The Wrong Man: The Shooting of Steven Waldorf and the Hunt for David Martin

by Dick Kirby

David Ralph Martin was a cross-dressing criminal who carried out a string of sophisticated offences in the 1970s and '80s. A prolific burglar, car thief, fraudster and gunman, he possessed a deep loathing of anyone in authority. In addition, he was a master of disguise and a veritable Houdini when it came to escaping from prison. After shooting a policeman during a botched burglary, he escaped from court on Christmas Eve, 1982. When police believed him to be in a yellow Mini in the Earls Court area with his girlfriend, they opened fire, only to discover they had shot an entirely innocent man – a 26-year-old film editor named Steven Waldorf. The investigation became a cause célèbre at the time, and was subsequently taken over by Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, of which the author was a member. One of the biggest manhunts in the history of the Metropolitan Police ensued, before Martin was finally arrested after dramatically fleeing down the tracks between two Underground stations. Author Dick Kirby reveals for the first time the inside story of the hunt for 'the most dangerous man in London', whose eventual arrest brought to an end one of the most contentious investigations in Met history.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[Paul Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a former Flying Squad detective, it is the story of one of the most violent criminals in the UK, and yet I suspect for most people they will not recognise him, until they see the name Steven Waldorf. Waldorf was shot by the police as they were convinced he was Martin, the two could be have been twins, the fact Martin's girl friend was in the back seat of the car , probably sealed Waldorf's fate, although he luckily survived. David Martin was a career criminal and due to his slight build was commonly mistakenly for a woman , he also dressed as a woman , which caused officers to drop their guard when dealing with him. He shot and wounded a police officer and a security guard, escaped from police stations and prisons . The penultimate time he was arrested he pulled a hand gun on police and was shot by a police officer in the head only for the shot to be deflected by bone and he survived. Escaping from custody this book describes the hunt to recapture him, which results in disaster . He was eventually arrested by the Flying Squad and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment he hung himself in Parkhurst prison. The two police officers who shot Waldorf faced trial for attempted murder, having been charged a few minutes after the conclusion of their final interviews, incredible as today the enquiry would drag on for years. Both were acquitted of all charges, but life would never be the same for them. Another seminal moment in policing, a radical overall of firearms training and counselling for officers, one of those involved had been threatened by Martin with a gun previously and one must ask how he came the one to approach the car with a drawn firearm? He was the best person to identify Martin, but it was in my opinion a poor decision. Good read and recommended to my ex colleagues.

[Patrick Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all ex and serving in 'the Job'

A good read which is not too heavy on police jargon. A step by step approach into the methods used to track and arrest a violent criminal.

[Stephen Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent no nonsense writing . Shame I didn't meet Dick during my time at C 8. Regards Central 911.

Very.much enjoyed reading the truth about what really happened. Like the Stephen Lawrence inquiry the press distorted the truth about the reality of the enquiry .

[Nick Rippington · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a time David Martin was "the most dangerous criminal in London". Having escaped from his holding cell after a court appearance, the authorities were desperate to get him back in custody. One fateful day in 1982 armed police believed they had cornered him in Central London, having kept his model girlfriend under close surveillance. What happened next went down in history as one of the worst mistakes in Metropolitan Police history, a shootout in a busy London street in which an innocent man, Steven Waldorf, was gunned down. Waldorf somehow survived and the Flying Squad were called in to pick up the pieces. This is an amazing joyride of a true story expertly recalled by Dick Kirby, one of the original Sweeney, who through meticulous research plus his own memories and wealth of experience brings a thrilling manhunt vividly to life. It's all delivered with an acerbic wit and disdain for the jobsworths and political animals who put face-saving ahead of crime bashing in their list of priorities. A first-class read

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for something more biographical on David Martin, rather than this waste of trees.
I read this as I have seen the TV drama of this 'Open Fire'. I think somewhere in the book it describes this as a 'TV Series' it was not. It was a extremely well made drama by LWT in 1994, but never a series, so this makes me doubt the rest of the book as being 'factual'. More like a trashy crime novel that was penned as a story for the Sweeney but failed to grab Ted Childs' attention.