I Catch Killers: Gary Jubelin reveals sickening end to police raid in new autobiography
In his new autobiography, ex-detective Gary Jubelin has revealed the shocking moment a criminal, who he had promised to keep safe, was shot dead by police. It left his mind in complete “chaos”.
I Catch Killers
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Former detective Gary Jubelin has revealed the sickening moment an armed robber, who he had promised to keep safe, was shot dead by police.
The incident left the then-young detective shaken, angry and vowing to leave the force.
The criminal, known as Isaac, had been given up by his sister Sharon who was getting increasingly concerned for his wellbeing as he descended into a life of drugs and crime.
She had contacted police and asked specifically for Jubelin, then a young detective at Hornsby in Sydney, because she knew his family. She eventually handed over Isaac’s address after asking for assurances he would not be harmed.
“I look her in the eyes, and tell her, ‘Don’t worry, you can trust me. We won’t hurt him’,” Jubelin writes in his forthcoming autobiography I Catch Killers.
“Before we leave, I try to reassure her, ‘You’ve done the right thing’.”
Isaac had become a wanted man after robbing a building society on Sydney’s northern beaches in the middle of the day.
NEW EXTRACT: Read Gary’s latest book extract here.
Jubelin and fellow cops raided Isaac’s unit, in a housing commission block, after getting a warrant from a magistrate who warned: “Make sure nobody gets killed.”
Jubelin knocked on the door but was answered with a shout of “Get f****d!” from inside.
Next he heard a gunshot — and, breaking down the door, discovered a colleague had gone in through a window and shot Isaac dead.
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“Facing me, is Agent Orange, with his gun still pointing at the body,” Jubelin writes.
“He says that while we were at the door, he heard the shouting, climbed up to the balcony and got inside the unit. He says Isaac came at him with a knife.
“The knife is lying on the floor, reflecting the sunlight coming through the window. A long blade ... My mind’s in chaos. I didn’t plan this.”
The incident is one of many in a long career detailed in I Catch Killers, published this Thursday by HarperCollins Australia.
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And it left a mark on Jubelin, who goes on to tell of the impact it had on the squad involved in the raid. Of how he felt numb, close to tears, and when he got home later, wouldn’t even get into bed with his wife because he felt “dirty.”
“I cannot sleep. My thoughts chase each other through the early hours of the morning: I was talking to him when we shot him.
“I picture Isaac lying on the ground, with just a little blood flowing from where the bullet entered. I promised not to hurt him.
“I tell myself that I will leave the cops.”
Jubelin, who went on to work on the notorious Bowraville murders and led the investigation into the case of William Tyrrell, did leave the police many years later after being accused — and later found guilty — of illegally recording conversations with a former person of interest in the hunt for the NSW missing boy.
Jubelin maintains his innocence and is appealing on a number of grounds, including that he had a lawful interest in making the recordings.
I Catch Killers: The Life and Many Deaths of a Homicide Detective, is published by HarperCollins Australia on Thursday, August 20 in paperback, e-book and audio. Pre-order your signed copy at Booktopia.
Jo in Gary and Claire Harvey for an exclusive live event online at 6:30pm AEST on Wednesday, August 19 at True Crime Australia on Facebook.
He’ll be answering selected questions from readers so email now at
Originally published as I Catch Killers: Gary Jubelin reveals sickening end to police raid in new autobiography