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Sgt. Jack William Avery (5 November 1911 – 6 July 1940) was a British War Reserve Constable who was murdered in Hyde Park, London, having served less than one year with the Metropolitan Police Service.
Jack Avery | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jack William Avery 5 November 1911[1] Bromley, London, England |
| Died | 6 July 1940 (aged 28) St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, U.K. |
| Cause of death | stabbing |
| Police career | |
| Department | Metropolitan Police Service |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Badge no. | 890A |
On 5 July, Sgt. Avery was advised by a member of the public that Frank Stephen Cobbett was acting suspiciously. Avery approached Cobbett, who was lying on the grass and writing on a piece of paper, and took the paper from him. Avery returned the paper to Cobbett, who stabbed the officer in the groin or upper thigh with a carving knife. Avery died the next day.[2]
Cobbett, a 42-year-old homeless labourer, was originally sentenced to death by Mr. Justice Atkinson, even though the jury strongly recommended mercy because of his "low mentality."[3] After an appeal, Cobbett served 15 years' penal servitude for manslaughter instead.[4][5]
In 2007, Ian Blair, then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, unveiled a memorial to Avery in Hyde Park, close to the place where he was attacked.[6]
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