A Class Act - Bart Street

27th to 29th October 2005.

By David Slade, based on a true story. In memory of Mr A Oliver of 16 Cross Street, Reading.

Between 5-50pm and 6-15pm on 22nd June 1976 Alfred Oliver, who was 60 years old and a tobacconist of 179 Bartholomew Street, Newbury, was fatally assaulted and the sum of £12 stolen from his till. He died 24 hours later having never gained sufficient consciousness to give any information to the police about his assailant.

It was a case that created an immediate sensation due in some part to the victim's place in the local community. All the trappings of a hunt and early arrest were present, as the local police had several strong leads to follow.
For instance:
• A thief had stolen a fur coat from a car parked in Northbrook Street at about 6pm.
• A woman motorist wearing a green coat was sought.
• A Local lad of 15 had apparently gone into the tobacconist’s shop, seen the stricken Mr Oliver on the floor and fled in terror and had failed to report it.
• A Woman had been nearly knocked over by a man with “staring eyes” who had been running in the Market Place at about 6:05pm.

All this evidence was gradually filtered and left the local police force with a tough choice.

Meanwhile at the local Plaza theatre in the Market place a touring company of actors where getting ready for that evening's performance. The play they were enacting was called The Monster and it was seen as a big success. One of the main characters in the play was a detective who was disguised as a tramp, and the person playing this part was an American named Philip Yale Drew. Mr Drew was heavily addicted to drink and loved the high life and was seen as the life and soul of the party.

The local police were given a stark choice: pin the blame on somebody quickly or call in members of the murder squad from London’s Scotland Yard. Ultimately they had no choice but to call in the Yard. But love quickly develops between the two people in charge of the investigation, even though one of them was seen chasing men in the disco.

Seen through the eyes of a number of local characters, Mr Drew visits the local disco and gives a memorable performance on stage. Two local couples split up at the disco and go their own way, giving Mr Drew more chance to befriend the locals.

The local children are not left out as one of them visits the tobacconists. As Mr Oliver lies fatally injured on the floor, he flees the scene in terror without reporting the incident. This leads to the children believing the Police have arrested the lad and then are keeping him under a watchful eye. So they decide that they must try to spirit him away to a country where he can’t be extradited from.

The police from the Yard interview over 300 local people and compile a huge dossier of evidence before they decide that Mr Drew is the Principal Witness and bring him in for questioning where all the evidence is put to him. Denying it all entirely it’s ultimately put before a jury at the inquest.

At the inquest Mr Drew is found not answerable to any of the accusations made against him. But Drew had made so many friends in the town since that dreadful day that the locals forgot about the crime and only cared whether Drew got off and so when the verdict was announced it was like a festival and Drew was paraded through the town like a cup-winning captain rather that a man who a few minutes earlier had stood accused of the murder of one of their own.

A hugely unsatisfactory conclusion, it might be said.

From the Newbury Weekly News.