PC Trevor Lock, a hero of the famous Iranian embassy siege in London, has died at the age of 85.
The Metropolitan Police bobby had only recently opted for what he thought would be a quieter life as a member of the diplomatic protection squad in April 1980, when he and others were taken hostage by terrorists in a six-day stand-off that ended with the dramatic storming of the building by the Special Air Service (SAS).
Modest and unassuming, Mr Lock died still regretting that he hadn’t done more to save the life of an Iranian diplomat shot dead by the gunmen, a murder that prompted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to send in the then little-known SAS.
The elite troops, armed with sub-machine guns and gas grenades, abseiled from the roof and rescued 24 hostages and killed five of the six terrorists. One other hostage died in the shootout.
The drama was filmed by TV crews who had set up cameras nearby at the start of the siege.
The BBC showed the rescue live, breaking into its coverage of the World Snooker Championship final and making a national star of young reporter Kate Adie.
PC Lock was the only officer on duty at the embassy in Kensington, west London, and was having a cup of tea when a young man walked up and fired a sub-machine gun at the door before bundling the officer into the building with others who rushed in.
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In tense negotiations over the following five days, the terrorists demanded autonomy for a southern region of Iran, the release of 91 prisoners, and safe passage out of the building.
PC Lock, who managed to keep hidden a handgun strapped to his torso, was hailed a hero for raising the alarm, acting as a go-between during negotiations, and trying to calm the fears of his fellow hostages.
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He was later awarded the George Medal for his bravery, though he shunned the limelight and rarely gave interviews.
He told The Independent in 2010: “The other hostages have a reunion. I don’t enjoy that stuff. I don’t enjoy glorifying it.
“The grandchildren used to come home and say that they’d learnt about me in history.”
