Superintendent Gerald Irving Richardson (2 November 1932 – 23 August 1971) was a British

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

in the

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, Lancashire, Hutton, near the cit ...

and is one of the highest-ranking officers to be murdered in the line of duty in Great Britain. In 1972 he was posthumously awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

Early years

Gerry Richardson was born in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

, Lancashire, in 1932 to Irving Richardson and Lilian Pugh and had always aspired to join the police force.

Murder

On 23 August 1971, Richardson assisted in a

car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive industry i ...

of a gang of five armed robbers who had attacked a jeweller's shop in Blackpool. As the gang split up and attempted to escape on foot, he and PC

Carl Walker Carl Walker, George Cross, GC (31 March 1934 – 2 October 2022) was an English Inspector#United Kingdom, police inspector who served in the Lancashire Constabulary until 1982 when he was forced to retire due to injuries sustained in a shooting ...

, who also later won the George Cross, chased one of the raiders, Frederick Joseph Sewell (known as "Fat" Fred), down a dead-end alleyway. Sewell shot Walker in the thigh before Richardson tackled the gunman and attempted to persuade him to surrender his weapon. However, Richardson was shot twice in the stomach at

point-blank range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm or gun can hit a target without the need to elevate the barrel to compensate for bullet drop, i.e. the gun can be pointed horizontally at the target. For targets beyond-blank range ...

and died of his injuries later that day at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital.

Funeral

His funeral was attended by around 100,000 members of the public; Richardson was buried in Layton Cemetery.

Conviction of murderers

The five armed robbers were all convicted and sentenced to a combined total of 93 years in prison, including Sewell who escaped after the shooting but was tracked down to a

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

flat and jailed for 30 years for

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

. Sewell said of Richardson at his trial: "I shall see him every day of my life. He just kept coming. He was too brave." Sewell was released in 2001, when aged 68, after completing his sentence and reportedly having amassed a wealth of around £1 million through property deals made in prison.

Honours and trusts

His posthumous award of the George Cross was cited in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' of 13 November 1972. The Superintendent Gerald Richardson Memorial Youth Trust was created in 1974 in his honour and helps people under the age of 25, particularly those physically or mentally disabled, who live in Blackpool.

References