Wife-killers Gerard Baden-Clay and John Chardon bonded over books in prison
A former inmate has revealed the close relationship between convicted wife killers John Chardon and Gerard Baden-Clay.
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Wife killers Gerard Baden-Clay and John Chardon developed a special bond while in prison together, including over a set of leather-bound novels, a fellow former inmate has revealed.
The millionaire businessman “interacted closely” with Baden-Clay and was given the “privilege” of reading his prized book collection.
Chardon, who was serving a 15-year sentence for the manslaughter of his wife Novy, died aged 73 of a suspected heart attack at Wolston Correctional Centre on Wednesday.
Novy disappeared in 2013 and her body has never been found.
Chardon was sentenced to six years in jail in 2014 for unrelated child sex crimes and the former inmate who revealed the friendship with Baden-Clay did jail time with him at Wolston before he was convicted of Novy’s manslaughter in September last year.
“He was in Unit 3 – the unit for the worst of the worst, or the most likely to get attacked,” the ex-prisoner said. “He was doing time with the likes of (Daniel Morcombe killer) Brett Cowan, Baden-Clay and serial pedophiles.
“Chardon bought favours from ‘protector’ inmates, with regular food purchases for them.
“He was one of the few who were given the privilege by Baden-Clay of reading his leather-bound copies of the Wilbur Smith novels about the Courtney family in South Africa.
“After reading it, you are required to enter your ratings in a special section Baden-Clay has created.
“I think Baden-Clay somehow thinks he is somehow related to the family it (the Wilbur Smith novel series) is based upon.”
The ex-inmate said Chardon boasted to fellow prisoners that he would never be caught before he was found guilty of her manslaughter.
“Chardon never professed his innocence (over Novy’s killing). However, he made a point of saying he would not get caught because there was no body found,” he said.
Conman Peter Foster, who gave evidence in Chardon’s committal hearing that the businessman had, while in jail, confessed to Novy’s killing, said through his lawyer Chris Hannay: “Let dead dogs lie.”
Foster’s evidence was excluded from Chardon’s murder trial but the conman later claimed he was offered a $1m bribe not to testify.
After Chardon’s death, police vowed to never give up the search for Novy’s body. “We will continue to look for Novy’s body and I would again appeal to any person who has any knowledge, has assisted John Chardon in disposing of Novy – have a conscience and come forward now,” Homicide Squad chief, Detective Inspector Damien Hansen, said.