John Killick who escaped Silverwater jail in a chopper flown in by his lover on fraud charges
A MAN at the centre of one of Sydney’s most infamous prison escapes, when he was spirited out of Silverwater jail 20 years ago in a helicopter hijacked by his lover, has been charged over his alleged role in an identity theft scam.
NSW
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A MAN at the centre of one of Sydney’s most infamous prison escapes, when he was spirited out of Silverwater jail 20 years ago in a helicopter hijacked by his lover, has been charged over his alleged role in an identity theft scam.
John Killick, 76, who spent 45 days on the run after his Russian lover Lucy Dudko broke him out of jail in 1999, was charged on Tuesday with knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, dishonestly obtaining property by deception, and goods suspected stolen in premises.
Killick is the sixth person to be charged as a member of the bold fraud syndicate, with three women — aged 28, 39 and 42 — receiving bail to reappear in court, and two men — 46, and 56 — behind bars.
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He is due to appear at Central Local Court on October 11.
Killick spent 15 years in jail for multiple armed robberies before being paroled in 2014 to live with his ex-wife Gloria at a house in Milsons Point — the same property raided last month by detectives investigating the alleged fraud ring.
His ex-wife has not been charged over the identity theft scam.
Killick published a book last year — The Last Escape — saying that while many deemed the escape “successful”, he considered it a failure.
Dudko was sentenced to 10 years in jail and wrote 4500 love letters to Killick while inside.
Killick served time for armed holdups in 1966, 1972, 1981 and 1985.
He met Dudko at a party in 1996 and an intense romance blossomed between them until, in 1999, Killick wound up in custody yet again after he robbed a bank and shot at an off-duty police officer.
On March 25, 1999, “Red Lucy” booked a $360-an-hour helicopter ride and, at gunpoint, forced pilot Tim Joyce to land the chopper in the exercise yard of the maximum security prison where Killick was awaiting his sentence.
Killick was able to make his way onto the helicopter under heavy gunfire from prison guards and the Bonnie and Clyde pair flew to safety, leading police on a six week chase through NSW and Victoria.
The pair was eventually arrested at a tourist park in Bass Hill and Killick was shipped off to Goulburn jail, while Dudko was sentenced to a maximum ten years at Mulawa women’s prison.
She served seven years and wrote 4500 love letters to Killick during that time, but after rediscovering her faith in 2005, she ended the relationship for good and was released from jail the following year.
Killick is banned from contacting Dudko for another four years as part of his strict parole conditions and has not spoken to her in nearly 20 years.
After gaining his freedom Killick became an advocate for rehabilitation, both in assisting re offenders entering the system and preventing at-risk youths from entering a life of crime to begin with.
“I believe there needs to be more rehabilitation options to prevent young people getting into a life of crime,” he told The North Shore Times last year.
“I just want people to read my story and learn from my mistakes.”