I Catch Killers Podcast: Detective Dennis ‘Miles’ O’Toole stopped Granny Killer John Wayne Glover
The Granny Killer was a middle-aged pie salesman by day and a serial killer by night, stalking the helpless old ladies of Sydney’s lower north shore. His rampage ended only when Detective Inspector Dennis O’Toole tracked him down.
True Crime
Don't miss out on the headlines from True Crime. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- ‘Everyone’s a suspect’: Cops grill husband over woman’s murder
- Shark attack that ended a distinguished detective’s career
Dusk was falling over the streets of Mosman and Detective Inspector Dennis ‘Miles’ O’Toole was getting nervous.
He and his colleagues had been sitting in a car outside a home for several hours, waiting for their prime suspect for the notorious Granny Killer murders.
They’d watched the suspect, pie salesman John Wayne Glover, knock at the door and kiss on the cheek the homeowner, an elderly lady dressed in her nightgown, before disappearing inside.
RELATED NEWS
Gripping new podcast I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin
Jubelin’s shock revelation about Tyrrell case
Clearly the woman was friendly with Glover, whom the police suspected was responsible for the horrific bashing murders of at least five elderly women in the quiet Sydney north shore suburb of Mosman. Every victim had been approached on the street through 1990, bashed with a heavy instrument like a hammer, and left in a pool of blood with underwear and clothes askew, as if the killer wanted to humiliate her in death.
All the police had were suspicions – little firm evidence to link Glover to the murders, and nothing to justify charging him.
So they waited.
“It started to get dark. It was getting more desperate as the hours went by,” O’Toole recalls in a gripping exclusive interview for new podcast I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin, which is number one on the Australian charts.
“There was a dog in the house and the dog was barking. We made the decision to call the uniform police – they didn’t know it was us calling, saying we live at such-and-such a street, there’s a woman living by herself – could you check it out?” O’Toole said.
The detectives watched as the uniformed officers knocked at the front and back doors. No answer.
“We called them off. We were there within 30 seconds, we said thank you, we’ll take over, stand back,” O’Toole said.
“We went in through the back door, the place was in darkness and … there was another victim lying in the hallway, exactly the same as all of the others – where not only had the victim had been attacked, she’d been defiled by clothing being removed,” he said.
“There was a hammer lying on the floor next to her which was pretty horrific. We went through the house which was all in darkness expecting the suspect who was still in there – was he sitting with a shotgun waiting for us?”
With his gun raised, O’Toole moved silently into the bathroom.
“He was in the bath. It was a full bath, the water was overflowing, and his nose was just above the waterline so he was still breathing. This was John Wayne Glover,” O’Toole said.
“There was (an) empty bottle of scotch by the side of the bath. I grabbed him – I took hold of his hair and gently raised his head from the bath. He would not agree with that description.”
The detectives had to confront the horrifying realisation they’d sat outside the house while a woman was brutally murdered – something they’ve had to live with for nearly three decades.
Now, as their killer’s life slipped away, they had to save him.
“We needed to talk to him,” O’Toole said. They called Triple 0 and within minutes Glover was being raced in an ambulance to Royal North Shore Hospital under heavy police guard.
Fellow detective Paul Mayger and O’Toole stood in the backyard of the home, sharing a moment of black humour over the horrific turn of events.
“Somebody had brought us cold hamburgers and we had a cold cup of coffee each. I looked at the sky and looked at scientific, forensic (officers) going through the house. We’d been working on this for 13 months. I said: ‘This is how it’s ended up. Can you believe this Paul? What are we doing here?’ Paul looked at me: ‘You’re right, Miles – wouldn’t miss it for quids’.”
It was the start of a long relationship with Glover that would last the rest of O’Toole’s career and beyond, as he visited Glover in jail, attempting to prove his theory Glover was responsible for more women’s murders.
“I dreamt of that bugger for years,” O’Toole said. “I truly believe he was ready to admit three murders. I used to ask him about (fellow serial killer) Ivan Milat, and he’d say ‘Why would you ask me about that?’ I’d say: ‘You used to be top dog and now you’ve fallen behind Ivan (in numbers of victims).
“I wanted to know if he thought Ivan had an accomplice. He refused to say. But when he was leaving (the jail visiting room) he turned around and held up two fingers. He didn’t speak.”
That was Glover’s silent code: he was bragging that Milat couldn’t possibly have slaughtered seven backpackers without an accomplice. Not like Glover, who’d killed six vulnerable old women single-handedly.
A number of GoFundMe pages have been established to assist Gary Jubelin with legal fees and fines regarding his recent court matters. Jubelin appreciates the sentiment and support but thinks there are numerous causes more worthy such as supporting victims of crime.
LISTEN TO AUSTRALIA’S NUMBER ONE PODCAST: I CATCH KILLERS WITH GARY JUBELIN AT DAILYTELEGRAPH.COM.AU, APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS
PRE-ORDER JUBELIN’S NEW BOOK HERE.
Originally published as I Catch Killers Podcast: Detective Dennis ‘Miles’ O’Toole stopped Granny Killer John Wayne Glover
‘Low profile’ Aussie gangster spotted living best life overseas
A powerful young Australian underworld figure who usually goes to great lengths to stay anonymous has been spotted dancing the night away at a nightclub in Dubai.
Explosive new evidence in Louisa Ioannidis’ tragic death
Louisa Ioannidis was found dead in a creek 13 years ago in Melbourne. However, new clues could blow the case back open. See her brother speak in a new video.