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Death of Jack Avery

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Jack Avery
Born
Jack William Avery

5 November 1911[1]
Bromley, London, England
Died6 July 1940 (aged 28)
St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, U.K.
Cause of deathstabbing
Police career
DepartmentMetropolitan Police Service
RankSergeant
Badge no.890A

Sgt. Jack William Avery (5 November 1911 – 6 July 1940) was a British War Reserve Constable who was murdered in Hyde Park, London, having served less than one year with the Metropolitan Police Service.

On 5 July, Sgt. Avery was advised by a member of the public that Frank Stephen Cobbett was acting suspiciously. Avery approached Cobbett, who was lying on the grass and writing on a piece of paper, and took the paper from him. Avery returned the paper to Cobbett, who stabbed the officer in the groin or upper thigh with a carving knife. Avery died the next day.[2]

Cobbett, a 42-year-old homeless labourer, was originally sentenced to death by Mr. Justice Atkinson, even though the jury strongly recommended mercy because of his "low mentality."[3] After an appeal, Cobbett served 15 years' penal servitude for manslaughter instead.[4][5]

In 2007, Ian Blair, then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, unveiled a memorial to Avery in Hyde Park, close to the place where he was attacked.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917
  2. ^ "Stabbing of Police Officer – Manslaughter Verdict Substituted". The Times. 13 August 1940. p. 9.
  3. ^ "News in Brief". The Times. 23 July 1940. p. 2.
  4. ^ "Bid to trace police war officer". BBC News. 29 April 2007. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Jack William Avery". London Remembers. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)