Matthew Brady was transported from England to Van Diemen’s Land, (now known as Tasmania) in the early nineteenth century. He was imprisoned in a penal colony and became a troublesome convict. He managed to escape six times from custody, and he and a small gang of other escapees terrorised and robbed many people in the small villages surrounding colony.
By mid-April 1825, Governor Arthur was so frustrated by the gang’s raids that he offered a reward of twenty gallons of rum for the capture of Brady. Six days later the flamboyant bushranger galloped up to the Royal Oak Hotel in Crossmarch, and pinned the following cheeky message to the front door:
It has caused Matthew Brady much concern that such a person known as Sir George Arthur is at large. Twenty gallons of rum will be given to any person who delivers this person to me…
Brady continued to recruit other men into his gang, but one of his new comrades betrayed him. In 1826 Thomas Kenyon, who had been accepted by Brady after deserting a whaling ship, was on lookout duty near a robbery target. Kenyon waved a piece of white cloth from a window to signal ‘all clear’ to the Brady gang, but when they emerged from hiding they were attacked by a group of soldiers.
Brady managed to evade capture, but he swore revenge on the man who had betrayed him, and on Sunday 5 March 1826 he discovered his reviled former ally. Kenyon died after being shot through the head by Brady, whose days were also numbered. Brady was captured by noted bushman John Bateman after suffering a leg wound, and he was hanged for committing a series of offences, including murder, on 4 May 1826.
...when they emerged from hiding they were attacked by a group of soldiers.
Joe Byrne and Aaron Sherritt were lifelong friends. Together they enjoyed wayward, youthful times around north-eastern Victoria. After Joe became Ned Kelly’s trusted lieutenant, Aaron became a valuable asset to the fugitive gang.
Aaron Sherritt
Sherritt virtually operated as a double agent, and in this role he played a key part in the Kelly gang’s successful robbery of a bank at Jerilderie in early 1879. Before the raid, he convinced authorities that a Goulburn bank was Ned’s real target. Consequently, when the gang of four crossed the Murray near the NSW–Victorian border, the ‘traps’ (police) were preparing a fruitless ambush hundreds of miles away.
On the other side of the ledger, local law enforcers were paying Sherritt seven shillings a day for useful information about the Kelly gang. On their behalf, Sherritt maintained a freezing nightly vigil near Joe Byrne’s family home, in case the wanted fugitive paid a visit. At the same time, in this tricky situation, he managed to maintain the trust of the bushranger gang. In fact on at least two occasions Sherritt was invited to join the Kelly gang. The first seeds of doubt about Aaron’s true motives probably began to surface in Joe Byrne’s mind, when these overtures were unexpectedly refused.
...law enforcers were paying Sherritt seven shillings a day for useful information about the Kelly group
Joe Byrne
By the late 1870s, rewards offered in NSW and Victoria for information leading to the arrest of the Kelly gang, totalled a tempting seven thousand pounds. Joe Byrne’s mother, Margaret, was already suspicious about Aaron’s true role, and she helped acrouse her bushranger son’s growing distrust. The situation became more tense after Sherritt allegedly stole Margaret’s horse.
Mrs Byrne had a warrant issued for Aaron’s arrest over this issue, and she was not placated when he was found not guilty of the crime. Sectarianism was a strong social influence in those times, so animosity towards her son’s close friend may have been further fuelled by intolerance. The Byrnes were an Irish Catholic family, who mostly hated Colonial authorities, while Aaron was the son of a policeman, and an Irish protestant.
...rewards offered for information leading to the arrest of the Kelly gang totalled a tempting seven thousand pounds.
Aaron and his local sweetheart Belle were married on Boxing Day, 1879. Soon after their wedding another crisis deepened the fast growing split between Mrs Byrne and Aaron Sherritt. Margaret Byrne and Joe’s brother Paddy were charged with stealing Belle’s expensive saddle, a charge that was soon dismissed. Joe Byrne became further irritated after Sherritt reportedly told police that Joe was visiting a local lass who worked at Beechworth’s Vine Hotel.
Once Joe Byrne was convinced that his former friend had become an informer, the police were also given the opportunity to pay for Aaron Sherritt’s funeral.
