RESCUED FROM CLUTCHES OF AXE-WIELDING KILLER LUNATIC
WITHOUT a moment’s thought for his own safety Peter Howse dives into the open car window to place his body between raging axeman Billy Hughes and his terrified hostage Gill Moran.
A split second earlier the rapist and killer had swung the weapon at Gill, landing a glancing blow to her forehead as she ducked for cover.
After trying to talk Hughes, who was also armed with a knife, into releasing his hostage for nearly an hour on a cold, dark night after days of snow blizzards, Chief Inspector Howse, 39, sprang into action.
“When he did strike at her in the car Gill Moran was actually quicker than me in reacting,” he says.
“She screamed and moved forward quickly and the blow glanced across her forehead and thudded into the back of the seat, by which time I had jumped into the window and got between them.
“I can’t tell you much about what happened after that, with three people in the car, he was still attacking her, and Gill was still screaming.”
Hughes brought the axe down on to the officer’s arm but it landed on the flat side, so did not wound him.
This gave two detectives armed with Smith & Wesson .38-calibre revolvers time to get into position and fire at Hughes in the car. The fourth shot killed him.
Three days earlier on January 12, 1977, Hughes, 30, had gone on the run across the moors of the Peak District after escaping while being transported in a taxi from Leicester prison to Chesterfield magistrates court for a remand hearing.
Accused of hitting a man with half a
Police outside Pottery
Cottage after