The lie that cost underworld figure his life
When Carl Williams lied about Michael Marshall’s involvement in a contract killing, he as good as signed the hotdog salesman’s death warrant.
Our Criminal History
Lunchtime jewel heist which rocked Sydney’s CBD
In what was considered the biggest jewellery heist of the first half of the 20th century, in 1947 a thief managed to steal jewels worth about $600k today. But his glory was short-lived.
Guyra Ghost of 1921 still remains a mystery
As Sherlock Holmes and spiritualism became popular, a ghostly case in the NSW town of Guyra led to hysteria spreading throughout Australia.
Sydney’s forgotten ‘Cocaine Queen’
A witness to one of Sydney’s oldest cold cases, madam May Smith, was later arrested by our first female detective. She was jailed and then disappeared from public records — and from memory.
Last man executed in NSW
John Kelly was sent to the gallows in 1939 for murder, a decision his father labelled as “class justice”, claiming his son would have lived if the murder victim wasn’t from a prominent family.
How Sydney model was acquitted of lover’s murder
It had sex and crime … little wonder 1950s Sydney was fascinated by the trial of model Shirley Beiger, accused of shooting dead her lover outside a popular Sydney nightclub.
Traumatised kids left ‘to rot’
Almost five-years on from the Royal Commission, Don Dale Youth Detention Centre is locking-up kids for 23 hours a day.
Sisters murdered in Dulwich Hill lolly shop
A much-loved confectionary store was the scene of one of the most sensational murder mysteries of 1920s Sydney.
Police killer betrayed by his own tattoo
A hero police officer shot in cold blood by a drunk man he had arrested a day earlier is being remembered by a new and improved Glenelg memorial.
Baby-faced bushranger who went to the gallows
A 22-year-old on death row believed he would be spared the death sentence — but found himself on the end of the hangman’s noose.
Real story behind Claremont murders
Before the Claremont serial killings, the seemingly peaceful Perth suburb was hit by a spate of attacks on women, a new book examines. Read extract.
The sad tale of Colac’s missing shepherd
A skull found in a remote paddock near Colac was the beginning of the end to one of Victoria’s strangest mysteries.
Where our worst crims are buried
Australia’s cemeteries hold the remains of the infamous as well as the famous. Here’s where some of our most notorious criminals ended up.
Decade of trials that rocked Queensland
From audacious frauds to horrendous murders we look back at some of the shocking trials that made headlines in the Sunshine State over the past decade.
‘I couldn’t believe it was happening’: Cadell kidnapping, 50 years on
She was enjoying a cold beer with her family when three prisoners walked through the kitchen door and violently abducted her. Five decades on, the Sunday Mail revisits Monica Smith’s incredible tale of survival and its extraordinary intersection with one Adelaide photographer.
Australia’s murder houses — Are they near you?
They’re the unassuming homes that harbour the same dark secret. From shootings and bashings, to frenzied stabbings, these are the crimes that have happened in our neighbourhoods. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
How shonky evidence hanged innocent man
After a hefty reward was offered to solve Melbourne’s Gun Alley murder, a parade of shonky witnesses with outlandish claims sent an innocent man to his death.
How trendy lanes were once the worst in Melbourne
They might sound charming, but Melbourne’s Romeo Lane and Juliet Terrace were anything but nice places to visit. Infested with thieves and brothels, there was only one fix: changing their names.
Lawless Collingwood street ruled by one clan
It was the street to blame for Collingwood’s bad rap, and there was one notorious family that made Perry St such a dangerous place to go that the council had to tear down their houses just to get rid of them.
How conman duped Aussies with 26 fake identities
From a bogus doctor to counterfeit clergyman to US consul-general, Australian con artist Anthony Duerdin adopted at least 26 fake identities. But it was more about chasing thrills than the cash. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST.
Tragic case of the ‘Longreach Cinderella’
The Outback town synonymous with Qantas and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame also had a dark side – including the appalling case of the little girl murdered by her influential parents.
Mob murders that shocked Melbourne
From ugly jail bashings to ruthlessly being taken out in their own homes, these mobsters chose a life of crime and met violent ends that shocked Melbourne and became the stuff of legend.
Secrets of deadly 1979 Luna Park fire to be revealed
Alan Saffron, the son of the original King of the Cross, Abe Saffron, has died and now his last wish may help families find closure. He has left behind documents containing facts about his father’s involvement in the 1979 Luna Park fire that killed seven people and the presumed murder of activist Juanita Nielsen.
The man who served the world’s longest jail term
Charles Foussard was just 21 when he was locked up. He ended up serving the world’s longest period of incarceration, inside Ararat’s notorious J Ward – Victoria’s asylum for the criminally insane. But how did he end up there?
How Truganini became an outlaw after double murder
Truganini has often been called the last Aboriginal Tasmanian, but a new book details her little-known life on the run as an outlaw in Victoria after her husband shot and killed two men.
Minutes after the massacre
Former Herald Sun journalist and author Geoff Wilkinson describes Hoddle St minutes after Julian Knight’s murderous spree.