All these issues contributed to Aaron Sherritt becoming isolated and mistrusted by the Kelly gang. His only regular visitors were his mother-in-law and local police, who had financed the house he lived in and paid for the clothes he wore. Once Joe Byrne was convinced that his former friend had become an informer, the police were also given the opportunity to pay for Aaron Sherritt’s funeral.
On the night of 26 June 1880, Joe Byrne and Dan Kelly forcibly persuaded Aaron’s neighbour, Anton Wick, to ask for assistance from the Sherritt household, after claiming that he had lost his way in the darkness. The laughing host left his wife, mother-in-law and four visiting constables to answer the plea for help, but Sherritt’s mirth abruptly ceased as he opened the front door.
Joe Byrne stepped out from behind the chimney and fatally blasted his former friend with a shotgun. ‘The bastard will never put me away again,’ he allegedly shouted as Sherritt collapsed and died. Dan Kelly and Byrne then fired more shots into the house where the constables were hiding. They then attempted to set the premises on fire. The pregnant Belle was so distraught from the attack that she later lost her baby. No-one in the valley where the murder took place notified other ‘dogs’ (police) about the shooting until seven hours had elapsed. By then the killer and his accomplice had made their escape. Soon after, the vengeful pair and their bushranger comrades perished in the siege of Glenrowan.
...life as a double agent was always a juggling act full of risks, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest he betrayed the gang before he was murdered.
Did Aaron Sherritt actually betray the Kelly gang? His nightmare life as a double agent was always a juggling act full of risks, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest he betrayed the gang before he was murdered. It was always likely that he would one day fall foul of one group, because of the conflicting demands that each placed on him.
It is uncertain whether Donald Maxwell betrayed a Colac house-breaking gang to local police in 1953 before being murdered by fellow gang members Andrew Gordon Kilpatrick and Russell William Hill.
Maxwell was reported missing from his Colac home three months before his decapitated and fractured body was found in a kerosene tin and sacks in Geelong’s Barwon River. The head of the corpse was sawn from the trunk, and each hand was severed from the wrist. The skull sustained six serious wounds, three fracture indentations, and the trunk of the body was savagely mutilated.
The complex case attracted much public attention, and the two murder convictions that finally resulted owed much to the skilled and relentless investigation undertaken by Detective Sergeant Fred Adam.
Adam was especially stationed in Colac to solve a house theft problem, and his interest was soon focussed on Kilpatrick, Hill and Maxwell. After Maxwell disappeared on 13 May, the Detective Sergeant became concerned for his welfare. He targeted Hill for regular questioning, and the 22-year-old local finally cracked under the pressure.
...his decapitated and fractured body was found in a kerosene tin…
‘He’s (Maxwell) dead. He’s in the river. We cut him up,’ admitted Hill. Further questioning revealed that he and Kilpatrick feared Maxwell was revealing too much information to police about the house robberies, so they killed him before he could betray the gang.
‘He’s dead. He’s in the river. We cut him up’
The pair were charged with murder, after police divers recovered the grizzly remains of Maxwell, and originally both received the death sentence. Later the sentences were commuted to life imprisonment for the 33-year-old Kilpatrick, while Hill received a custodial sentence of 20 years.
On 15 August 1997, South Australian drug dealer Les Knowles and an innocent associate named Tim Richards were gunned down by Gerry Preston, a Hells Angels contract killer.
Vicki Jacobs
At Preston’s trial, his ex-wife, Vicki Jacobs, provided damaging evidence which was later crucial in the defendant being found guilty of the double murders and receiving a 32-year non-parole sentence.
Jacobs attempted to build a new life in cental Victoria after the case concluded, but gangland vengeance finally caught up with her. On 12 June 1999, Vicki Jacobs died in her Bendigo home after being shot twice in the head. The unidentified killer gained access to the house through a window, and the execution took place while Jacobs’ young son was sleeping nearby.
Vicki Jacobs died in her Bendigo home after being shot twice in the head.
Police believe the contract killer was from Darwin, and that he returned to ‘the Top End’ shortly after the killing. Preston has maintained his silence about the payback murder during his time in custody.
In 1991, a gang of Goulburn Valley burglars feared that one of its group would provide damaging evidence in court about their involvement in a Bendigo house robbery. The suspected informant was 20-year-old Rocco Iaria, who vanished before the case went to trial. In his absence the other suspect in the $50,000 robbery was acquitted. Court observers later declared that the lack of evidence from Iaria became a crucial element in the court’s decision to set Vince Latorre free.
