Crucial Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub firebomb witness dies

William Stokes is the third key witness to die in recent years amid an ongoing coronial inquiry into a deliberately-lit fire that claimed 15 lives at Brisbane’s Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub.

William Stokes at his home in New Farm, Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Another crucial witness in the infamous firebombing of Brisbane’s Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub has died just months shy of the 50th anniversary of the deadly arson attack.

William “Billy” Stokes is the third key witness to die in recent years amid an ongoing coronial inquiry into the deliberately-lit fire that claimed 15 lives in March 1973.

The Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed it had been made aware of the death of Mr Stokes, who is understood to have died in late September.

Mr Stokes, who spent 16 years in prison for the murder of Thomas Hamilton, was one of dozens of witnesses called to give evidence at the reopened inquest before State Coroner Terry Ryan earlier this year.

On the witness stand, he stood by stories he had written for the Port News in the 1970’s in which he claimed members of the “Clockwork Orange Gang”, including Hamilton, Garry Dubois, Peter Hall and Keith Meredith, had been involved in the arson attack at the Whiskey.

He also denied killing Mr Hamilton, but sensationally said: “I wish I did kill him. It would be much easier if I did”.

Exterior pictures of the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub taken by Police at the time of the fire where 15 people lost their lives.

James Finch and John Andrew Stuart were the only two people ever convicted over the firebombing of the popular Fortitude Valley nightclub but rumours have persisted for almost five decades that they did not act alone.

Finch, who was deported to England after serving time for the Whiskey attack, died early last year prior to the inquest resuming while Stuart died in prison in 1979 after going on a hunger strike.

Whiskey Au Go Go arsonist James Finch who professed his innocence, claiming he had been wrongly convicted.

The renewed inquest was prompted by evidence heard at the 2017 trial of Gary Dubois and Vincent O’Dempsey who were found guilty of murdering Barbara McCulkin and her two young daughters Leanne and Vicki in 1974.

The crown asserted they were killed to stop Mrs McCulkin from revealing what she knew about the Whiskey fire.

Dubois was found dead in his prison cell in June last year just days before the Whiskey inquest began.

After 29 days of evidence before Mr Ryan which wrapped up in May, the parties were given six months to provide written submissions to the court but the coroner’s court has confirmed that timeline has been pushed back.

Artists' impression of Gary Dubois in court for the murder of Barbara McCulkin and her children.

“At the conclusion of the third tranche of evidence, counsel assisting was due to file written submissions by 16 September 2022,” a coroners court spokesperson said.

“The State Coroner subsequently agreed that the date for counsel assisting’s submissions could be extended to 18 November 2022.

“A revised timetable for submissions in response will be set after counsel assisting’s submissions are received.”

It’s unclear whether the coroner’s findings will be handed down by the 50th anniversary of the fire in March 2023.

“It will likely take several months after the receipt of the submissions from all parties, and will also be affected by the State Coroner’s sitting schedule for the first six months of 2023,” the spokesman said when asked about an expected timeline for the findings to be handed down.