Justice Denied—Bermuda's Black Militants, and the "Third Man," and the Assassinations of a Police Chief and Governor

This book is the first full account of the 1972/1973 assassinations of Bermuda's governor, Richard Sharple, and police chief, George Duckett. The book includes a foreword by Dr. Carol Shuman, a former journalist with the Bermuda Sun and Mid Ocean News.

During the 1970s, a black power organization in Bermuda, which modeled itself on the American Black Panthers, conspired to bring about social change "by any means necessary", including assassination. The struggle for equal rights in Bermuda during this period both imitated events in the US and was heavily influenced by them. This is especially true for the role American black militants played in encouraging Bermuda's youth to challenge the white power structure on the island. Bermuda became the first nation to suffer the violent effects of the importation of 1960s style American Black Power militancy. As a result, Governor Sharple, Police Chief George Duckett and others were murdered.

Justice Denied points the finger of guilt at a faction of the black militant grouped by the "Third Man", who controlled the convicted assassins. The author named the Bermuda businessman, a convicted drug dealer, who assisted the assassins in financing their political aims through drug deals and bank robberies. He also concludes that the real story about the assassinations was whitewashed by consecutive Bermudian governments in the interests of racial harmony.

This investigative book is based on interviews with police officers involved in the investigation into the assassinations and murders as well as interviews with prison officers familiar with two members of the assassination team. Additional material for the book is gleaned from the previously secret Scotland yard murder files, British Foreign Office files, court records, newspaper archives and interviews with the Bermudian governor's widow.

Mel Ayton is the author of numerous books and articles. Ayton has a master's degree in history from Durham University, is a former Fulbright Teacher, deputy headmaster, and a college lecturer, and lives in County Durham, England. Ayton has appeared in documentaries produced by the National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel and has worked as a historical consultant for the BBC.