Raymond Anthony Codling was an

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

with Greater Manchester Police who was murdered at Birch Services on the M62 motorway near Heywood, Greater Manchester, in 1989.

Timeline

In the early hours of 14 September 1989, Codling, aged 49, in company with

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

James Bowden, 45, arrived at Birch motorway services between junctions 18 and 19, westbound, on the M62, looking for a white van, the details for which had been circulated by radio. The officers saw a motorcyclist, whom they approached, and he provided them with his details, which later proved to be false. A short time later they saw the man again, acting suspiciously, and the two officers approached him. Bowden noticed that the man had a large knife in his belt and was holding his right hand inside his jacket. Bowden attempted to seize the knife but the man pulled back and drew out a 9 mm

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

. The man fired almost immediately at Bowden, but he escaped injury as the bullet was fired across his body and was deflected by the thick leather cover of his notebook in a breast pocket. The man then shot Codling in the chest; as he lay on the ground injured, a second shot was fired at Codling, killing him. Bowden attempted to give chase but was hit by a gunshot in the leg and was forced to take cover; he later recovered from emergency surgery. The suspect escaped. After a manhunt, the gunman, later identified as Anthony Hughes from Baguley, was traced to a garage in Kendray, South Yorkshire. When officers entered they found Hughes' body; he had killed himself with the same gun used in the attack on Codling and Bowden. No motive was ever established for the attack, except that Hughes had previously carried out a series of

armed robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

, had served 15 years in prison for a string of violent offences, and had indicated his desire to kill a police officer following an earlier court appearance for a minor offence for which he was fined. In 1991, a memorial to Codling was unveiled at the place of his death by Michael Winner, founder of the Police Memorial Trust, and the Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker.Greater Manchester Police – Inspector Raymond Anthony Codling at "OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY"
/ref> In February 2010, the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend

Nigel McCulloch Nigel Simeon McCulloch, (born 17 January 1942) is an Anglican bishop. He is a retired Bishop of Manchester in the Church of England. He was appointed in August 2002, taking up duties later that year and was installed in February 2003. He reti ...

, met Codling's widow at a special memorial service at the Birch services."Bishop meets murdered cop’s widow" in Middleton Guardian at menmedia.co.uk
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Codling, Raymond Anthony Year of birth uncertain 1989 deaths British police officers killed in the line of duty Deaths by firearm in England Deaths by person in England Male murder victims Murder in Greater Manchester 1980s in Greater Manchester 1989 murders in the United Kingdom 1989 in England September 1989 events in the United Kingdom Murder–suicides in the United Kingdom

Timeline

See also

References