Children drinking PINTS and the King riding in a 14-wheel golden HGV - this is Kate and Prince William 'are keen' for Prince George to have official role in King Charles' coronation - but Royally hard work! Smith insisted the pair became partners in crime. The idea was quite simply the Triad in Hong Kong and their enforcers would not know who Jamie Gao was selling to, so if Jamie Gao disappeared and it was done cleanly and concisely, hed just become a disappeared person.. This was tainted by Purdey's claims that Rogerson assaulted him, prevented him from calling his solicitor and typed up to five different records of the interview. Justice Geoffrey Bellew was satisfied the men formed an agreement to kill so they could steal the 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine he was going to supply them. He was last seen catching a taxi in the city, and never seen alive again. Roger Rogerson was a decorated and skilful detective sergeant of the NSW Police Force who worked on some of the 1970s major cases, including the Whiskey Au Go Go fire and the Toecutter gang murder. Dont watch it before reading this. He later joked that the only way to identify Western's bullet-ridden body was by his ingrown toenails. When Lanfranchi stepped out of the car, Rogerson shot him dead, claiming self defence. Set in 1980s Sydney, this acclaimed mini-series tells the story of the relationship between corrupt Detective Roger Rogerson and one of Australia's most infamous criminals Neddy Smith. CORRUPT cop and convicted killer Roger Rogerson has been working as a prison cleaner at Long Bay since he was jailed for life last year. I cant think of a copper with such a high profile who has been caught out the way he has and likewise a copper whos maintained this level of public focus for almost 40 years, as a copper, as a crook, or as an affable old man offering grandfatherly advice, he says. Rogerson joined the New South Wales (NSW) police in 1959, aged 18. Rogerson, 76, is incarcerated in the aged and frail unit at Sydneys Long Bay prisons, where his old friend Neddy Smith is also serving a life sentence. In 1992 he gave evidence at an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into the relationship between police and criminals, implicating Rogerson and others in organised crime. Read more of Duncan McNab's investigations here. 00:01. , who was shot dead inside a Padstow storage unit in 2014. The Chubb, McCann, Croft and Sandery cases were dismissed at committal and the Shu case was no-billed. A three-judge panel of Justice Andrew Bell, JusticeRobert Beech-Jones and Justice Robert Allan Hulme in the NSW Court of Appeal today unanimously dismissed the appeals. With Smith jailed for life Rogerson took to the speaking circuit for a while, telling wild stories of his days on the force, and wrote a memoir. He assures me McNamara is the key to his freedom. The book describes the moment Rogersons notoriety first betrayed his link to Gaos murder. In May 2014, Rogerson was remanded in prison after being charged, along with fellow former NSW detective Glen McNamara, with the murder of 20-year-old student Jamie Gao, and supply of drugs. He will get that chance over coming days. Rogerson and McNamara appealed against their convictions and McNamara also appealed against his sentence. Smith's exploits with Rogerson featured in the 1995 television drama series Blue Murder. He moved his bashing and murder business to Sydney where he made the big-time, including his failed attempt to murder police officer Mick Drury in June 1984. A new book by former colleague Duncan McNab details how the charismatic one-time detective manipulated generations of fellow officers and gangsters, but when the mask slipped he revealed a vile and vicious criminal. Corrupt cops Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara are contemplating a lifetime behind bars after losing their appeals. Roger Rogerson after being jailed for life in June. This included auctioning signed photos of himself standing near Lanfranchi's dead body. We asked the experts - and their answers will terrify you Public Service Announcement, do NOT watch these ads! They were famously photographed slapping each other with wads of $50 notes for the benefit of federal police surveillance unit at Chinatown's Covent Garden Hotel. It implicated Roger Rogerson in Drurys attempted execution at the behest of a heroin trafficker. Rogerson has called a new witness, who told the court he picked up what he thought was a gun wrapped in a towel from a doorstep in the months before the murder. The men were due for trial in the Supreme Court on 20 July 2015. Interactive map reveals when you may see SNOW, Revealed: The top 10 fastest-growing destinations for UK pensioners retiring overseas. Rogerson has always maintained Smith was no more than a valuable informant for the Armed Hold-Up Squad. 