spotted the same individual thirty minutes later he decided to question him. Blackledge approached the suspect and introduced himself as a police officer and requested that the man empty out his pockets. The suspect was Liam Quinn, a U.S. citizen
from an Irish Republican
family in San Francisco who had immersed himself in all things Irish, including adopting an Irish accent. A Provisional IRA volunteer, he had replaced Brendan Dowd as a member of the IRA's active service unit
operating in London at the time.
Blackledge noticed that Quinn was carrying a lot of Irish money on him, and so told Quinn he wanted to escort him back to the address he had been seen leaving in Fairholme Road to see what he had been up to. Quinn then attempted to flee, running west down Charleville Road, pursued by Blackledge, heading toward where Wilson and Matthews were sitting on a bench. The pair joined the chase and Wilson later stated that he heard the sound of a motorbike approaching from behind. The rider was 21-year-old off-duty PC Stephen Tibble, who was married and had been a serving officer for six months.
Initially flagged down by Wilson, Tibble gave chase on his motorbike, riding past the pursuing officers and the running Quinn, and pulled to a stop at the junction of Charleville Road and Gledstanes Road. Tibble dismounted his motorbike, crouched and spread out his arms to block the path of the suspect and catch hold of him. At that point, Quinn pulled a gun out and shot Tibble twice in the chest at point-blank range
with a .38 Long Colt
pistol.
Tibble died three hours later in hospital. It is often erroneously believed that Quinn fled into the tunnel at Barons Court tube station
, but in fact he had been pursued by Wilson on Tibble's motorbike and evaded capture by running through the ground floor of a tower block
off Talgarth Road.
factory. The basement was found to contain enough bomb-making equipment to make half a dozen high-explosive bombs. Also found were an automatic pistol and ammunition as well as English and Irish money, wigs and a letter addressed to Joe O'Connell, another IRA volunteer. The landlord stated to police that a "Michael Wilson" occupied the flat.
The discovery of the factory led police to identify four other suspects, who later became known as the Balcombe Street gang after they held a couple hostage in the Balcombe Street Siege
in Marylebone
. The London-based IRA active service unit
had been responsible for a series of bombings and killings in England. This included the inadvertent car-bomb killing of Dr. Gordon Hamilton-Fairley
, a cancer specialist who was not the target, and the assassination of Ross McWhirter
, a conservative political activist and a co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records
; he was shot on his doorstep by the unit after he offered a reward for their capture.
ing a police officer. One of the plain-clothed officers who encountered him in the London incident identified him, but extradition
from the Republic of Ireland
to the United Kingdom
was refused by the Irish courts. After serving a prison sentence in Ireland for IRA membership, Quinn, a U.S. citizen of Irish and Mexican descent, returned to San Francisco shortly after his release.
Quinn was arrested in California by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
in 1981 after the U.S. government approved an extradition request from British authorities. He then instigated a thirteen-year battle against extradition to the UK. Quinn was extradited to England in 1988 and was tried and found guilty of murder
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
in February 1988 with a recommended minimum sentence of thirty years. Quinn served eleven years in Portaloise prison before he was released in April 1999, along with the rest of the Balcombe Street gang, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sympathetic members of the public donated money to Tibble's widow. He was posthumously awarded the Queen's Police Medal
for gallantry and a memorial was erected at the spot where he was killed on Charleville Road in Barons Court.
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
, (1953 – 26 February 1975) was a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in London's Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. During a chase through central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, Tibble was fatally shot by Liam Quinn
Liam Quinn
William Joseph Quinn, known as Liam Quinn, is a former volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army who shot dead PC Stephen Tibble in London on 26 February 1975....
, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
.
Death
Four unarmed plain-clothed police officerPolice officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s, Temporary Detective Constables Derek Wilson and Kenneth Mathews and Police Constables Adrian Blackledge and Les White in two teams, had spent the day on the lookout for burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
suspects in the Fairholme Road area of Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
. At one point during the course of the operation, Blackledge noticed a man behaving in a suspicious manner outside house number 39 on Fairholme Road; when he spotted the same individual thirty minutes later he decided to question him. Blackledge approached the suspect and introduced himself as a police officer and requested that the man empty out his pockets. The suspect was Liam Quinn, a U.S. citizen
Citizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
from an Irish Republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
family in San Francisco who had immersed himself in all things Irish, including adopting an Irish accent. A Provisional IRA volunteer, he had replaced Brendan Dowd as a member of the IRA's active service unit
Active Service Unit
An active service unit was a Provisional Irish Republican Army cell of five to eight members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002 the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units....
operating in London at the time.
