Day my partner was killed

It is a date that will be engrained on police sergeant Derek Shepherd's memory until the day he dies - 18 April 1995 started off normally enough, with a call to a domestic disturbance at a flat in Ilford. It ended with his friend and colleague Pc Phillip Walters dead, murdered by a Yardie gangster - and his own life turned upside down.

Pc Walters died within seconds of walking through the door. Sgt Shepherd - then a Pc - saved himself only by jamming his finger in front of the gun's hammer.

Now, nine years later, the killer is set to be freed on parole in a move that has angered Pc Walters's father and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens.

Today, speaking for the first time about the tragedy, Sgt Shepherd said: "The sentence will not have been strong enough if they let his killer go. Is that all his life was worth?"

Ray Lee was convicted of manslaughter in June 1996 and sentenced to 18 years in jail - meaning that he is now eligible for parole.

The news has met with widespread condemnation. But none of the anger it has provoked has been so heartfelt as that voiced by Sgt Shepherd, the officer who watched his friend die. It was, he said, an "absolute disgrace".

Sgt Shepherd, 43, a veteran of 20 years now based in Haringey, told the Standard: "It is appalling that the idea of freeing this man is even being considered. He was given an 18-year sentence for taking another person's life and he should serve the full term. Prison sentences need to be strong enough to deter people from committing particular crimes.

"This sends out a very bad message to criminals who carry guns. It suggests that it is worth shooting a policeman to get away from a crime scene because you can get away lightly. It suggests that if you are carrying a gun, you might as well use it."

During the 18 months they were partners Pc Walters and Sgt Shepherd built up a strong working relationship, and became more than just colleagues: they became close friends. "Phillip was a warm, dedicated and conscientious young man who loved his job," said Sgt Shepherd. "I came to respect him greatly as a friend and colleague.

"Nobody deserves to die in the way that he did - especially not at such a young age. He had his whole life ahead of him. I don't know how somebody could do that to another human being. Phillip was sorely missed by the entire team - it was a tragedy."

They had been called to what they thought was a routine disturbance. But it turned out to be three Yardie hitmen administering a punishment beating to a man who had jilted his lover - and when the police turned up Lee was so desperate to avoid arrest he produced a Smith & Wesson revolver and tried shooting his way out. "It happened so suddenly," said Sgt Shepherd. "He was a very violent man who was desperate to get away from us. We didn't know why at the time, and, if we had, we wouldn't have put ourselves in that position."

THAT brief explosion of violence cost Phillip Walters his life: it also had a catastrophic effect on Derek Shepherd's own life, and even helped cost him his marriage. His wife left him shortly after the killing and she blamed the stress he suffered as a contributory factor to their marriage break-up.

He said: "I felt terribly sorry for the parents of Phillip and all the plans they had for him, and then suddenly everything is taken away."

Sgt Shepherd, who was off work for 10 months after the murder, said he pulled back from quitting the service. But even today he still gets nervous attending certain incidents, particularly domestic ones. "I thought about leaving but then I thought I might make a difference."

Pc Walters's father Colin, 59, said Lee's early parole date had come as "a bitter blow".

Mr Walters, a cab driver from Ilford, said: "It was hard enough to stomach the fact that he was convicted of manslaughter not murder. We knew the killer was going to do 18 years and would be out in 12 no matter what. We have come to terms with that and now we learn that the Home Secretary has implemented a scheme for early release of prisoners because of jail overcrowding.

"We feel isolated and forgotten by the justice system while Ray Lee is surrounded by a legal team fighting his corner at the taxpayer's expense. Life for the past nine years has been extremely difficult. Not a day goes by when I don't see a policeman and think of my son and how he died. We have been in constant contact with Helen, the girl he had lived with for four years when he was killed. She has been terribly upset by this."