Rocco Iaria
Nearly seven years later, the missing man was discovered in unusual circumstances. On 19 February 1998, a worker at the Pine Lodge Cemetery re-opened a plot, so that the body of a relative could be laid to rest near a deceased family member. It became obvious that the grave site was becoming very crowded.
The grave digger discovered another body, one that had received fatal wounds to the back and chest. The corpse also had its hands taped together behind its back, and apart from the absence of shoes, the body was fully clothed. Black plastic covered the remains, and lime was spread over the deceased person. The body was identified as Rocco Iaria. His parents, Antonio and Rafaela could finally lay their son to rest. Suspicion soon fell on 37-year-old Vince Latorre, who had consistently denied any knowledge of Rocky Iaria’s disappearance and death, despite damaging evidence later being uncovered.
The grave digger discovered another body, one that had received fatal wounds in the back and chest.
In March 1999 police allegedly found lime and packing tape in Vince Latorre’s shed that was identical in width and diameter to the tape that was removed from Iaria’s body. In the inquest that followed, Senior Sergeant Barry McIntosh stated his belief that the deceased had been lured to an old farm building on Latorre’s Shepparton East property, where Iaria believed he would meet other gang members to plan a unified response to the criminal charges.
...tied Iaria’s hands together and fired at least four shots into his back and chest.
The officer in charge of the investigation further alleged that Latorre, together with 43-year-old family relative Barry Murtagh, tied Iaria’s hands together and fired at least four shots into his back and chest. McIntosh also believes that former farm worker James Collyer witnessed the execution, and that he was one of a group who helped dispose of the corpse.
Both Latorre and Murtagh refused to give evidence at Iaria’s inquest on the grounds that such action could incriminate them. A month later the coroner concluded that Latorre had contributed to Rocco Iaria’s death.
...revenge for betrayal can result in the execution of the family members of any alleged offenders.
Police have long suspected that the Latorre family has close connections with an Italian dominated criminal group known as The Honoured Society. The Latorres also have family connections in the Italian area of Calabria, where revenge for betrayal can result in the execution of the family members of any alleged offenders. The possibility of such chilling reprisals helps explain why no-one has come forward to assist in the Iaria investigation, despite the fact that $50,000 has offered since July 2006.
Vincent Latorre and his lawyer, Peter Ward
The ‘men of honour’ in the ‘Society’ sometimes betray their own, and in recent times these double standards came back to haunt certain crime bosses.
‘Frank’ became the courier for five drug syndicates, but received a prison sentence after being apprehended by police. While he was in custody ‘the Honoured Society’ did not safeguard the welfare of his family, and his stressed wife became permanently paralysed after suffering a stroke. ‘Frank’ was embittered by the gang’s lack of care, and after being released he secretly approached police and offered his services.
He became informer ‘108’, and the evidence he provided for ‘Operation Pipeline’ resulted in 68 immediate arrests which included 30 drug squad members. Supplies of cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, cannabis and hashish to the value of six million dollars were seized, and trafficking deals worth around seven million dollars were thwarted. Two millionaires, who obtained their fortunes from the drug trade were arrested, an unsolved murder was uncovered, an Itzi sub machine gun was confiscated and a farm, cars and motor bikes were repossessed.
Trafficking deals worth around seven million dollars were thwarted.
Overall 268 arrests were made by officers attached to Operation Pipeline. Despite these impressive statistics, the achievements of Operation Pipeline had little significant impact on the activities of powerful drug gangs. While the maximum sentence for these crimes receives a custodial period of 25 years and a $250,000 fine, most of the culprits apprehended in this operation served less than ten years jail.
...one million dollar contract on an undercover operative once 108’s double role was discovered…
The risks that 108 took by becoming a supergrass were enormous. The Honoured Society around Griffith reportedly took out a one million dollar contract on an undercover operative once 108’s double role was discovered, and that agent has since resigned from the force.
Fortunately 108 moved into interstate protection after Operation Pipeline was dismantled, and he has reportedly started a successful new life.
On the surface 57-year-old Terry Hodson appeared to have all that life could offer. He lived in comfortable circumstances in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Kew, and he and his 55-year-old wife Christine had recently become grandparents. However, as Hodson confided to his daughter before his sudden demise, he had become ‘a dead man walking’. It was revealed to corrupt police and criminals that Terry Hodson was an informer, and he was about to pay the ultimate price for his double betrayal.