2023 BBC. [10] Rogerson's father Owen Rogerson emigrated from Kingston upon Hull, England during his career as a boilermaker; his mother Mabel Boxley emigrated from Cardiff, Wales with her parents as a youth (her English born father Caleb Boxley was the reason for Roger's middle name). "It is clear that the offenders acted with complete disregard for the life of another human being.". Arthur Stanley Neddy Smith is a big force of character in the first Blue Murder series. Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. On appeal Rogerson called a new witness, who told the court he picked up what he thought was a gun wrapped in a towel from a doorstep in the months before the murder. Smith was by then a pariah in the underworld and despised by the detectives he said had allowed him to make millions of dollars from dealing heroin and staging armed robberies. Rogerson claimed Lanfranchi was armed and he shot him in self-defence. Based on the years before Smith was jailed for life for murder it depicts the armed robber and heroin dealer as a charismatic player on the Sydney scene. The unlikely pairing culminated in Gao, through contacts with a Triad gang in Hong Kong, arranging the import of 3kg of ice from mainland China. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Although gun residue was found on Rogerson's clothes, the judge said he couldn't be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of who fired the fatal shot. Put a schooner of Reschs in his gnarled hand and we could have been two old mates chatting at the pub. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. There are three known killings directly attributed to Rogerson: Gao and the on duty shootings of Lanfranchi and would-be armed robber Lawrence Byrne in 1977. They did so because, although they 'knew' Stuart and Finch were involved, they had insufficient evidence to convict them. In May 2014, Rogerson was remanded in prison after being charged, along with fellow former NSW detective Glen McNamara, with the murder of 20-year-old student Jamie Gao, and supply of drugs. Can the dogs of Chernobyl teach us new tricks when it comes to our own survival? Rogerson, 82, serving life term for murder of drug dealer. At an inquest into Flannery's suspected murder, Coroner Greg Glass said he suspected Rogerson had killed him. He put himself up on the pedestal then kicked his own pedestal from underneath him., Roger Rogerson will be published by Hachette Australia on 11 October, Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara given life sentences for murder of Jamie Gao, Former detectives Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara found guilty of murder of Jamie Gao, The noble aim of open justice and the public's right to know | Richard Ackland, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The Court of Criminal Appeal threw out their cases in Sydney this morning, almost five years after they were jailed for life for murdering Jamie Gao. Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara sentenced to life in jail for Jamie Gao murder. [19], Rogerson was dismissed from the NSW Police Force on 11 April 1986 (had not seen active service since his suspension on 30 November 1984 as a result of the Drury investigation). And on free to air, they watched it again. He knew that knowing everybody would be good for his own business and this extraordinary, outwardly affable, bright, capable man showed no fear.. He was the master of the police verbal, an unsigned confession from a suspect, and operated in an era later classified as corrupt. All the benefits of simply switching from white to brown - AND how purple, Why is Britain experiencing so many earthquakes? Lanfranchi was something of a wild man who shot at police and robbed other dealers, and also a standover man who worked for Sydney gangster Neddy Smith. She also claimed that Neddy Smith had lied at Lanfranchis inquest and was in cahoots with Rogerson. Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go fire killed 15 people. In the wake of Rogersons arrest over the Gao murder, the flow of information quickened as people who previously had been reticent to talk all of a sudden really started talking. He also became an entertainer, telling stories of his police activities in a spoken-word stage show called The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, with former Australian footballers Warwick Capper and Mark "Jacko" Jackson. Smith insisted the pair became partners in crime. [34], During legal proceedings surrounding the trial against suspects involved in the 2009 contract murder of Michael McGurk, the Supreme Court heard evidence that, while in the Cooma Correctional Centre in 2014, Rogerson, McNamara, and Fortunato "Lucky" Gattellari attempted to extort Ron Medich, a businessman and suspect for masterminding the murder of McGurk. McNab quit the force in dismay. Inside Prince Harry's finances from when he met