The lie that cost underworld figure his life
When Carl Williams lied about Michael Marshall’s involvement in a contract killing, he as good as signed the hotdog salesman’s death warrant.
Our Criminal History
Lunchtime jewel heist which rocked Sydney’s CBD
In what was considered the biggest jewellery heist of the first half of the 20th century, in 1947 a thief managed to steal jewels worth about $600k today. But his glory was short-lived.
Guyra Ghost of 1921 still remains a mystery
As Sherlock Holmes and spiritualism became popular, a ghostly case in the NSW town of Guyra led to hysteria spreading throughout Australia.
Sydney’s forgotten ‘Cocaine Queen’
A witness to one of Sydney’s oldest cold cases, madam May Smith, was later arrested by our first female detective. She was jailed and then disappeared from public records — and from memory.
Last man executed in NSW
John Kelly was sent to the gallows in 1939 for murder, a decision his father labelled as “class justice”, claiming his son would have lived if the murder victim wasn’t from a prominent family.
How Sydney model was acquitted of lover’s murder
It had sex and crime … little wonder 1950s Sydney was fascinated by the trial of model Shirley Beiger, accused of shooting dead her lover outside a popular Sydney nightclub.
Traumatised kids left ‘to rot’
Almost five-years on from the Royal Commission, Don Dale Youth Detention Centre is locking-up kids for 23 hours a day.
Sisters murdered in Dulwich Hill lolly shop
A much-loved confectionary store was the scene of one of the most sensational murder mysteries of 1920s Sydney.
Police killer betrayed by his own tattoo
A hero police officer shot in cold blood by a drunk man he had arrested a day earlier is being remembered by a new and improved Glenelg memorial.
Baby-faced bushranger who went to the gallows
A 22-year-old on death row believed he would be spared the death sentence — but found himself on the end of the hangman’s noose.
Real story behind Claremont murders
Before the Claremont serial killings, the seemingly peaceful Perth suburb was hit by a spate of attacks on women, a new book examines. Read extract.
The sad tale of Colac’s missing shepherd
A skull found in a remote paddock near Colac was the beginning of the end to one of Victoria’s strangest mysteries.
Where our worst crims are buried
Australia’s cemeteries hold the remains of the infamous as well as the famous. Here’s where some of our most notorious criminals ended up.
Decade of trials that rocked Queensland
From audacious frauds to horrendous murders we look back at some of the shocking trials that made headlines in the Sunshine State over the past decade.
‘I couldn’t believe it was happening’: Cadell kidnapping, 50 years on
She was enjoying a cold beer with her family when three prisoners walked through the kitchen door and violently abducted her. Five decades on, the Sunday Mail revisits Monica Smith’s incredible tale of survival and its extraordinary intersection with one Adelaide photographer.
Australia’s murder houses — Are they near you?
They’re the unassuming homes that harbour the same dark secret. From shootings and bashings, to frenzied stabbings, these are the crimes that have happened in our neighbourhoods. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
How shonky evidence hanged innocent man
After a hefty reward was offered to solve Melbourne’s Gun Alley murder, a parade of shonky witnesses with outlandish claims sent an innocent man to his death.
How trendy lanes were once the worst in Melbourne
They might sound charming, but Melbourne’s Romeo Lane and Juliet Terrace were anything but nice places to visit. Infested with thieves and brothels, there was only one fix: changing their names.
Lawless Collingwood street ruled by one clan
It was the street to blame for Collingwood’s bad rap, and there was one notorious family that made Perry St such a dangerous place to go that the council had to tear down their houses just to get rid of them.
How conman duped Aussies with 26 fake identities
From a bogus doctor to counterfeit clergyman to US consul-general, Australian con artist Anthony Duerdin adopted at least 26 fake identities. But it was more about chasing thrills than the cash. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST.
Tragic case of the ‘Longreach Cinderella’
The Outback town synonymous with Qantas and the Stockman’s Hall of Fame also had a dark side – including the appalling case of the little girl murdered by her influential parents.
Mob murders that shocked Melbourne
From ugly jail bashings to ruthlessly being taken out in their own homes, these mobsters chose a life of crime and met violent ends that shocked Melbourne and became the stuff of legend.
Secrets of deadly 1979 Luna Park fire to be revealed
Alan Saffron, the son of the original King of the Cross, Abe Saffron, has died and now his last wish may help families find closure. He has left behind documents containing facts about his father’s involvement in the 1979 Luna Park fire that killed seven people and the presumed murder of activist Juanita Nielsen.
The man who served the world’s longest jail term
Charles Foussard was just 21 when he was locked up. He ended up serving the world’s longest period of incarceration, inside Ararat’s notorious J Ward – Victoria’s asylum for the criminally insane. But how did he end up there?
How Truganini became an outlaw after double murder
Truganini has often been called the last Aboriginal Tasmanian, but a new book details her little-known life on the run as an outlaw in Victoria after her husband shot and killed two men.
‘Disgraceful’: Site where Kelly killed three cops vandalised
Descendants of officers shot by Ned Kelly and his gang at Stringybark Creek Reserve near Mansfield are reeling after the site was disturbed.
