Retired Detective Superintendent George Rose has kindly provided us with this fascinating article about a British national by the name of William Lydon who arrived in Bermuda in February 1991. Alert detectives from our Bermuda Police Joint Importation Squad were suspicious about him, and although he was allowed to enter the Island the officers checked with Interpol and discovered that William Lydon was wanted by U.S. authorities following his escape from a prison in Massachusetts some 18 years earlier. This article outlines the steps taken by then Detective Superintendent George Rose and the BPS to bring the man to justice and return him to the U.S. to serve out his sentence.
ARREST OF INTERNATIONAL FUGITIVE
‘ON THE LAM FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS’
On Thursday 14 February 1991, a British national named William Lydon arrived in Bermuda on board the British Airways flight from London. He was landed as a visitor after a routine immigration check and later cleared by HM Bermuda Customs but he raised the suspicions of vigilant detectives from the Bermuda Police Narcotics Joint Importation Squad who were on duty at the airport. Lydon’s details were processed through Interpol and the subsequent enquiries revealed that Lydon was wanted by US authorities.
At 2.0 pm on Saturday 16 February, as then Head of the Bermuda Police Narcotics Squad and acting on the information received from Interpol about Lydon who was still believed to be within the Bermuda jurisdiction, I went to the residence of magistrate the Wor Kenneth Brown and there swore an Information requesting the issuance of a Provisional Warrant of Arrest for William Lydon. I told Mr. Brown that I had good reason to believe that Lydon was an international fugitive wanted by authorities in the United States and I shared with him details of the facts known at that time regarding Lydon. Magistrate Brown subsequently issued the Provisional Arrest Warrant and I went to the Civil Air Terminal in order to monitor passengers boarding the British Airways flight leaving for Tampa, Florida, USA.
Lydon was not on the passenger manifest for that afternoon flight.
At 9.15 pm I again went to the Civil Air Terminal and monitored passengers boarding the British Airways flight leaving for London Heathrow, England. There was no gain for Lydon.
At 9.0 am the next day Sunday 17 February, at the Narcotics office I briefed detective officers including Ds Roger Brydon, Ds Walgate, Ds Gibbons, Dc Michael Jent, Wdc Tucker and Special Constable Simmons in a continuing effort to locate Lydon’s whereabouts on the island. Telephone calls were made and as a result shortly after 10.0 am that morning in company with the above officers I went to the Pembroke [Hamilton] Princess Hotel and met with the duty manager Jean Claude in his office. Shortly thereafter I went with Jean Claude, DS Gibbons, Dc Jent and Wdc Tucker to Room 240. The duty manager was in possession of two master keys.
As officers stood on either side, Jean Claude knocked on the door of Room 240 which was immediately opened by a Pakistani-looking male. I moved forward immediately being first into the room saying “Do you mind if I come in. We’re police officers”
Directly ahead of me across the room I saw a white male sitting opposite the door in a chair with his back to the sliding glass patio doors. I saw that he was slouched in his chair and smoking a cigarette. I went straight to him and stood beside him. He held a beer can in his left hand and I looked for, and saw faint scars on each of the knuckles of his left hand.
Ds Gibbons handcuffed Lydon and patted him down. He resumed his seat and watched as we searched the room and packed his property.
Lydon and his Pakistani companion were escorted to Hamilton Police Station where they were strip searched and processed. I noted surgical scars on Lydon’s left forearm consistent with a tattoo removal. I noted a tattoo on his left shoulder and spoke to him about it. The knuckle scars noted earlier on his left hand were consistent with descriptive information received from the American authorities which informed that the letters L O V E could be seen tattooed on Lydon’s knuckles of the left hand. Under further questioning Lydon admitted having served prison time at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute (Framingham) but he denied he had escaped. He volunteered that he had been deported in the past from both the USA and also from Canada concerning criminal matters.
Lydon was further detained. The US Consul Mr. Maher was informed along with D/COP for COP and PLO. The Bermuda Attorney General was informed for the information of Deputy Governor. It was determined that the Pakistani national had arrived in Bermuda some days before Lydon. He would admit to nothing more than that he was on the island for a vacation. His association with Lydon speaks to the likely existence of a criminal enterprise between them. No evidence could be raised of such however.
Resulting from Press enquiries Police spokesman Sgt. John Instone issued the following release: –
“William Lydon of London was arrested by Det. Supt. George Rose and other officers of the Police Narcotics Squad at a Hamilton Hotel on Sunday morning.”
At a later Magistrates’ Court appearance The Royal Gazette reported that –
“The 46-year old Englishman was expected to face extradition proceedings shortly. He was yesterday remanded in Casemates Prison pending extradition to the US. The British prison escapee had been living in North London but had escaped after serving four years of an eight to ten year sentence for armed robbery.
“Lydon has been wanted in the United States since 1973, when he is alleged to have escaped from prison in Massachusetts. At that time he had apparently been serving a term of imprisonment for armed robbery.