Meghan Markle to landing 100M with Netflix and book Spare 'Why the last-minute delay?' Blue Murder will appear in two parts, beginning at 8.30pm on Sunday on Channel 7. [24], In 2009, he published an autobiography about his time as a detective, entitled The Dark Side, launched by broadcaster Alan Jones. CCTV showed both men walking into the facility with the young drug dealer. Two words showed something was wrong with the system, After centuries of Murdaugh rule in the Deep South, the family's power ends with a life sentence for murder, With Prince Andrew's sweetheart mansion rental ending, King Charles offers compromise that shocks his son, Flooding in southern Malaysia forces 40,000 people to flee homes. A generation of his colleagues have either keeled over or retired, and Rogers looking around for fresh playmates, McNab says. The Court of Criminal Appeal threw out their cases in Sydney this morning, almost five years after they were jailed for life for murdering Jamie Gao. In the pre-digital era, illegal bootleg video cassettes of Blue Murder I and II were jealously guarded, surreptitiously leant and massively copied. During the Gao trial, McNamara alleged Rogerson confessed to him of complicity in the killings of heroin dealers Alan Williams and Luton Chu, as well as Lanfranchis partner Sallie-Anne Huckstepp. But if you take a step back from all that charm, youve got a very nasty bit of goods racist, a homophobe, a misogynist, a cruel man and a man of extraordinary greed who will let nothing get in the way of what he wants.. Rogerson also used his influencing skills in a multimillion-dollar civil legal dispute while doing consultant work under the auspices of other peoples private investigator licences. The NSW crown prosecutor, Christopher Maxwell sought for the judge to jail Rogerson and McNamara for life, stating there was no distinction between a contract killing and killing for the purpose of financial gain[30], One detective witness told the Daily Telegraph "it was like tracking the stars of Amateur Hour", regarding the killing of Jamie Gao. "The case relied upon by Rogerson was completely lacking in credibility and did not raise any doubt about his guilt," the judgement read. McNamara argued his life sentence was excessive but Justice Bell said it was justified given the murder was a cold-blooded execution. Crucially, McNab has produced a remarkable portrayal of Rogersons activities in his twilight years, leading up to the murder of Gao. Discover your rider rating - how many one-star reviews do Take care of your gut and it will take care of you: Could these 'friendly' bacteria transform your gut Are YOU eating the right colours? And so are the Sydney gang wars of the mid 1980s, when criminals turned on each other in a shooting feast over dominance in the Sydney heroin trade. Brash and boastful to friends and the media, Rogerson has been involved in a litany of crimes and misadventures which have repeatedly thrust him into the spotlight, and which led to the production of a TV mini-series about him called Blue Murder. Following the shooting, Huckstepp became an anti-police corruption whistleblower. Rogerson had publicly accused Smith of informing on other criminals in media interviews and in the early 1990s the crook spectacularly turned on the copper. He is also known for his association with other New South Wales (NSW) detectives who are reputed to have been corrupt, including Ray "Gunner" Kelly and Fred Krahe, and with a number of organised crime figures, including Abe Saffron,[7] Arthur "Neddy" Smith and Christopher Dale Flannery. Rogerson, 75, and McNamara, 57, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Gao and dumping his body in waters off Cronulla the next day. CONDEMNED to spend the rest of his days behind bars, disgraced detective turned convicted killer Roger Rogerson will be held in an aged care wing where he regularly conducts singalongs, to stop him becoming a godfather-type figure to young inmates, prison sources have revealed. Moment British man is arrested at Colombian airport as he tries to fly to London with 23 kilos of cocaine Do YOU know your Adam and Eve from your Ruby Murray? At 78 years old, and with a body worn by hard work, hes well qualified. Drury is now retired from the police force and a respected philatelist and collector of rare stamps. Smith'sfinal downfall had begun in October 1987 when he and another criminal killed tow truck diver Ronald Flavell during a road rage incident at Coogee. Lawyers for both Rogerson and McNamara indicated they would appeal against the sentence. McNab also reveals the hitherto unknown depth of Rogersons ties with outlaw motorcycle gangs, his close friendship with convicted rapist, kidnapper and Bandido Arthur Loveday among others, as he sought to rekindle drug connections. "Mr McNamara said don't tell Rogerson because that goes to the whole issue whether or not