Christian cult urged members to donate kidneys
Insiders from a Melbourne-based Christian sect claim followers were urged to live in poverty and donate organs.
Andrew Rule
What links a string of crimes to the kickboxing world?
Is there a link between a series of slick Melbourne heists and two unsolved underworld murders? We may never know.
Meet lawyer at centre of biggest gangland trials
Weeks ago, Melbourne lawyer Colin Lovitt was pegged to defend the “sniper” who took out a top Rebels bikie. Now he’s dead — after a career getting infamous clients off the hook.
Gun stealing spree raises uneasy questions
Guns are being stolen across Victoria at an alarming rate and rumours are swirling that leaks from police may be to blame.
Shocking truth behind horse racing deaths
Making the Melbourne Cup a more international event started off well, but it’s thrown up a big question — why are so many overseas horses breaking down?
A life dedicated to catching killers
It takes a certain sort of person to catch killers — to remain professionally detached yet never forget the horror of the crime. Rowland Legg never wanted to do anything else, writes Andrew Rule.
Debs’ evil nature on display after Silk Miller conviction
One could claim Jason Roberts was a teenager pulled to the dark side by another, and once again it will be left to a court to decide. But one thing no one disputes in a disputed case is that Bandali Debs is among the most evil men behind bars.
How a retired AFL coach became a horse racing fairytale
Coach Denis Pagan came out of retirement to turn his hand to horse training and after just 12 starts he snatched a fairytale triumph. Here’s how he achieved the dream, writes Andrew Rule.
Calabrian crook lived life Donald Mackay missed out on
Another Sergi from the infamous Calabrian family just died at aged 81, a “nonno” of 15 grandchildren and one great grandchild, reaching all the milestones that their honest victim Donald Mackay didn’t, with the Sergis never charged thanks to the cops and pollies in their pockets.
The crimes and villains that rocked Melbourne
From crooked cops to conmen, kid snatchers to killers, these are the crimes and villains of the past 30 years that shocked us and forever changed Victoria.
Getting to know ‘Granny Evil’
Reporter Adrian Tame had no idea who Kath Pettingill was when she called him up and launched into an expletive-riddled tirade. But the bizarre conversation kicked off an odd-couple relationship that has outlasted three of the crime matriarch’s sons.
Celeb chef’s disappearance murder or miserable man on the run?
The strange disappearance of Australia’s first celebrity chef, Willi Koeppen, involves a thriving Dandenong restaurant, a fractured marriage, illicit lovers, and some shoddy police work. But was it a mystery or a murder? Or both?
The mysterious gangland murder that ended Sunshine Boys’ run
The Sunshine Boys were killers and drug dealers that liked Tarantino movies and had a taste for their own product. Andrew Rule explains why the murder that marked their downfall remains a mystery 20 years on.
Cold cases prove even stone cold killers drop hints
It is a rare offender who can keep a secret so tightly for decades that no one gets a whiff of it. And police are hoping for that whiff with the reward for information in the case of Thomas Cooper, the 18-year-old plumber shot by the “Cowboy killer” in 1980.
Inside murderer Matthew Wales’ lonely life in prison
‘Society Murders’ killer Matthew Wales cuts a lonely figure in prison, with guards labelling him a polite, model prisoner. But fellow inmates have a different view of the ‘poor little rich boy’ and his gardening companion, Russell St bomber Craig Minogue.
Unpicking the lingering bigotry against the Chamberlains
It’s been 40 years since terrified mum Lindy Chamberlain told the world a dingo stole her baby. Now a new documentary unpicks the grotesque perversion of justice the Chamberlains faced.
Racing rogue’s real world alliances brought rough trot in jail
Disgraced harness trainer-driver Rod Weightman started to associate with serious crooks after he was disqualified on doping charges in 2004. And he soon found out such alliances can make you a jailhouse target.
How families help suburban killers sneak through the cracks
When a wife or mum “goes missing” many children, having lost one parent, don’t want to lose the other. But how do they block out a truth too terrible to contemplate and accept a barely plausible story?
State’s new top cop has gangs, ice and pollies in his sights
As Graham Ashton retires as Victoria’s top cop, Deputy Chief Commissioner Shane Patton is stepping up to take over the reins. Crime reporter Andrew Rule looks at what it takes to lead the state’s police force and the challenges that lie ahead.
What happened when a Mad Dog criminal met a fearless cop
It has taken him more than 40 years to talk frankly about how an undercover operation went wrong but when police officer Rob Robertson befriended Australia’s most wanted man, it was quick thinking that saved his life.
Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-rule/page/3