Police probe claims of sightings of Graham Potter in Griffith
AUSTRALIA’S most wanted man, Graham Potter, is suspected of lurking in an area which is the home of his old mafia mates.
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AUSTRALIA’S most wanted man, Graham Potter, is suspected of lurking in an area which is the home of his old Mafia mates.
Police are investigating sightings of the fugitive killer in Griffith, where some of his former Italian organised crime associates have operated.
One of those was Pasquale Barbaro, the crime boss jailed for life over his role in the 2007 importation of 4.4 tonnes of ecstasy concealed in tomato tins.
The dangerous Potter disappeared in 2010 while on bail over conspiracy to murder charges relating to a Melbourne gangland execution plot.
The convicted killer, 59, was to have been the hitman but his car broke down en route to the target.
The Griffiths sightings, made last year, were from a shop and a gymnasium in the Riverina town.
Victoria Police anti-gangs division head detective Supt Peter De Santo said Potter knew the Griffith area well.
Supt De Santo said the fugitive may be using old contacts to help him stay underground.
But it was also possible he was using his ability to live off the land to avoid detection or being unwittingly helped.
“It’s possible he’s being innocently harboured by farmers and people like that,” Supt De Santo said.
Victoria Police’s fugitive task force has been chasing him since 2014.
There have been other suspected sightings of Potter over the years.
In 2013, police investigated reports he had been in the Cobram and Tocumwal areas in the state’s north.
There were confirmed sightings in northern Queensland in 2010.
Potter, who wears glasses, is described as 175cm tall, of medium to solid build with fair complexion and brown eyes.
He has been seen with a ginger beard, hair dyed brown to avoid detection and has used aliases including Josh Lawson, John Page, Jim Henderson and Peter Adams.
In 1981, Potter was jailed in New South Wales for the murder of teenager Kim Barry at Wollongong.
Anyone with information on Potter can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.vic.gov.au