Tricky Ricky and the royal racing scandal
The Queen loves horse racing, but the sport of kings has always attracted its share of scoundrels and scallywags. This is the infamous racing scandal which embroiled a couple of regal figures, writes Andrew Rule.
Eight crime scenes: Darwin’s unanswered questions
Up to 100 police are combing eight active crime scenes as they frantically seek answers as to why alleged shooter Ben Hoffmann went on his rampage with an illegal firearm.
How I found an Aussie mafia supergrass
After Gianfranco Tizzoni turned on the mafia, he fled Australia and laid low in fear. But it wasn’t a mob hitman that tracked down one of the country’s biggests supergrasses, it was journalist Keith Moor.
The bandits behind our biggest heists
Criminals long ago moved on from big armed robberies, but there was a time when violent heists on banks, armoured vans and payroll deliveries were a constant occurrence. Here are some of the most notorious bandits from that era.
Surf Coast the destination for North Korean drug ship
The story of the Pong Su could be a Hollywood movie, but the attempt to smuggle 150kg of heroin ashore from a North Korean freighter was all to real — and it happened on the Surf Coast.
Secret past of murdered woman
Her neighbours knew her as Sarah Willoughby, but the woman they found brutally beaten to death in Geelong in 1852 had a secret past none could have imagined.
Life and crimes of Jockey Smith
For a time, James Edward ‘Jockey’ Smith was one of Australia’s most wanted criminals. How did a boy from Colac reach such a level of infamy?
The Suicide Bride
Three desperate children run to a neighbour with horrific news: “Mammy and Daddy are dead.” It’s 1904 and an all-too-common case of murder-suicide, but there’s a wider family story, raising stark questions about criminality and the notion of nature versus nurture. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Our bush sleuths finally celebrated
They can uncover vital clues seemingly out of nowhere and identify offenders from a footprint left in the dust. Finally, the remarkable skills of Aboriginal trackers are being recognised.
The world’s most evil criminal duos
Were they victims of a powerful, abusive partner, or simply drawn together by their sick desires? Whatever united these dire duos, it meant danger and death for those unlucky enough to cross their paths.
Australia’s baddest and best bikie nicknames
Names like Peter, Geoff and Chris don’t carry the same weight as Skitzo, Nuts and Ball Bearing. Just like you can’t be a bikie without tatts, you can’t be a player in the bikie world without a badass nickname.
Cruel suitcase killer ‘enjoyed it’
The detective who caught Ivan Milat says another killer may have had the murderer in mind when he committed his own cruel crimes.
Bin dump exposed Australia’s first terror plot
Australia’s first convicted terrorist who plotted to blow up military bases and the electricity power grid but was busted after a failed dead letter drop, is now set to walk from jail.
Bali bombing mastermind may never face court
Hambali – the accused mastermind who led the extremist group behind the Bali and Jakarta bombings – may never face court, his lawyer is claiming.
Lizard Man’s best mate injured in stabbing
The man who watched bikie Bronson “Lizard Man” Ellery kill himself after he murdered his ex-girlfriend was a key figure in a violent daylight stabbing at the weekend.
Profiler lifts lid on Betty Shanks’ murder
Was it a cop, soldier or bogeyman? For almost 70 years theories have haunted Brisbane as to who killed Betty Shanks. Now an ex-criminal profiler trained by the original FBI ‘mindhunters’ reveals his thoughts on Queensland’s coldest case.
Convict link to key moment in history
HOUSEMAID Rachel Turner was transported on a “floating brothel” for theft — but in an extraordinary turn of events the convict’s illegitimate son would be the only Australian to fight in the Battle of Waterloo.
Howard warns gun laws are at risk
Days after the Christchurch mosque shootings, John Howard has warned that our gun laws are at risk of being eroded.
Breeding ground for mass murder and mayhem
In this extract from his forthcoming book The Night Dragon, Matthew Condon details how Brisbane’s notorious Boggo Road Jail helped sow the seeds for the Whiskey Au Go Go tragedy and other deaths and disappearances in the ’70s
The Vatican’s biggest scandals
The Catholic Church has a heavy cross to bear. It’s facing the worst crisis it has seen in its 2000-year-old history. But questions remain over whether it can survive.
Black widow who poisoned her way into SA folklore
It was called Rough On Rats, a 19th century rodent poison that was little more than a box of arsenic coloured with coal — but for SA’s infamous black widow, Martha Needle, it was the tool she used to murder the people she was supposed to love most.
How Pell’s attitude spurred on his critics
George Pell’s own words to the Australian victims of child abuse summed up his unbelievable contempt for the process of uncovering atrocities in the Catholic Church, writes Charles Miranda.
Australia’s worst mass murders
The now-jailed Bourke Street street attacker committed one of Australia’s worst mass murders. But there were other callous killers before him whose crimes sent shockwaves through the nation.
Whistleblower prostitute seeks compo 50 years on
A former Queensland prostitute who risked her life to take down a corrupt detective almost 50 years ago is set to demand government compensation for decades of pain and suffering.
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