The abduction and murder of eight-year-old Graeme Thorne

THE abduction and murder of eight year-old Graeme Thorne was Australia’s first ransom for kidnapping Now a book suggests the culprit also killed his wife.

Schoolboy Graeme Thorne, 8, was abducted while waiting to be picked up for school near his Bondi home in Sydney. His kidnapper later demanded his parents pay a ransom of 25,000 pounds, having read that Graeme's father had won 100,000 in the lottery.

THE abductor and killer of an eight-year-old boy may also have played a role in his former wife’s death, a new book has suggested.

The abduction of Graeme Thorne from Bondi sent shock waves across Australia. It was July 7, 1960 and such crimes didn’t happen here — or so Australians thought.

But the crime wasn’t some random act. The boy had been targeted to hold for ransom after his father, Bazil Thorne, won £100,000 in a state lottery.

Graeme’s kidnapper, Stephen Leslie Bradley, motivated by greed, saw an opportunity.

He never saw any of the money though and tragically, young Graeme was found dead, tied up in scrubland at Seaforth six weeks later.

Now a startling new book on the crime not only examines Australia’s first child kidnapping “where we lost our innocence” but includes new suggestions Bradley may have also killed his second wife.

The author of the book Kidnapped is Mark Tedeschi QC, New South Wales Senior Crown Prosecutor, who scrutinised the trial transcripts, the police brief, witness statements and media coverage of what was considered the “trial of the 20th century”.

In it he outlines the “mysterious” death of the wife after her car brakes failed. The tragic accident came after Bradley came into a considerable amount of money through the marriage.

Mr Tedeschi told the ABC’s Latelinelast night he entered into some conjecture about the possibility Bradley was involved in his wife’s death, but conceded there was no “direct evidence” of it.

Graeme Thorne's reward poster. Photo News Ltd

Graeme Thorne

The rug that Graeme Thorne’s body was found in.

Stephen Leslie Bradley, Graeme Thorne’s abductor and killer.

“But it was a mysterious accident, the police were suspicious, his then father-in-law was extremely suspicious about the death of his daughter. The police did investigate but didn’t have enough evidence to charge anyone and that was the end of the matter. He was never charged.”

Asked on Lateline if he believed the crash would be better investigated if it had happened today, Mr Tedeschi replied: absolutely.”

“I’m sure the motor vehicle accident units of police forces around Australia today would have a much better idea if the car was tampered with.”

Mr Tedeschi said the kidnap and murder of Graeme marked “an end of innocence” in many ways for Australia as parents no longer were happy for their kids to play in parks or in public unsupervised.

Bazil Thorne gave an emotional appeal on television news for his boy to be returned, speaking to the abductor directly.

“If the person who has got him, if he is a father and has got children of his own, for gods sake, send him back in one piece.”

It’s believed Graeme died in the boot of Bradley’s car within hours of being abducted. The trial, which was reported around the world, used forensic techniques for the first time that are now commonplace in courtrooms throughout Australia.

But in the 1960s things such as examining stomach contents to help determine when a person had died was cutting edge. So was analysing mould that had grown on Graeme’s shoes — that helped convince investigators he hadn’t walked in his shoes from very close to the time he was abducted.

Graeme Thorne’s parents Basil and Freda. Photo News Corp

Stephen Leslie Bradley is led from the court. He was later found guilty of the kidnap and murder of Graeme Thorne, 8.

Mr Tedeschi is of the opinion the death of Graeme was accidental because any hope Bradley had of getting the money died along with the boy.

Graeme was supposed to wait in Bondi for a family friend to take him to school along with her two sons.

When he wasn’t there the family looked at home for him and at school. Within hours came the ransom call.

A police officer who’d arrived at the Thorne home to help look for the boy took the phone and pretended to be Bazil when the kidnapper demanded payment of £25,000 before 5pm.

“If you don’t get the money,” he threatened, “I’ll feed the boy to the sharks.”

The officer then turned to Mrs Thorne and said grimly: “I think your boy has been kidnapped.”

Amazingly, media reports about Mr Thorne’s lottery win included the family’s address.

Graeme’s empty school case was found on July 8 in bush near the Wakehurst Parkway. His school cap, lunch bag and school books were found 1.5km away, three days later.

His body was found wrapped in a blue picnic rug which helped lead to Bradley.

Graeme was found with his tie and his coat still buttoned up.

Forensic analysis found two types of cypress foliage on his coat, pants and a scarf tied around his neck. Soil samples also showed minute fragments of a pink-coloured substance chemically identified as limestock mortar, reported the Daily Telegraph.

A police search for a house with shrubs and pink limestone mortar led to Moore St, Clontarf, about 3km from where Graeme’s body was found. It was the home where Bradley had just moved out of.

After a nine-day trial Bradley as found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail. He died in there on October 6, 1968, at age 42.