the applicant had any knowledge of whether or not there was a gun," John Stratton SC argued. Disgraced detective's last bid for freedom to not die in jail. Huckstepp was later murdered, her body found in a pond in Centennial Park, New South Wales. Not much stuck. Roger Caleb Rogerson (born 3 January 1941) is a former detective sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force, and a convicted murderer. Rogerson's record of killing has led some Australian media outlets to dub him "the serial killer who wore a badge". He became a Sydney celebrity because of his close relationship during the 1980s with corrupt police detective Roger Rogerson. Notorious gangster Neddy Smith died aged 76 in Long Bay jail last week while serving a life sentence of murder. Just days after their conviction and life sentences were handed down in 2016, the pair lodged a notice of intention to appeal. He spent nine months in jail in 1990 before being released on bail pending an ultimately unsuccessful appeal. Smith is pictured, Rogerson's wife Anne Melocco told Daily Mail Australia her husband had mentioned Smith's death but there had been no celebration or revengeful one-liners. She began a relationship with a police officer. After his latest conviction, he is expected to spend the rest of his life in jail. The latter are alleged to. As one officer scoured through frames of CCTV vision from the storage unit, an older colleague passing by spotted a figure with a distinctive gait. He is pictured in 1980. The latter is what brought Rogerson together with McNamara, whose own cultivated image as a former honest cop hung out to dry likewise unravels under McNabs inspection. It was an offer I couldnt refuse, and Mrs Rogerson assured me hed be on his best behaviour. In 1995 he was charged with the murders of Huckstepp, brothel keeper Harvey Jones (1983) and drug dealers Lewton Shu (1983), Danny Chubb (1984), Barry McCann (1987), Barry Croft (1987) and Bruce Sandery (1988). At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was a Sydney private schoolgirl who fell into heroin addiction and prostitution and in 1981 began a relationship with Sydney dealer Warren Lanfranchi. Stella Dings unique way of relating to her students has seen the NSW science teacher develop engaging lessons based on gaming. McNab took it as a measure of the enduring chilling effect of Rogersons reputation. He claimed that he was trying to arrest Lanfranchi for five suspected armed robberies. However, on 20 November 1989, Rogerson was acquitted. Rogerson and another former cop, Glen McNamara, were found guilty of shooting Gao inside a west Sydney storage . He later joked in court that the media had changed his name by deed poll from decorated officer to "disgraced former detective". The last time I'd spoken to him - or rather been spoken at by him - he said he'd make sure I was 'sorted out'. It was one of the most high-profile court cases Australia has ever seen - at its conclusion, Rogerson was acquitted. Rogerson was eventually jailed in 1990 for conspiring to pervert the course of justice over the transfer of A$110,000 into bank accounts under false names during the Drury trial. The distinctive gait we saw on CCTV; the presence that riveted juries in his heyday. It was a different time. In the following months, the cocaine and booze-fuelled Flannery became increasingly erratic. By Stephen Gibbs for Daily Mail Australia, Published: 08:31 GMT, 13 September 2021 | Updated: 09:09 GMT, 13 September 2021. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. [8][9], A new trial started on 1 February 2016. Smith later said that Rogerson ordered him to disarm Lanfranchi en route. Late last year, as Rogerson languished in a cell in the geriatric unit of Sydneys Long Bay jail over the Gao murder, I received a call from his wife Anne. Property News:House prices in some school catchments explode by up to $367,000 - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. They also were jailed for stealing 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine with a street value of up to $19 million from the 20-year-old student. [19] He was subsequently convicted of perverting the course of justice in relation to A$110,000 deposited by him in bank accounts under a false name. "Roger would like to see you," she said. New light is shed on Rogersons link to heroin importation via Thai sex workers and trafficking in the 1980s with Melbourne criminal Dennis Dr Death Allen, who was believed to be involved in the killings of up to 15 people. Notable people with the surname include: Eva Rodgerson (born 1945), Canadian politician; Ian Rodgerson (born 1966), English footballer; Ralph Rodgerson (1893-? Rogerson was tried but acquitted on conspiracy to murder charges. In Blue Murder, Smith is shown murdering Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, although in real life he was charged but acquitted