Jury told how robber was shot by Pc

AN IPSWICH police officer's sister-in-law today told an Old Bailey jury how she watched as he blasted a man with a shot gun after the man robbed and threatened to rape her and her sister in Guyana 23 years ago.

Janice Marshall had been flown over from the South American country to give evidence in the trial of Michael Cheong, of Peterhouse Crescent, Woodbridge, who denies murdering Brian Spencer in 1982.

Mrs Marshall, who is known to her family as Jackie, said she and her sister, Sandra, were walking along a sandy track towards Cheong's mother's house when they were confronted by Mr Spencer.

The jury heard that Sandra Cheong asked Spencer what he wanted and handed over jewellery to him before running off to try and get help.

Mrs Marshall, 40, said she was left behind and pushed to the ground by Mr Spencer who tried to rape her.

She fought back and managed to escape fleeing towards the Cheong family home despite him wielding part of a pair of scissors, which had been sharpened on both sides.

Mrs Marshall said when she got to Marjorie Cheong's home, who is the mother of Michael Cheong now 42, she told his family what had happened.

Cheong, along with his mother and sister-in-law got into the front of a Canter truck with his younger brother Laurence and sisters Melanie and Susie in the back.

They set off to find Cheong's wife Sandra and eventually came across her sitting on a tree stump by the side of a main highway.

The court heard when all six got to Kurukuru Police Station, which is a few miles away, Cheong, his mum and Sandra went inside, before returning and setting off again to find Mr Spencer.

Mrs Marshall said they found the 23-year-old walking up a hill. She said Mr Spencer had stopped but then went to run off.

She said: "He tried to run. Michael told him 'don't run' and Michael shot him. He was running to the hill."

She added Spencer fell to the ground and was hollering and bleeding.

The court heard Mr Spencer rolled over onto his back and offered to give back the jewellery he had taken from Sandra which Mrs Marshall said was a watch, a chain and a wedding ring.

However, the family refused and Cheong, his mother and Sandra went to a police station and brought back a Sergeant Dundas to look at the shot man.

It was decided to take him to Kurukuru police station where they spent an hour and a half before attempting to transfer Mr Spencer to another police station but he died on the way.

Yesterday Cheong's wife, Sandra told the jury how she saw Mr Spencer gunned down, allegedly by her husband, who had gone looking for him after she feared she would be raped following the robbery.

The jury heard Mrs Cheong re-live the moments leading up to Mr Spencer's death.

Following the shooting, Cheong was charged in Guyana with the unlawful possession of a firearm.

The murder enquiry only began in England in 2003 after Cheong and his wife had parted in acrimonious circumstances.

It was said Mrs Cheong made an anonymous call to police to report her husband had killed a man.

Under law in Guyana Mrs Cheong would not have been able to give evidence against her husband. She said she had never been asked to give a statement about Mr Spencer's death while in Guyana.