Constable David Carty’s sacrifice remembered on 25th anniversary of death

Constable David Carty had just finished a few drinks with mates when he was set upon by members of a notorious south western Sydney gang and killed. Find out what happened that night 25 years ago.

Constable David Carty had just finished having drinks with work colleagues in Fairfield when he was set upon and slain by members of one of the most violent gangs in the state.

Carty, who was 25 when he was killed, was remembered at a memorial service today marking the 25th anniversary of the horrific stabbing in the carpark of the Cambridge Tavern in the early hours of April 18, 1997.

His colleague, Senior Constable Michelle Auld, who went to assist him, was seriously assaulted in the cowardly attack.

Less than seven hours earlier — while on duty — Constable Carty had been called to a laneway in Fairfield to speak to a group of men that had been causing trouble in the area.

Some of those same men were involved in his brutal stabbing.

Carty’s murder exposed an underbelly to Sydney and cops of a brand of street violence and gang mentality they didn’t know existed.

The killers, all from the Assyrian Kings, had modelled themselves on the ultra-violent LA-based Latin Kings. It was to change parts of Sydney forever.

Police arrest suspect in stabbing murder of off-duty police officer David Carty, stabbed to death while still partly in uniform when ambushed by the Assyrian Kings gang. Thamir Matti Seko, Amier Yaco, James George, Ashur Leon Darmo and Amir Dankha were charged with murder.

“Really until then we thought they were just a bunch of lowlifes hanging out together,’’ said a retired senior detective who worked in the area at the time.

“They hung out in Villawood Housing commission areas and we would get calls to go and clean out the thugs,” the officer said.

At the time the public were aware of Asian crime gang such as the 5T from Cabramatta who were heavily involved involved in the heroin distribution.

“But their violence was restricted to their own criminal community and the wider community didn’t feel threatened by them,” the officer said.

Those thugs were Sydney’s first real taste of organized street gangs whose propensity for violence was to be repeated over and and over again.”

Senior Sergeant Brett Grenfell was one of David’s friends and colleagues at the time of his murder. A Police car has been given ‘CARTY’ number plates. Picture: David Swift

“From those guys we got gangs such as DLASTHR and True Kings. Blood thirsty and vicious gangs that grew from street level to fuelling large parts of Fairfield and surrounding suburbs,’’ he said.

Those in these Assyrian and similar gangs have been linked to a number of murders such as the double homicide of Neser Ghaderi and his mate Keyvan Ghajaloo as they were sitting on the bonnets of their cars in Hickson Rd at the Rocks on April 16.

Gang members were also believed to be responsible for the Babylon Cafe Murder at Fairfield in November that same year when a restaurant cafe was sprayed with bullets and Raymond Khannyah was killed 2005.

“We hadn’t really seen the drive-by shootings, the brazen use of automatic weapons in public that these gangs started doing,’’ he said.

“David Carty’s death opened that world up to law enforcement and we are still fighting it now.”

Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar pictured at the Memorial Service. Picture: David Swift

The fury over David Carty’s death rippled through the community immediately after and years to come.

One of those involved in the killings got out of jail after serving just five years and prompted calls for life sentences for those convicted of killing a police officer.

With the force and the public still seething over his callous murder another officer, Glenn McEnallay’s was executed by a well-known criminal family as he responded to a job in Maroubra in April 2002.

Again a city was outraged and the Force mourned the loss of a young officer executed by a career criminal and his associates. It took nearly a decade before the legislation was passed making it a life sentence for cop killers.

An order of service from the Memorial. Picture: David Swift

At today’s memorial, friend and colleague Senior Sergeant Brett Grenfell said the services don’t get any easier even after 25 years.

“Some of our new recruits are in their early 20’s, and they weren’t even born when Dave died,” Sgt Grenfell said.

“I make it a point to talk to them about him, what he sacrificed, and what happened on the day.”

To this day, Sgt Grenfell encourages new recruits in Fairfield to visit his memorial in David Carty Reserve to pay their respects.

David’s brother Paul Carty with his wife Monique (right) and daughters Chloe (left) and Erin. Picture: David Swift

David’s brother Paul Carty and his two Aunties (left) Kath Yeadon and Marie Walker laid a wreath at the Memorial. Picture: David Swift