The dramatic ending to the Iranian embassy siege in Kensington, central London, is celebrated as a feat of SAS heroism. During the six day long ordeal, the captive PC Trevor Lock also demonstrated extraordinary levels of coolness and ingenuity.
Lock, who has died aged 85, was the officer on duty on 30 April 1980 when six Iraqi-backed gunmen demanding autonomy for the oil-rich Khuzestan province squeezed off a burst of automatic fire and forced their way into the building.
Newly attached to the Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG), he had just accepted an offer from the embassy concierge of a cup of coffee indoors on a gloomy day. Had the stocky, 6ft 2in constable been at his post and drawn his pistol, he would probably have been shot dead.
The gunfire and Lock’s quick thinking in triggering an emergency alarm on his radio summoned police reinforcements, initiating a standoff that was broadcast live to the world. Twenty-six Iranian officials and visitors – including two BBC journalists applying for visas – were held hostage. Five were released, but threats to execute diplomats intensified.
Despite being cut by flying glass and frisked, Lock managed to keep his Smith & Wesson .38-calibre revolver hidden. He refused opportunities to eat, fearing that if he was escorted to the toilet the gun would be spotted. “It was an heroic feat of self-constipation,” according to Ben Macintyre, whose account, The Siege, was published last year. Eventually Lock agreed to go for a wash. Although under observation, he nonetheless managed to keep the weapon concealed.
He reasoned, however, that if he started shooting he would not be able to overpower the kidnappers, who were carrying grenades and machine guns. Instead he gained their trust while calming the petrified hostages.
Leaning out of the embassy window, Lock performed the role of intermediary between the gunmen and security forces who surrounded the building. He stayed awake while others slept, telling jokes to relieve the tension.
When the terrorists became suspicious of sounds coming through the wall from the Ethiopian embassy next door – holes were being drilled for listening microphones – Lock laughed the noises off, suggesting it was mice running through the old building.
He helped hold back one frenzied hostage who tried to tackle a gunman and proposed driving the kidnappers to the airport if they were allowed to leave. He was unable, however, to protect the embassy press attache, Abbas Lavasani, a fervent supporter of Ayatollah Khomeini, who was tied to the bannister and shot. His body was pushed out of the front door.
The killing prompted the decision, on 5 May, to begin the SAS assault. When Lock realised the embassy was being stormed he rugby-tackled the leading gunman, Towfiq al-Rashidi, pulled out his revolver and held it to the astonished kidnapper’s head.
He later said he thought about shooting but decided it was not in his training to kill out of anger. As gas canisters and stun grenades exploded around them, SAS troopers entered the room, told Lock to move aside and fired a burst of machine-gun fire into Rashidi’s body.
Five of the six hostage-takers were killed. Lock’s restraint and his self-declared preference for the policing style represented in the television series Dixon of Dock Green was subsequently contrasted with the aggression of the SAS.
Born in Gants Hill, Ilford, then part of Essex, Lock attended school locally. During national service in the army he was sent to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where he picked up several Arabic swear words. (Debates about them later provided useful distractions during the long hours of the embassy siege.)
Lock worked at the Ford factory in Dagenham before joining the police in 1965. He served as a beat constable at Barking until early 1980, when he applied to join the DPG, the specialist unit responsible for guarding embassies in London.
His first wife had died in 1971. He subsequently married Doreen Easton, a nurse and former policewoman. They had six children between them: three each from previous relationships. Lock had been due to take her to the theatre as a surprise treat on the night he was taken hostage.
After the siege ended, Lock was praised for his bravery and composure. He was awarded the George Medal for his “outstanding courage, sustained bravery, calmness and devotion to duty” as well as the Freedom of the City of London. The Metropolitan commissioner, Sir David McNee, described him as the embodiment of courage.
Lock, however, never thought of himself as a hero. He suggested most police officers would have behaved similarly and felt guilty for not having saved Lavasani. He admitted to suffering post-traumatic stress and needing psychiatric help. “I hate Bonfire Night because of the bangs,” he told one interviewer. “I hide under the table with the dog.”
He was anxious about rejoining the DPG and became an observer on police helicopter patrols before transferring to the M11 motorway traffic control unit. He donated his George Medal to the police museum after keeping it in his wife’s knitting basket for many years.
He retired in 1992, but went back to working as a civilian in traffic control because he hated “having nothing to do”. In later years he enjoyed supporting West Ham and cared for Doreen, who suffered from osteoarthritis. For their work with the Independent Living Agency and contributions to their local community, a plaque was unveiled on their home in the Becontree estate, east London, in 2022.
Doreen died last year. He is survived by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
• Trevor James Lock, police officer, born 14 April 1939; died 30 March 2025
