Murder of Harry Collinson

Common card · No. 349986

The murder of Henry ('Harry') Collinson, the planning officer for Derwentside District Council, occurred on 20 June 1991 at Butsfield, County Durham, England. At the time of the murder, Derwentside District Council was involved in a dispute with Albert Dryden, a local landowner, over the erection of a dwelling on his rural property without planning permission. At approximately 9:00 am on 20 June 1991, television news crews filmed as Dryden aimed a .455 Webley Mk VI revolver at Collinson and shot him dead. As the journalists and council staff fled, Dryden opened fire again, wounding BBC television reporter Tony Belmont and Police Constable Stephen Campbell. A standoff situation followed as armed police officers—who had been on stand-by for the incident at nearby Consett—raced to the scene and Dryden retreated to a caravan on his property. Dryden warned them that the buildings were booby trapped with explosives, that he had planted land mines in the ground around the property and had a cache...

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