Drawn into a web of police corruption
Fate delivered a young woman to the epicentre of one of the most important and historic moments in Queensland police history.
Our Criminal History
More gay hate crime horrors to be exposed
An Australian-first investigation into Sydney’s “dark chapter” of gay hate crimes is pursuing new tactics to expose the full truth behind multiple murders and attacks and may eventually see witnesses compelled to give evidence.
Accused ‘granny ripper’ may have eaten victim
The case of Russia’s ‘granny ripper’ — accused of murder and cannibalism — holds chilling resemblance to one of Australia’s most notorious crimes.
Aussie gang terrorised San Francisco
Extortion, gambling halls, sex clubs, child prostitution, brothels, animal fighting, murder, arson and rampant looting. This is how an Aussie gang held an American city captive for four years.
Skase begged for cash from prison toilet phone
Christopher Skase begged his family and friends for money to fund his legal case from the toilet of his prison cell on a smuggled mobile phone, as his son-in-law has revealed the desperate measures the disgraced businessman took to try to get back on his feet.
Why acid bath killer wanted to get rid of his wife
Klaus Andres killed his wife of five years and to cover up the crime he used acid to dissolve her body in a bin and then washed her down a drain outside his Cairns home.
The gang of amputee thugs who terrorised Melbourne
In an age when people with disabilities were pitied, a gang of men on crutches struck fear into the people of Melbourne. Members required a missing limb and a taste for grog and violence.
How the Kingsgrove Slasher terrorised a city
It was a bizarre and frightening crime spree the likes of which police had never encountered before — sleeping women and girls repeatedly cut in their own beds before their stealthy attacker fled into the night.
80 years later: Creepy message in a bottle
It’s been over 80 years since the mysterious disappearance of a Brisbane public servant and socialite who vanished from a train station.
A dead man walking, the mutilator and a sordid Lone Avenger
The comic book killer rapist, the Sydney mutilator, a Black Widow serial killer with a penchant for rat poison and the bikie killer who was a dead man walking. The Daily Telegraph continues its alphabetical compilation of crimes that horrified, intrigued and scandalised a nation. Part 4 of a 6-part series.
Australia’s worst female killers
Poisoning, cannibalism and drinking the blood of their victims. These are the stories of Australia’s most savage female killers.
Convicts’ first Christmas marred by crime
Eleven months after the First Fleet landed, Christmas was “observed with proper ceremony” according to a report from the time. But not all the convicts were prepared to make do with their extra ration of rum.
Ned Kelly’s sister, the gun and an unwanted kiss
The incident that forced Ned Kelly on the run was sparked by an amorous constable who was supposed to be arresting Ned’s brother — but had eyes for his sister instead.
![SECOND FLEET STORY Item 01: The perilous situation of "The Guardian" Frigate as she appeared striking on the rocks of ice - with the departure of the crew - and the wonderful intrepidity of the Commander Lieutenant Riou / [possibly by Robert Dighton] Picture: State Library of NSW](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/3412cf4dd9628e15206f664a6b403c80?width=650)
Ship of horrors: Death, ‘floating brothel’
By the time these ships began arriving in Sydney, most people couldn’t stand upright. Some had gaping wounds so deep you could see their bones.
Gangland hard man’s grisly end in ‘torture room’
Police issued a warning to the underworld on the number of bodies being dumped on Melbourne’s streets. So Carl Williams’ next victim would not be left on the street, but beneath it — in a bin stuffed down a stormwater drain.
Gangland player’s deadly meal with Carl Williams
Underworld figure Mark Mallia wanted answers after his drug-lord boss was gunned down. But when he spoke out at a meal with Carl Williams he condemned himself to one of the gangland war’s most brutal endings.
In pictures: Policing in the ’60s
IT was the decade of the Beaumont children mystery, the Wanda Beach murders, ‘The Mutilator’ and the disappearance of Harold Holt — plus perhaps the strangest siege in Australian history.
Dead hitman had a heart of gold … if you were a dog
JAMES Bazley, the hitman suspected of killing Griffith anti-drugs campaigner Donald McKay, was a dog lover who refused to execute a victim’s dog when ordered by a mob boss. He had no such issue with people.