Blackledge noticed that Quinn was carrying a lot of Irish money on him, and so told Quinn he wanted to escort him back to the address he had been seen leaving in Fairholme Road to see what he had been up to. Quinn then attempted to flee, running west down Charleville Road, pursued by Blackledge, heading toward where Wilson and Matthews were sitting on a bench. The pair joined the chase and Wilson later stated that he heard the sound of a motorbike approaching from behind. The rider was 21-year-old off-duty PC Stephen Tibble, who was married and had been a serving officer for six months.
Initially flagged down by Wilson, Tibble gave chase on his motorbike, riding past the pursuing officers and the running Quinn, and pulled to a stop at the junction of Charleville Road and Gledstanes Road. Tibble dismounted his motorbike, crouched and spread out his arms to block the path of the suspect and catch hold of him. At that point, Quinn pulled a gun out and shot Tibble twice in the chest at point-blank range
Point-blank range
In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm. The point-blank range will vary with the firearm and its particular ballistic...
with a .38 Long Colt
.38 Long Colt
The .38 Long Colt is a cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875, and was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army in 1892 for the Colt New Army M1892 Revolver. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, or .38 SC. The .38 Long Colt...
pistol.
Tibble died three hours later in hospital. It is often erroneously believed that Quinn fled into the tunnel at Barons Court tube station
Barons Court tube station
Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington, Greater London. This station services the District Line and the Piccadilly Line. The station is located on Gliddon Road, a short distance from Talgarth Road in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham...
, but in fact he had been pursued by Wilson on Tibble's motorbike and evaded capture by running through the ground floor of a tower block
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
off Talgarth Road.
Bomb factory
The police discovered that the flat in Fairholme Road that Quinn had been seen entering was a bombImprovised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
factory. The basement was found to contain enough bomb-making equipment to make half a dozen high-explosive bombs. Also found were an automatic pistol and ammunition as well as English and Irish money, wigs and a letter addressed to Joe O'Connell, another IRA volunteer. The landlord stated to police that a "Michael Wilson" occupied the flat.
The discovery of the factory led police to identify four other suspects, who later became known as the Balcombe Street gang after they held a couple hostage in the Balcombe Street Siege
Balcombe Street Siege
The Balcombe Street Siege was an incident involving members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Metropolitan Police Service of London, England lasting from 6 December to 12 December 1975. The siege ended with the surrender of the four IRA volunteers and the release of their two hostages...
in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
. The London-based IRA active service unit
Active Service Unit
An active service unit was a Provisional Irish Republican Army cell of five to eight members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002 the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units....
had been responsible for a series of bombings and killings in England. This included the inadvertent car-bomb killing of Dr. Gordon Hamilton-Fairley
Gordon Hamilton-Fairley
Gordon Hamilton Fairley DM, FRCP was a professor of medical oncology. Born and raised in Australia, he moved to the United Kingdom where he studied and worked. He was killed by an IRA bomb intended to kill Sir Hugh Fraser....
, a cancer specialist who was not the target, and the assassination of Ross McWhirter
Ross McWhirter
Alan Ross Mayfield McWhirter , known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records and a contributor to Record Breakers...
, a conservative political activist and a co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
; he was shot on his doorstep by the unit after he offered a reward for their capture.
Aftermath
Quinn escaped to Dublin where he was later arrested for assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ing a police officer. One of the plain-clothed officers who encountered him in the London incident identified him, but extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
from the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was refused by the Irish courts. After serving a prison sentence in Ireland for IRA membership, Quinn, a U.S. citizen of Irish and Mexican descent, returned to San Francisco shortly after his release.
Quinn was arrested in California by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
in 1981 after the U.S. government approved an extradition request from British authorities. He then instigated a thirteen-year battle against extradition to the UK. Quinn was extradited to England in 1988 and was tried and found guilty of murder
Murder in English law
Murder is an offence under the common law of England and Wales. It is considered the most serious form of homicide, in which one person kills another either intending to cause death or intending to cause serious injury .-Actus reus:The definition of the actus reus Murder is an offence under the...
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in February 1988 with a recommended minimum sentence of thirty years. Quinn served eleven years in Portaloise prison before he was released in April 1999, along with the rest of the Balcombe Street gang, under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sympathetic members of the public donated money to Tibble's widow. He was posthumously awarded the Queen's Police Medal
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
for gallantry and a memorial was erected at the spot where he was killed on Charleville Road in Barons Court.