of that murder. In September last year, Rogerson was jailed for life for the murder of young drug dealer Jamie Gao, 20, and supplying almost 3kg of ice. Rogerson was eventually jailed in 1990 for conspiring to pervert the course of justice over the transfer of A$110,000 into bank accounts under false names during the Drury trial. It would take years for the police to get serious about bringing its shiniest (though far from its only) rotten apple undone. [20], After leaving the force, Rogerson worked in the building and construction industry as a supplier of scaffolding. - In 2016, Rogerson was jailed for life for the murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao. Roger Rogerson is escorted to a prison van at the Supreme Court in Sydney, Wednesday, 15 June, 2016. But the cool-headed Smith was not impressed with Flannery, who made powerful enemies among Sydney ganglands other factions and police alike. The female roles of Neddy Smiths wife Debra (Joy Smithers) and Lanfranchis prostitute girlfriend Sallie-Anne Huckstepp (Loene Carmen) give this story depth. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. "Oh it's a little f------ beauty isn't it Oh and by the way, don't tell Roger about this," the witness alleged McNamara said. For all his criminal investigation nous, awareness of electronic surveillance was an old Achilles heel of Rogerson, who was caught on camera years earlier opening fake bank accounts to deposit $110,000 in cash allegedly from a heroin deal with Allen, McNab says. Smith said his assistance to Rogerson at a coronial inquest into Lanfranchi's death led to senior police granting him a 'green light' to commit major crimes. Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty after a four-month trial that showed CCTV footage linking them to the death of Gao, whose body was found floating in a bag in the ocean off Sydney. "It was open to the sentencing judge to determine that a life sentence should be imposed," he said. Rogerson and fellow former detective Glen McNamara were caught on CCTV removing Gaos body in a surfboard bag from a storage facility. 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Tim Anderson, one of the three released in 1985, claimed the confession Rogerson extracted was fabricated, and that he and two other members of the Ananda Marga group were convicted in part because of Rogerson's fabrications. One was the murder in company of tow truck driver, Ronnie Flavell and the other of brothel owner Harvey Jones. And fabled underworld tales are recreated, such as the scene of Sydney lawyer Brian Alexander on a boat trussed up and chained to a stove, being pitched overboard outside the Sydney Heads. Property News:House prices in some school catchments explode by up to $367,000 - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. Rogerson (in handcuffs) is serving life for the murder of 20-year-old drug dealer Jamie Gao. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Gao was not the first drug dealer whose life Rogerson had ended with two bullets to the chest. . The sources say even some prison officers have become starstruck by his presence in the jail. His defence is trying to establish he wasn't part of the agreement to kill or rob the victim. Rogerson has always maintained from that time on Smith was no more than a valuable informant for the Armed Hold-Up Squad. The honeytrap plot that left father-of-six dead: Moment two women lead victim into his flat to seduce him 'Sonic boom' is heard across central England as 'ground shakes' and houses are rocked. Still, it fascinates me that Rogers career was brought to an end by a 20-year-old Asian kid with an education.. It was Smith who in 1981 drove drug dealer Warren Lanfranchi to an appointment with Rogerson at which the policeman shot Lanfranchi dead in a Chippendale lane. I'm a vet, and here are five dog breeds most prone to cancer - including Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers. In June 2016, Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara were found guilty of killing student Jamie Gao for his drugs (Partridge, 2016a). Behind his brazen public persona, however, lies a dark and deadly history. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It was McNamara who met Gao through his own consultancy work for lawyers, when the young man was acting as a translator for a friend in strife. [13], Rogerson worked on some of the biggest cases of the early 1970s, including the Toecutter Gang Murder and the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire in Brisbane. But the whiff of suspicion persists that Rogerson had a hand in at least seven others. Smith was convicted of the Jones murder and acquitted of killing Huckstepp. [4][5] During his time in office he was implicated inbut never convicted oftwo killings, bribery, assault and drug dealing.[6]. 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