“Lydon arrived in Bermuda on February 14 and authorities had become suspicious after a routine customs check had proved negative. Interpol enquiries later revealed that Lydon was wanted US authorities.
“Lydon, who was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, arrived in Bermuda aboard a British Airways flight from London last Thursday. He and a Pakistani national he was with were questioned by Narcotics officers at the airport but later released. After further investigation it was discovered Lydon was wanted in Massachusetts. He is believed to have arrived in Bermuda for a vacation and was scheduled to leave yesterday. The Pakistani man left on Sunday.
“Lydon appeared in Magistrates’ Court handcuffed to an officer. Two Americans, believed to be friends of his who are also visiting Bermuda, talked with him before yesterday’s hearing began.
“Wearing black trousers, an orange paisley shirt and black leather jacket and standing about 5’6” tall, Lydon told Magistrate the Wor. John Judge that he was the same man who had escaped from the Massachusetts prison. When Mr. Judge told Lydon he would be remanded while extradition papers are prepared, Lydon said:
“The Massachusetts authorities refused to extradite me once before.”
“It is understood that Lydon was convicted of bank robbery in Canada and was later deported from that country. Crown counsel Ms. Cheryl Ann Mapp said the Massachusetts authorities were preparing the paperwork for Lydon’s extradition.
It is understood Lydon can either return to Massachusetts voluntarily by waiving the extradition process, or can be held in Casemates for up to 60 days while extradition proceedings are carried out.”
On Monday 4 March, 1991 Lydon again appeared in Magistrates’ Court for the second time since his arrest. The Royal Gazette reported that:
“An armed robber whose life on the run ended with his capture by Bermuda Police faces at least another two weeks in Casemates before the beginning of extradition proceedings. He was remanded for a further fortnight by the Wor. John Judge.
“Crown counsel Mrs. Cheryl Mapp told the court that she is still waiting for the necessary documents to arrive from the US.
“Mr. Delroy Duncan, representing Lydon, said he was concerned about the basis of his client’s arrest in Bermuda. He added that Lydon would contest the extradition attempt.
Mr. Judge adjourned the case until March 18 and observed:
“I would wish to see before very much longer an authentic copy of the outstanding warrant requiring extradition of this man.
“I am not going to keep somebody in custody from fortnight to fortnight just on the basis of verbal submissions.”
[Lydon’s two American friends were identified and interviewed. They had flown to Bermuda from New York after hearing of Lydon’s arrest. They could not be connected with any unlawful activity which may have been in the offing. Their details, together with those of the Pakistani national were later transmitted to law enforcement agencies in the United States and in London]
March 5, 1991
RE: WILLIAM LYDON
Dear Superintendent Rose:
This letter is written in regards to the above subject who is being held at Her Majesty’s Prison – Casemates as a Fugitive from our Department.
Please be advised that I am working in conjunction with the Massachusetts Attorney Generals, Office (contact details supplied) and the United States Office of International Affairs (contact details supplied) to process the paperwork necessary to return said William Lydon to our custody.
If I can be of further help in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me at (supplied)
Again, thank you and your Department for another outstanding job.
On Tuesday 26 March, 1991 I attended at the office of Magistrate the Wor. Kenneth Brown where I swore before him the contents of an Affidavit for Extradition of William Lydon.
Mr. Brown granted my application.
On Friday 5 April, 1991 British prison escapee William Lydon waived extradition by agreeing to return to the US voluntarily when he appeared in Magistrates’ Court. Lawyer Mr. Delroy Duncan told the court that after taking time to carefully read the extradition papers, his client was happy to submit himself to the jurisdiction of the US. Alternatively, Lydon would have been held in Casemates Prison – where he has been since February 19 – for up to 60 days while extradition proceedings were carried out.
In addressing the court, Mr. Duncan said US authorities had informed him Lydon would not be prosecuted for his escape from custody, but would be required to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Lydon is expected to return sometime next week to the Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Framingham and will be escorted by local authorities.
After examining the extradition papers, Magistrate the Wor John Judge repeated the Governor’s order to formally extradite Lydon to Massachusetts. But Mr. Duncan argued that a formal extradition was not necessary because his client had voluntarily agreed to return to the United States.
However, Mr. Judge upheld that a formal extradition was what the Governor had ordered.
Two US Federal Marshalls’ later attended in Bermuda and, taking Lydon into custody from Casemates Prison, they conveyed him by air to the US jurisdiction. It was said that Lydon had scaled a fence at the minimum-security prison at Framingham in 1973 during his escape.
MORE LYDON REFERENCES
Alan Strong had been serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery at the Cowansville penitentiary until his escape on May 9, 1973. He was next arrested, at the age of twenty-seven, during a gun battle with police following an aborted Montreal bank robbery on March 5, 1974, during which an innocent bystander was shot and killed by a stray bullet. His accomplices were WILLIAM LYDON, twenty-nine and William White, twenty-three, both of whom were prison escapees from Massachusetts Correctional Institute. After his release in 1984, Strong became an international drug-trafficker with ties to the Columbian Cali cartel, and was second in command to Alan Ross.
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