Bill Forth will never be forgotten
25 YEARS ON, SERVICE MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF OFFICER’S BRUTAL KILLING
BRUTALLY killed while simply doing his job, fallen cop Bill Forth was today remembered on the 25th anniversary of his death.
The Northumbria Police officer Bill Forth was answering a 999 call in Gateshead when he was attacked in March 1993.
The sergeant and a colleague were responding to a report of a smashed window, in Clover Hill, Sunniside, when he fatally crossed paths with crazed Paul Weddle. High on a cocktail of drink, drugs and lighter fuel, the 26-year-old beat Sgt Forth with fence railings before stabbing the dad-of-two in the heart.
The 34-year-old lost his life despite efforts to save him. Now, 25 years on, Sgt Forth has been remembered by former and serving officers at a special service.
Rev Steve Edge, senior force chaplain, led prayers and readings at the event, held in the memorial garden at the Northumbria Police HQ on Middle Engine Lane, in Wallsend.
Rev Edge said: “Bill was not just a police officer. He was a fisherman, a musician, a composer. He was a son, husband and father.
“He was a truly respected and well-liked sergeant, and represents the very best of what British policing, and policing in Northumbria, stand for.
“He went out that day with the intention of doing his job and coming back to his wife and children. But he never came home. Today we remember Sgt Bill Forth and honour his memory.”
The officer joined the Northumbria force in 1979 and served in Sunderland. He was promoted to sergeant in 1989 and was later seconded to the district training centre at Aykley Heads in Durham. On his return to Northumbria, he served in areas including Felling and Whickham.
Shortly before his death, Sgt Forth was commended by a judge for his bravery while tackling two armed men. Temporary Chief Constable Winton Keenen said: “It may have been 25 years since Bill’s murder but that day is still fresh in the memory for a lot of people associated with Northumbria Police. It was one of the darkest days in the organisation’s history and it robbed this force of a fantastic officer and his wonderful family of a loving father and husband.
“Whenever an officer dies in the line of duty it is a tragic occasion, but Bill’s death resonates even further because it was such a brutal and cowardly attack.
“He and his family will forever be in our memory and his name will be forever etched into stone in our memorial garden alongside other brave colleagues who lost their lives protecting the people they serve.”
In 1994, Weddle and Philip English, then just 15, who was also at the scene of the attack, were convicted of Sgt Forth’s murder. Weddle, from Beacon Lough, Gateshead, was sentenced to life in prison, while English, of Sunniside, was handed a 15-year tariff. However, English’s conviction was later quashed after a court heard he was 100 yards away and in handcuffs when Sgt Forth was fatally wounded.