Justice and jail through the eyes of a serial crook
THE inmates probably expected another bleeding heart, exhorting them to repent their sins and choose life in the straight lane. But that’s never been Joe Tognolini’s style.
Year of infamy when state lost its innocence
TWO shocking crimes within a 12-month period jolted Queensland out of its comfortable complacency and made residents realise that yes, bad things could happen here.
No mercy from our ‘hanging premier’
AS support grew for the end of the death penalty in Victoria in the 1960s, premier Henry Bolte tightened his grip on the state’s right to send killers to their death.
Story behind Australia’s only pirate
AUSTRALIA’S only real pirate was a physically imposing African-American from Massachusetts who terrorised shipping off the West Australian coast for a decade before he met a grisly end.
’How my mates cut me free from Yatala’
WITH his mate Fritz, Joe Tognolini sat atop Australia’s most wanted list in the 70s and 80s. Today, he recalls shootouts with cops, honour among thieves and his fifth and final breakout
Confessions of a legendary Australian safebreaker
He did time with the last man hanged in Australia, was locked up with Chopper Read and escaped from prison as many times as he was shot – and he was shot a lot. Now in his 70s, former notorious safebreaker Joe Tognolini is now enjoying a seaside retirement south of Adelaide, where The Advertiser tracked him down.
Suddenly enemies: The reality of wartime on Torrens Island
WHEN Australia found itself at war, thousands of people were deemed security threats. They soon found themselves dwelling under brutal conditions in the swamp that was Torrens Island.
Cricket star’s murder frozen in time
THE secret behind the murder of a cricket star by his alleged lover in 1920 had its beginnings in an attack by a lunatic seven years earlier.
Cocaine, con artists and gang crime: Welcome to the 1920s
WELCOME to the dark side of the roaring twenties, a golden age of jazz, booze, fast cars and for an entrepreneurial crook, Sydney was a villain’s paradise.
Random TV date that ended in murder
SHE was a young newlywed in the wrong place at the wrong time, visiting an elderly neighbour whose goddaughter’s husband had dropped by unannounced.
Six bizarre crimes from the early 1900s
SOUTH Australia is synonymous with bizarre crimes. Here are some oddball cases from the early 1900s — from a butterfly heist to a ‘madam’ of Mount Gambier — that you’ve probably never heard of.
Seven bizarre SA crimes of the 1800s
SOUTH Australia has a well-deserved reputation for weird crimes — but you probably haven’t heard of these oddball cases because they date back to the colony’s early decades.
Victorian cops on the beat, ‘70s-style
Great sideburns, groovy cars and the growing role of women made it a decade to remember. Take a look at how Victorian police embraced the ‘70s with gusto.
Why was this charmer driven to kill?
SHE was a well-bred thief with a knack for conning strangers. But when words failed her, the attractive young Melbourne lass pulled a gun …
‘I have your boy. I want £25,000 before 5 o’clock’
FOR five long weeks the public watched and waited aghast for news after Australia’s first ever kidnap for ransom. The terrible end to the case crushed a nation’s innocence, but the breakthrough use of forensic science ensured police got their man.
How ‘Mad Dog’ broke out of Long Bay
OF all the daring prisoner plots in Long Bay Jail’s long history, none was quite so successful as that of Russell ‘Mad Dog’ Cox.
Hanged child killer ‘in pact with the devil’
IVY Mitchell was just 11 when she farewelled a young friend and walked home alone, her bare feet leaving tracks in the dust. But soon another set of prints would appear next to hers. This new set was bigger. Much bigger. A man’s boots. A killer’s boots.
Female serial killer’s decade of death
How often can a person kill those closest to them before they arouse suspicion? In the case of Martha Needle, very often.
Killer escapes justice after siblings slain
TWO sisters raped and bashed to death, their brother shot. Did the brother-in-law who found their bodies know more about the crime? Or was it a revenge attack by a convicted criminal?
Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/ourcriminalhistory/page/3