Hodson first settled in Perth after he and his wife migrated from England, and he enjoyed the good life in the West. Their daughters and son attended private schools, and the family’s palatial house included a swimming pool. Little of Hodson’s wealth, though, came from legal activities. Throughout much of his adult life Hodson was a career criminal. He was not a gangland enforcer, but was ever ready to traffic in drugs, fire-arms and stolen goods. He was also suspected of being a long term informer.
Christine and Terry Hodson
Hodson escaped from custody in Perth while serving time for a minor offence, and he absconded with his family to Melbourne. He was arrested and made some useful underworld contacts while serving time in custody.
Mandy Hodson
In 2001, Hodson reluctantly agreed to become police informant ‘number SCS4/390’ in an effort to gain lenient sentences for two of his adult children, who had been charged with criminal offences. Thirty-three-year-old Senior Constable David Miechel was appointed as Hodson’s minder—a decision which had unfortunate consequences.
Miechel and Hodson’s association became closer after Miechel began a sexual relationship with Hodson’s daughter, Mandy. It was then that Hodson, Miechel and Senior Constable Paul Dale, allegedly became involved in Melbourne’s illegal drug scene.
Hodson escaped from custody in Perth while serving time...
On 27 September 2003, their criminal schemes came unstuck. On that night Terry Hodson and David Miechel attempted to steal one and a half million dollars worth of drugs and cash from a residence in East Oakleigh. Police arrived shortly after being alerted by a Neighbourhood Watch call, and both burglars were soon apprehended. Hodson surrendered without incident after being found in a nearby school yard, but Miechel attempted to flee, and needed stitches to his face after being savaged by a police dog. Bags containing large sums of money, and plentiful supplies of ecstasy, were found at the crime scene.
attempted to steal one and a half million dollars worth of drugs and money from a residence in East Oakleigh.
Hodson secretly agreed to provide damaging evidence against corrupt police and gangland leaders in the hope of gaining a reduced sentence. However his confidential files disappeared from police headquarters and allegedly ended up with underworld identities such as Tony Mokbel. Perhaps it is significant that Senior Constable Dale was seen at police headquarters shortly before the secret documents went missing. Later, Dale was also arrested for his suspected involvement in the botched crime.
In May 2004 the Hodson’s heavily fortified house was invaded by unknown assailants after the German Shepherd guard dogs were perhaps sedated before being locked in the garage. It is also possible that the mysterious visitors were well known to the two residents, and were welcomed into the house. Whatever the circumstances, the outcome was chilling.
Paul Dale
Terry Hodson and his apparently blameless wife Christine had their hands tied behind their backs. They were then forced to kneel on their lounge room floor, where they became Melbourne gangland’s 26th and 27th victims, after both were shot in the back of the head.
In an unusual twist, the resolution of a 21-year-old old case has provided a possible breakthrough in the 2004 double murder. On 6 June 2008, Mokbel associate Rod Collins was charged over the drug related double murder of Ray and Dorothy Abbey at Heidelberg West in 1987. The modus operandi of the murder has distinct similarities to that of the Hodson’s.
Both Miechel and Dale were stood down without pay for their corrupt conduct by Victoria’s Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon. Any case against Dale virtually collapsed with the Hodson deaths, and charges against him were later withdrawn. Recent revelations, however, suggest that he remains a person of interest in the investigation.
The modus operandi of the murder has distinct similarities to that of the Hodsons.
In June 2008 an Office of Police Integrity (OPI) inquiry was conducted over allegations that serving police officers had impeded the work of the Petra Task Force investigation into the Hodson murders. Paul Dale was subjected to probing questions, and he admitted to proving false information about the investigation to police earlier that year.
...he criticised the culture of blind loyalty that prevailed within sections of the police force.
Retired judge Murray Wilcox QC, presided over the inquiry, and when it concluded on 12 June, he criticised the culture of blind loyalty that prevailed within sections of the police force. David Miechel was found guilty of seven charges, and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with a minimum of 12 years.
Debate continues about whether corrupt police or gangland leaders murdered the couple after Terry Hodson betrayed both groups. The Petra Task Force investigation was still proceeding when this book went to print.
