The Kent Messenger scooped the world’s press with the first interview with cleared Tonbridge robbery suspect John Fowler – in the Old Bailey canteen.

The KM’s Chris Hunter, who had been covering the seven-month trial with colleague Helen Wagstaff, went for a cup of tea after the verdicts where five men were convicted of the world’s biggest cash heist.

Chris spotted 62-year-old Fowler waiting to be picked up by his wife Linda. He was one of two men cleared by the jury.

Chris said: “I was thirsty and at a bit of a loose end.

“Helen was filing copy and I was bored with Suduko, so I thought I’d head upstairs to see if anyone was in the canteen. Luckily enough Fowler had had the same idea.

“It was the last place I expected to find him.

“If I’d just been cleared after two years of being shipped backwards and forwards from Belmarsh to the Old Bailey, I’d be out of the door and in a pub in two seconds flat.”

Fowler told him: “My plans are I’m just going to go home into the bosom of my family and give them all a big cuddle and then sit down and try to take it all in.”

And speaking about the moment he was cleared of all three charges, he said: “It was a little nerve-wracking to say the least.”

The Kent Messenger produced a 16-page background supplement on the raid and court case.

The newspaper’s website kentonline has a vast backgrounder on the heist.

It includes day-by-day coverage of the court case, a factfile on the raid, and interviews with detectives.

Comments

Freddie (30/01/2008 11:48:12)
Takes me back – Stan Collymore gave me the inside track in the crown court canteen when he was up for assult years ago. Not Guilty of course – and he was sweetness and light at the time!