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Murder of Brian Bishop

SOLVED1984Central Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England2 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:Memorial to PC Brian Bishop, Frinton-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 1479594.jpg
File:Memorial to PC Brian Bishop, Frinton-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 1479594.jpg — Credit: Cathy Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0

Brian John Bishop (24 July 1947 – 27 August 1984) was a British police officer serving with Essex Constabulary. He joined the force as a fifteen-year-old cadet in 1962, became PC 389 on 11 August 1966 at 6 ft 7 in tall, and was posted to Colchester. He later worked as a dog handler from 1968, moved to the Force Support Unit in 1975, and became a firearms instructor. At the time of his death he held the rank of Acting Sergeant.

On 22 August 1984, Bishop was part of the Essex Police tactical firearms group deployed to Central Avenue near the seafront in Frinton-on-Sea. He was waiting for an armed robber to return to collect money hidden after post office raids in Walton and Frinton. When Bishop challenged the suspect, the man opened fire, causing extensive head injuries to Bishop. His colleague, Sergeant Mervyn Fairweather, was also shot, in the groin, during the same incident. Fairweather later recovered.

Bishop was taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in Smithfield, London, where he died from his injuries five days later, on 27 August 1984.

Colin Richards, a 35-year-old man from Brentwood, was arrested at the scene after another of Bishop's colleagues returned fire; Richards sustained injuries that left him paralysed from the waist down. He was tried at Norwich Crown Court and, on 19 July 1985, was found guilty of Bishop's murder and of wounding Fairweather — having been charged with Fairweather's attempted murder. Richards was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years.

On 19 February 1986, the then Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, unveiled a brown granite memorial stone adjacent to the seafront site where Bishop was shot. This memorial was only the third to be funded and erected by the Police Memorial Trust, and was the first sited outside London.

Key facts

Victims
Mervyn Fairweather, Brian Bishop
Date
1984
Location
Central Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1962

    Brian Bishop joins the former Essex Constabulary as a fifteen-year-old cadet.

  2. 1966-08-11

    Bishop becomes PC 389, posted to Colchester.

  3. 1968

    Bishop joins the dog section as a handler.

  4. 1975

    Bishop moves to the Force Support Unit.

  5. 1984-08-22

    Bishop is shot in the head in Central Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, while waiting to intercept an armed robber; Sergeant Mervyn Fairweather is also shot and wounded in the same incident.

  6. 1984-08-27

    Bishop dies of his injuries at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Smithfield, London.

  7. 1985-07-19

    Colin Richards is found guilty of Bishop's murder and of wounding Fairweather at Norwich Crown Court, and is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years.

  8. 1986-02-19

    Home Secretary Douglas Hurd unveils a memorial stone at the seafront site where Bishop was shot.

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People

  • Mervyn Fairweather

    VICTIM

    Sergeant shot in the groin in the same incident that killed Brian Bishop; later recovered.

  • Brian Bishop

    VICTIM

    Essex Police officer (Acting Sergeant) shot in the head while on duty in Frinton-on-Sea; died of his injuries five days later.

  • Colin Richards

    CONVICTED

    Convicted at Norwich Crown Court on 19 July 1985 of the murder of Brian Bishop and of wounding Mervyn Fairweather; sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:Memorial to PC Brian Bishop, Frinton-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 1479594.jpg

    archival location

    File:Memorial to PC Brian Bishop, Frinton-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 1479594.jpg

    Credit: Cathy Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Places

Central Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England

51.8306, 1.2453

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
PC Brian Bishop, an Essex Police firearms officer, was shot in the head while waiting to intercept an armed robber in Frinton-on-Sea in August 1984 and died five days later; the shooter was convicted of his murder in 1985.
Where did the murder happen?
Central Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England.
Who was convicted?
Colin Richards (Convicted at Norwich Crown Court on 19 July 1985 of the murder of Brian Bishop and of wounding Mervyn Fairweather; sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in England

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Brian BishopWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. PRESS'My Brian was killed on duty. Now our son is a policeman too'gazette-news.co.uk · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 05, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 05, 2026