Roger Rogerson gets jail keyboard at Long Bay Jail

FIRST cop, then killer. Now Roger Rogerson has transformed himself into Long Bay’s very own jailhouse rocker after prison chiefs splashed out on a keyboard.

Former Sydney policeman, Roger Rogerson, has formed a trio with fellow prisoners to entertain fellow inmates. Picture Craig Greenhill

FIRST cop, then killer. Now Roger Rogerson has transformed himself into Long Bay’s very own jailhouse rocker after prison chiefs splashed out on a keyboard.

Belting out numbers by The Beatles and Frank Sinatra as well as show tunes, the 75-year-old known as “The Dodger” has formed a trio with fellow prisoners to entertain inmates in the jail wing for the elderly and infirm.

A favourite of the singalongs has been Sinatra’s My Way, which has impressed staff and ageing co-­offenders alike, despite the irony of its first line: “And now, the end is near.”

Roger Rogerson was jailed for the murder of Jamie Gao. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Corrective Services confirmed it spend $250 on the keyboard as a “therapeutic aide” for inmates in the Kevin Waller Unit.

Officials deny the instrument was bought specifically for Rogerson, but the man who launched a second career as a raconteur and showman on the club circuit after a previous term in jail appears to be the only inmate in the 25-bed unit able to play it.

A spokeswoman said the keyboard replaced an ageing piano that had stopped working and was too expensive to repair. She denied inmates had helped pay for the instrument.

Roger Rogerson as the Piano man

Rogerson, who famously sang show tunes to residents at his mother’s retirement village before his arrest in 2014, has become something of a band leader since his incarceration.

And the chances of a quartet forming are now a distinct possibility with the imminent arrival of former Labor MP Eddie Obeid, who is expected to be housed at the same unit after being sentenced to five years for misconduct in public office.

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However one man conspicuously absent from the sing-a-longs has been armed robber and heroin dealer Arthur “Neddy” Smith, who gave evidence against Rogerson at the Wood royal commission in the 1990s. Smith is in the hospital wing, being treated for Parkinson’s disease.

Rogerson was sentenced to life in September, along with former detective Glen McNamara, for shooting drug supplier Jamie Gao in May 2014.

Rogerson has shunned visits by former associates and has indicated he does not want to see them.

New band member? Eddie Obied was jailed for three years for misconduct in public office: Adam Yip/ The Manly Daily

The unit where he is housed is for the oldest and most infirm inmates. Officials liken the unit to a nursing home, with most residents suffering dementia or needing a wheelchair.

A recent report issued by the NSW Inspector of Custodial Services found life in the unit was quite harsh for the frail and ageing inmates, identifying a lack of room for wheelchairs in cells and lack of handrails for the toilets.