The night Quiet Joe became a killer
The brutal stabbing of a Bourke St pub patron sparked a murder trial, and a mystery over why a man known as Quiet Joe became a killer.
How violent convict enforcer John Price wound up dead
He ran Norfolk Island with unforgiving violence and zero tolerance, and his iron-fisted approach continued when he moved to Melbourne to deal with the ballooning prison population. But Price’s death should be no surprise.
The bushranger who came back from the dead
It was always believed bushranger Dan Kelly died in the 1880 police shootout at Glenrowan. That was until an ageing bushman turned up in Brisbane 53 years later with an incredible story.
Bikie breaks silence over infamous Port Gawler gang war
Two warring bikie gangs set just two rules before they set out to settle their scores – no guns and no knives. Now for the first time one combatant has revealed how the shooting started anyway.
The moment Mr Death’s mum decided to kill him
The horrific torture and brutal killings committed by Richmond’s Mr Death had to stop, so his mum decided to put an end to the violence her own way. But things didn’t go to plan.
The party boy who became Victoria’s police chief
His party boy lifestyle and taste for gambling, grog and brothels didn’t stop Charles Standish becoming one of the most powerful men in Victoria as chief of police and head of the Freemasons.
Goldfields killer so crazy he berated own hangman
A stranger with a dead eye sent a shudder through anyone his glare fell upon as he swept through Victoria’s goldfields in the 1850s. So when he became fixated with a young widow, tragedy was in the offing.
Big Squizzy’s colourful life of crime
Older sibling to underworld king Leslie “Squizzy” Taylor, Claude “Big Squizzy” Taylor lived a colourful life of crime, was shot in the groin by his estranged wife and helped kick off a razor gang war. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST.
Australia’s most feared criminal in 1916
Long Harry Slater was a gang leader, standover man, cop-shooter, house bomber, suspected murderer and gang war adversary to Squizzy Taylor, making him Australia’s most feared criminal until the early 1920s.
A who’s who of Aussie bushrangers
Ned Kelly might have had his armour, but he didn’t have a catchy nickname. Meet some of the other scoundrels who took up the bushranger life, from Mad Dog Morgan to Captain Moonlite.
The day I approached Rundle St gunman unarmed
“Just stop, put the gun down, come out into the street ... nothing is going to happen to you.” Retired officer Peter Marr was the first to confront a Rundle St gunman in 1976 – and his bravery stunned the top cop of the day.
The violent veteran who made an enemy of Squizzy Taylor
He preyed on prostitutes, tourists and even refugees from Nazi Germany, but William Edward Prentice also had a habit of serving his country. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
The one-eyed cocaine king of Melbourne’s worst slum
Mutilated as a child and quick to violence as a man, Malvern ‘Gunner’ Cameron became one of the most feared gangsters in the notorious Little Lon district. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
‘Policeman Puncher’ one of our most dangerous crims
Known on the streets of Melbourne as “the Policeman Puncher”, Percy Ramage was such a dangerous prisoner he lived almost constantly in shackles and handcuffs. IN BLACK AND WHITE PODCAST
Boxer who became our most violent gangster
He would run the length of a city block to attack a police officer when he saw one and was the feared enforcer of Melbourne’s ‘Little Lon’ red-light district. HEAR THE PODCAST
Strange quirk of fate ended Melbourne killing spree
The Brownout Strangler killed three Melbourne women in 16 days. If not for a split-second quirk of fate, chances are he would have evaded detection and escaped the noose.
The diamond that solved a grisly murder
When a woman was found horribly murdered in the bedroom of her ransacked Melbourne home, it was an unusual item of jewellery that led police to her killers.
Unmasked at last: Sex offenders lose anonymity
Alleged sex predators will no longer receive special treatment under the law, while victims will be able to talk about their cases freely, under new laws expected to be in force by Christmas.
Death plans for Ivan Milat, Neddy Smith
Serial killer Ivan Milat and gangster Neddy Smith will almost certainly die in jail. But what will happen to their bodies after they pass away?
Ex-Labor MP pedophile closer to parole
Former NSW Labor MP and convicted pedophile Milton Orkopoulos, who was sentenced for dozens of offences including rape, is one step closer to parole after he was arrested in 2006. And he's not the only politician to have spent time behind bars.
Mugshots: Faces of South Australia’s criminal past
These are the haunting faces of South Australia’s rich criminal history. From murder and theft to the “crime” of fortune-telling, delve into these fascinating records of our villainous past.
The man who gave us Buckley’s chance
His escape from the penal colony, which saw one convict shot and others turn back in despair, was itself against the odds. His survival for 30 years in the bush before re-emerging as the “Wild White Man”, defied them completely.
The inglorious end of the ‘baby farmer of Brunswick’
Frances Knorr, like many other women in depression-hit 1800s Melbourne, ran an early form of childcare. But instead of visiting a loving home, the infants she was trusted with met a much darker fate.
The Lost Boys of Mr Dickens
It was “the most dangerous life” for a person, and at the British Empire’s first juvenile jail in Australia, it ended in murder.
Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/ourcriminalhistory