Tony Lundy

Tony Lundy was a Detective Superintendant within the Metropolitan Police, most famous for his involvement in the 'supergrass' trials of criminals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Supergrasses

Throughout the 1970s, the supergrass was a feared tool that the police had begun using which is generally considered to have begun with Bertie Smalls, who, faced with a hefty prison sentence for his part in leading his gang of armed robbers, the 'Wembley Mob', decided to turn 'Queen's Evidence' against his fellow thieves which resulted in them receiving heavy prison sentences whilst Smalls was granted immunity from prosecution. Although after the Smalls trial immunity could no longer be granted, criminals who turned supergrass could expect to be rewarded with the 'supergrass tariff', normally a sentence of around five years, most of which would be spent in police custody.

Early successes

In May 1977 Lundy, then a Detective Chief Inspector, rejoined the flying squad. His first success was with David Smith in September of that year. Smith was involved in a wages snatch in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, along with George Williams, who too turned supergrass. Smith's confession resulted in sixty nine people being charged, of which ninety per cent pleaded guilty. [J. Morton, Supergrasses and Informers] Lundy was also involved in the initial investigation into Henry MacKenny and John Childs, who was the first serial murderer in modern times to turn supergrass. [J. Morton, Gangland]

Roy Garner

Roy Garner was probably Lundy's most famous informant. It has been suggested that Garner had earnt around £500,000 through rewards submitted by Lundy, which included £300,000 that had been put up by the insurers in a robbery of silver ingots led by Michael 'Micky' Gervaise. [J. Morton, Supergrasses and Informers] After his arrest, Gervaise too became a supergrass for Lundy. However, on the 23rd June 1987 Garner was himself arrested after he too had been informed upon by yet another supergrass, Nikolaus Chrastny, after £14 million worth of cocaine was found in his flat. Chrastny, however, later escaped from his police cell and has not been seen since. There have been reports that Chrastny has been seen in Costa Rica, others that he is dead. [J.P. Bean, Over the Wall] Just how much Lundy knew of Garner's involvement in the cocaine trade has never been established. At Garner's trial Lundy was cross examined "in camera" and was accused of a corrupt relationship with Garner. Lundy denied these allegations. [The Observer, 23 April 1989] Garner received a twenty two year sentence.

Retirement

Lundy retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1988 on ill-health grounds suffering from stress. After the Garner trial he was investigated before, in October 1994, the Crown Prosecution Service stated they had found no evidence to prosecute Lundy. Lundy stated that throughout the investigation he had not once been interviewed [Police Review, 28th October 1994] . He also sold his story to the "News of the World", entitled 'Bent or Brilliant?' He now resides in Spain. Serving police officers to this day are still divided as to whether Lundy was corrupt. Said one, "He couldn't have done what he did if he was." "He had very bad breath," stated another enigmatically. [J. Morton, Gangland]