And she knew the corrupt relationships that existed between senior police officers and major crime figures. [4][5] During his time in office he was implicated inbut never convicted oftwo killings, bribery, assault and drug dealing.[6]. Having failed to catch him with the heroin the prosecution would rely heavily on police evidence that was deeply flawed. Police attempted to speak to him, but Eustace told them to "fuck off" and died a short time later. [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. And like crooks they had nice wives, kids at home and a nice family background. During the interview, Roger spoke about Ben Elton's new role as a cast member, Queen's US touring plans for later this year, and the band's . He was rushed to hospital. As finals week begins on Australian Lego Masters: Grand Masters the teams are each given unique challenges. Even Flannery was convinced, assuring Williams: "He's lost a lot of blood; I don't think he'll make it.". While Roger Rogerson has denied being involved in Brian Alexander's murder, Alexander's murder bears striking similarities to that of Sydney university student Jamie Gao. log in. It cleaned the streets up a bit and saved the taxpayer money, instead of sending them to jail. [7] Flannery blamed Domican, who was later charged and convicted of attempted murder, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. There's plenty of new shows including the Family Stallone as well as new seasons of Five Bedrooms. The heat was on. The Brotherhood: Directed by Grant Brown. And he was right. - Advertisement - All communications via this link are strictly confidential, and we will endeavour to reply to you as soon as possible. He has been the subject of articles, appearances, profiles and books; portrayed in TV dramas; and recorded by . 2 reviews. [40], Richard Roxburgh portrayed Rogerson in the 1995 TV mini-series Blue Murder and its 2017 sequel Blue Murder: Killer Cop.[41]. [8][9], A new trial started on 1 February 2016. Not long after the attack on his family, Flannery moved into an inner Sydney apartment[11] which was close to CIB headquarters. He was acquitted of multiple murder charges and worked as a bodyguard for Sydney crime figure George Freeman. Only now, with the court's verdict of murder, can many stories of Roger Rogerson be told. Every Monday is about to become Mad Monday on 7mate, with the launch of a new prime time AFL footy show set to bring all the weekend's AFL antics to Western Australian viewers. Jamie Gao was shot, wrapped in blue tarp, chained, and dumped in the sea. Years later Williams told me what really happened. That is the name former Federal Police Commissioner Sir Colin Woods finally gave in 1982 to Australia's other national obsession: our fascination with, and lionisation of, our most infamous criminals, from Kelly to Squizzy Taylor, Tilly Devine to Chopper Read. [21], On 17 February 2005, Rogerson and his wife, Anne Melocco, were convicted of lying to the 1999 Police Integrity Commission. "He is nothing but an arsehole [he actually used another quite impossible anatomical descriptive]," Roger informed his somewhat startled female fans. As they strolled down William St in Darlinghurst, they talked of the good old days and the show. He had been, after all, shot twice at point-blank range. Credit: Peter Rae. I mean he wasn't called the Munster for nothing but Kennedy got the spirit of Graham Kinniburgh. Underbelly (TV Series) The Brotherhood (2009) . David and Emily were in for a shock after their breathtaking 24-hour date when they couldn't find Leah at the farm. 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. Credit: James Brickwood. ", That is when he reached out to Flannery. By 1978, his reputation was sufficient to gain convictions based on the strength of unsigned records of interviews with prisoners (known as "police verbals"). Sallie-Anne Huckstepp had floated close to the flames of police corruption and organised crime for more than a decade. [8] Rogerson was seen in the area in the days after the shooting and was interviewed by police. But I stepped over the line with the Drury thing. Adam Hollingworth The gun found on Lanfranchi was an 80-year-old revolver that didn't work properly. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Underbelly (TV Series 2008-2013) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Underbelly (TV Series 2008-2013) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. [29], On 25 August 2016, Rogerson and McNamara faced a sentencing hearing. Taking out the rubbish. Author Duncan said of the trial and the writing of the book: 'I've been following Roger Rogerson's career - on both sides of the law - for over 30 years. [35][36][37], Soon after the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub fire on 8 March 1973, Sydney detectives Roger Rogerson and Detective Sergeant Noel Morey were called to Brisbane to assist in the investigation. Roger Caleb Rogerson (born 3 January 1941) is a former detective sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force) and convicted murderer. [32] However, neither Rogerson nor McNamara formally lodged appeals, and in July 2019 Rogersons last application for an extension of time to do so was refused by the NSW Supreme Court. SHE has played a yellow Power Ranger, and now starlet Anna Hutchison looks set to power into the new Underbelly series. FORMER NSW police detective Roger Rogerson has challenged claims made by former policewoman and whistleblower Deborah Locke that a nude scene in Underbelly 3 - The Golden Mile occurred in real life. Drury was also interviewed, but was not considered a serious suspect. Robert McKnight, Steve Molk and Kevin Perry have combined to bring years of media experience to TV Blackbox that will present all the available information for audiences to be able to make easy decisions about what they watch (& when and where they watch it). By Candace Sutton for Daily Mail Australia, Published: 02:50 BST, 17 January 2023 | Updated: 09:47 BST, 17 January 2023. Mr Gao's own car, a white Nissan Sylvia sedan, was found abandoned in Stuart Street, Padstow later that afternoon, and police issued a report about him missing and fearedkidnapped and killed. Roger made an appearance on BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball Breakfast Show (opens in new tab) earlier this week in order to promote the upcoming 12-week run of Queen and Ben Elton's We Will Rock You musical. Roger Rogerson in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst in 1982. Credit: Peter Morris. Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was the first person to lift the lid on corruption and the rogue gallery of criminals and crooked cops running organised crime in Sydney and around Australia. Huckstepp was later murdered, her body found in a pond in Centennial Park, New South Wales. However, the worst crims weren't in the bush, on screen, or in the sordid alleys of Razorhurst, but often on the beat. On May 25, police arrested McNamara and charged him with Jamie Gao's murder around the same time as fishermen made a grisly discovery in the sea at Shelly beach off Cronulla, the same suburb where McNamara lived with his wife and family. He was released from Kirkconnell Correctional Centre on 17 February 2006. The popular MasterChef co-host is confirmed to have suddenly passed away in Melbourne yesterday, Sunday 30th April. Former detective Roger Rogerson. Detectives drag Roger Rogerson from his Padstow Heights home.Credit: Nick Moir. However, his compilation of the evidence against "Dumb and Dumber" as the bungling duo were dubbed by investigators into Gao's murder, which takes up half the book is meticulous, reflecting how these "old school" coppers' scheming hadn't taken into account that their crime, recorded on ubiquitous CCTV, would be "probably the most electronically recorded crime in Australian history". He claimed he was just curious to see what kind of damage such a gun could do. This eye-opening account will include behind-the-scenes stories - many never told before - of both the trial and its outcome, and the events leading up to it. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Credit: Daniel Munoz, Bent: Australia's Crooked Cops Updated and Uncensored. Unlike Brian Alexander, his body was later found. That deal, done in cold blood over cool beers, was to kill Drury for $100,000. Melocco was sentenced to two years' periodic detention for the same offence. For entertainment, I'd give it four out of five. "I can understand if he [Drury] was bitter to the day he died. Don't miss out on the headlines from News. In 1982, a jury failed to reach a verdict and a retrial was adjourned until 18 April 1984. The winner of awards for bravery and devotion to duty he was selected by an influential corrupt cell within the police department as their man to eventually run the crime department. The guy playing Carl Williams has got an amazing similarity to the real Carl Williams. But make no mistake; Rogerson was brought down because he thought his Sydney influence would stretch down the Hume Highway into the heart of Melbourne and into a major drug investigation. At the time of his death, Lanfranchi was under investigation for pulling a gun on a police officer. Alexander says that he doesn't want to testify at the Royal Commission, but if no one's there to help him, he might have to. The guys up here in Sydney tried to settle him down. Her body was found lying face down in a pond in Sydneys Centennial Park. We had nine killed in a year which was pretty good. The first is Duncan McNab's Roger Rogerson. To say he is rotten as a chop is to be grossly unfair to those delightful meaty delicacies, Roger Rogerson is escorted from court during his trial for the murder of Jamie Gao.Credit: Daniel Munoz, He claims I have an obsession with corrupt NSW coppers and have treated some wonderful detectives unfairly. It wouldn't have happened up here in Sydney like down there. [2], On 23 April 1985, Flannery was allegedly sent to murder Tony "Spaghetti" Eustace. Like fellow crusading journalists Evan Whitton and Tony Reeves, McNab's passion for exposing his subjects can feel obsessive, with exhaustive and sometimes superfluous detail regarding peripheral characters, incidents and court cases occasionally obscuring the "mesmerising" Rogerson, especially in many chapters investigating the "deeply flawed" McNamara's own self-servingly fabricated backstory . "The deal was done in the restaurant," he said. To be fair, for a crooked cop, Roger had some positives. Police seized McNamara's white Ford Falcon station wagon as well as a boat from a storage unit in Caringbah. 1959: At the age of 18, he joins NSW Police as a cadet, 1981: Twenty years into his career he shoots dead Warren Lanfranchi in Chippendale, 1984: Policeman Michael Drury is shot at his home and accuses Rogerson of organising the attack, 1986: Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, Lanfranchi's girlfriend, is murdered. The upcoming season will focus on Prince William's time as a university student at St Andrews, where he meets Kate Middleton, also starting her university journey. Gao got into a white car around 1.40pm with the unidentified men, from whom he is believed to have collected $3million of methamphetamine. Those who have seen recent images of Roger "The Dodger" hobbling along as a 75-year-old with a dodgy hip may find it hard to imagine him as a ruthless, charismatic and dangerous detective destined for higher office. In an exclusive blog with The Daily Telegraph this afternoon, Rogerson challenged Locke to a debate "any place, any time" about the fact and fiction of the hit channel Nine series. 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. Flannery, in leaving for the rendezvous, was unable to start his car. Melocco was sentenced to two years' periodic detention for the same offence. The celebration kicks off on Thursday, 4 May at 8.30pm with The Queen's Coronation in Colour, a behind-the-scenes look at the most elaborate ceremony of the 20th century that saw Princess Elizabeth crowned Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey. "I knew I needed help because the only bloke who stuck to his guns in the committal was Drury. This meant a joint NSW/Victoria operation at a time when trust between the forces was short on the ground. By continuing, you accept the privacy policy. Roger Rogerson rates Underbelly. He played a fat, little jerk really well, which is exactly what I reckon Carl Williams would have been like. For those who didn't live through those times it must seem inconceivable that a small but untouchable group of corrupt Sydney detectives intimidated honest cops, major crooks and elected politicians (many of whom were bent as a Uri Geller spoon). The inquest into the deaths of the Wilsons commences. The type of cop who would race into your burning house to save a child then steal your wallet on the way out. However, on 20 November 1989, Rogerson was acquitted. While many outside the state, particularly in Victoria, rightly decry NSW policing in the same breath as its politics, as McNab points out, "numerous commissions of inquiry have exposed the dirty dealings and murky history of the Victoria police". Got a news tip or some info you think we should know about? The guy playing Carl Williams has got an amazing similarity to the real Carl Williams. Then they would go out with their good-looking girlfriends and be scum. Roger Rogerson outside Sydney's Supreme Court. 27 June 1981 - 22-year-old drug dealer and standover man, Warren "Frenchie" Lanfranchi was shot dead by NSW Detective Roger Rogerson on Dangar Place in Chippendale. By Roger Rogerson She previously told of fears Rogerson and his criminal friend Neddy Smith would kill her. He had been shot six times in the back outside the Airport Hilton in North Arncliffe and was lying beside his gold Mercedes, bleeding profusely. Flannery did so; after exiting The Connaught, where he lived, onto Liverpool Street, he was never seen again. February 14, 2008 Like Blue Murder it's based on some facts with a fair amount of journalistic license and colour. The police confirmed Rogerson was the 'mole' during an early 1990s secret investigation called 'Operation Graveyard'. It was enough to give Williams an out and he took it driving off with the heroin. 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. The Bank Holiday excitement is a bit too much for some! And in Australia's long, ignominious history of bent coppers from Australia's first constable, James Smith, dismissed by Governor Arthur Phillip for larceny, to the sinister triad of Ray Kelly, Fred Krahe and Don Fergusson, who controlled Sydney's sly grog, illegal casino, brothel and abortion rackets for more than 30 years there has been none as synonymous with crime as Roger Caleb Rogerson. He didn't want to do as he was told, he was out of control, and having overstepped that line, well, I suppose they said he had to go but I can assure you I had nothing to do with it. Much of that has been his own doing, in his fervent courting of the media, with Alan Jones launching his 2009 memoir, The Darkside; blogging about the Nine Network's lurid Underbelly series for News Ltd tabloids; and his national speaking tours with fellow reprobate Mark "Chopper" Read, celebrating his notorious career, which included associations with some of Australia's worst criminals; extrajudicial killings; being implicated in various murders and disappearances; countless allegations of threatening behaviour, bribery and drug dealing; and convictions for perverting the course of justice and perjury. Need a bigger car park, Jeremy? Flannery's life was marked by violence, as he was involved in gang wars, murder attempts, and was ultimately presumed dead after disappearing in 1985. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Flannery's trial had been scheduled for 31 January 1984. NSW police believe there is a connection, as she vanished the same day that she gave preliminary evidence to the courts. She had decided to leave after David chose Emily for the date instead of her at the weekend getaway. SMH Picture by WADE LAUBE Roger Rogerson outside the Downing Centre where he is facing a minor charge relating to his directorship of a company, 22 October 2001. #amreading Getting Away with Murder, Duncan McNab, Currently Reading - Waterfront, Duncan McNab. By Roger Rogerson February 14, 2008 The Daily Telegraph Featured Series All Saints Back to the Rafters Blue Heelers Bluey The Bureau of Magical Things Class of '07 Website design and maintenance by Kevin Perry. ROGER Rogerson has challenged claims made by Deborah Locke over a nude scene in Underbelly 3. Feel free to get in touch with the team at TV Blackbox. CCTV footage shows Gao meetingtwo young South East Asian men, believed to be members of aHong Kong-based organised crime group, on Arab Street, Padstow. I'll be watching again next week and at least it's home grown. FORMER NSW police detective Roger Rogerson has challenged claims made by former policewoman and whistleblower Deborah Locke that a nude scene in Underbelly 3 - The Golden Mile occurred in real life. Edelsten was convicted on 27 July 1990 for perverting the course of justice and also for soliciting Flannery to assault a former patient. He played a fat, little jerk really well, which is exactly what I reckon Carl Williams would have been like. On 15 June 2016, Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty of Gao's murder. Williams later testified that Flannery had attempted to bribe Drury through Rogerson in order to get the charges against Williams dismissed. Detectives drag Roger Rogerson from his Padstow Heights home. Gao, 20, collected $3m of methamphetamine from two Asian men in Padstow and was then shot twice in the chest inside a storage unit by ex-detectives Glen McNamara and Roger Rogerson, Ex-cop Glen McNamara with a silver surfboard cover containing Jamie Gao's body gets into hiswhite station wagon parked behind Rogerson's silver Ford Falcon in plain sight of a security camera. But as entertainment it was pretty good with more sex than violence. Yet his name makes him the most well-known 'detective-sergeant' in Australia. Specialising in Australia & New Zealand Crime Fiction Reviews since 2006. He looked real and I think the Munster was that type of guy, pretty humorous with a tough streak. Motorheads flock to Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm shop on Bank Holiday Monday Jack Dorsey says Elon Musk is NOT the best person to run Twitter and claims it 'all went south' for the 'Woke' Google bosses ban staff from using terms including 'man hours', 'you guys', 'blacklist' and 'chubby' Police fraud investigation into SNP 'probing whereabouts of 400,000 bequeathed in people's wills'. Jailed for life in September 2016, Rogerson lost an application to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal over his conviction in 2021. Christopher Dale Flannery, nicknamed "Mr Rent-a-Kill" (born 1948 disappeared 9 May 1985[1]) is alleged to have been an Australian contract killer. He was willingly seduced to the dark side, a world where he and his corrupt mates didn't just turn a blind eye to crime, they organised their own, using underworld pals to carry out armed robberies, massive burglaries and drug rip-offs. Tell us below. I showed him the gear but there was something wrong. Friends would later say, Gao seemed 'normal', but the 20-year-old had been in fact exchanging texts with ex-cop Glenn McNamara since January that year, and at 11.38am on May 20, Gao texted McNamara thanking him for buying him a drink. Finally it was decided Victoria would provide $110,000 to buy the drugs and NSW the undercover operative, the smart and ambitious Mick Drury who, along with Rogerson had won the prestigious police Peter Mitchell Trophy. Christopher Dale Flannery, nicknamed " Mr Rent-a-Kill " (born 1948 - disappeared 9 May 1985 [1]) is alleged to have been an Australian contract killer . The crooks and the cops aren't the same anymore. In 1984, Rogerson was accused of conspiring to murder his colleague, drug detective Michael Drury, who was shot through his kitchen window but survived. Shes landing some of thebiggest roles of her career, on stage andscreen, and finding the voice to speak out about the industry shes worked in for 40 years. But from the moment he was linked to the treacherous shooting his reputation changed from colourful rogue to rat in the rank. The body was put in McNamara's white station wagon which was driven away, followed by Rogerson in his silver Ford Falcon. It took me back a little, it's been 24 years since I left the police force. She had spent years paying off crooked cops and rubbed shoulders with some of the most notorious criminals of the time. I mean he wasn't called the Munster for nothing but Kennedy got the spirit of Graham Kinniburgh. On May 19, 2014, straight-A business student Jamie Gao left his family's $1.5m Hurstville home to attend classes at Sydney's University of Technology, and lunched with a friend at a nearby cafe. Well I have a nickname for him that is publishable inmate. This extraordinary corruption went unchecked for years until a single mother, a heroin-addicted sex worker from Kings Cross, literally blew the lid - exposing the rotten underbelly of Australia's largest city. 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.