Drury refused and believed Rogerson was behind the attempt on his life. On 20 May 2014, former New South Wales police officers Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara murdered student Jamie Gao in cold blood. Blue Murder: With Richard Roxburgh, Tony Martin, Steve Bastoni, Gary Day. To improve your experience. Rogerson verdict: What it's like to be an old bloke in jail - LinkedIn Smith (left) is pictured with ex-wife Debra and brothel keeper Harvey Jones, who he was convicted of having murdered in 1983. He spent nine months in jail in 1990 before being released on bail pending an ultimately unsuccessful appeal. Languishing in Long Bay he was paired with a police informer dubbed Mr Brown who secretly recorded him confessing to a string of 1980s murders, all of which he later denied having committed. 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. [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. On 6 June 1984, Drury was shot twice through his kitchen window as he fed his three-year-old daughter. Rogerson was charged with the shooting and Williams testified that Rogerson and Christopher Dale Flannery had agreed to murder Drury for A$50,000 each. Roger Rogerson after being jailed for life in June. Disgraced cop Roger Rogerson could testify at Whiskey Au Go Go inquest Harsh words forgotten. CCTV showed both men walking into the facility with the young drug dealer. [27] On 6 March 2015, both accused were arraigned at a hearing in the NSW Supreme Court. And on free to air, they watched it 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. They did so because, although they 'knew' Stuart and Finch were involved, they had insufficient evidence to convict them. [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. 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. The latter are alleged to. Smith became a star witness for the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Wood Royal Commission, revealing Rogerson and others alleged corruption. 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. Former detectives Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara have lost their appeals against convictions for the murder of Sydney drug dealer Jamie Gao. On 15 June 2016, Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty of Gao's murder. He spent a further three years in jail. It was an unsettling enough account for its subject that Rogerson, having emerged from jail after a stint for perjury, phoned up the author to give his first personal glimpse of his dangerous side. , who was shot dead inside a Padstow storage unit in 2014. He later joked that the only way to identify Western's bullet-ridden body was by his ingrown toenails. The prospect of an appeal still drives him, despite the court having denied him the ability to do so. The judge who sentenced them in 2016, Justice Geoffrey Bellew, said the pair were "overwhelmed by greed"and had formed an agreement to kill with "a complete disregard for the life of another human being". He became involved in a violent Sydney gang war over the heroin trade and Flannery tried to align himself with Neddy Smith. News Limited reported Thursday that police four years ago investigated claims Woodward was killed and buried in sand hills behind a beach south of Sydney. He said he arranged for it to be handed over to McNamara. [26] On 21 January 2015, he and his co-accused, Glen McNamara (also a former police detective), were committed to stand trial over the alleged murder. Rogerson is serving life in prison, alongside fellow former police officer Glen McNamara, over the murder of 20-year-old drug dealer Jamie Gao in May 2014. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/roger-rogerson-glen-mcnamara-lose-appeal-murder/100298452, Australia's biggest drug bust: $1 billion worth of cocaine linked to Mexican cartel intercepted, 'Pincers are closing': Ukrainian forces under pressure as Russians shell roads out of Bakhmut, Four in hospital after terrifying home invasion by gang armed with machetes, knives, hammer, 'We have got the balance right': PM gives Greens' super demands short shrift, Crowd laughs as Russia's foreign minister claims Ukraine war 'was launched against us', The tense, 10-minute meeting that left Russia's chief diplomat smoking outside in the blazing sun, 'Celebrity leaders': Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley take veiled jabs at Donald Trump in CPAC remarks. Arthur 'Neddy' Smith - Sydney Crime Museum But the three appeal judges agreed Witness A was a "liar". Rogerson has been in custody since May 2014 for the murder that month of 20-year-old student and wannabe drug dealer Jamie Gao. He was released from Kirkconnell Correctional Centre on 17 February 2006. Both pleaded not guilty in January 2015. At an inquest into Flannery's suspected murder, Coroner Greg Glass said he suspected Rogerson had killed him. Dont watch it before reading this. Rogerson, McNamara 'should be jailed for life' over Gao murder The surname Rogerson was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland from ancient times, some say as early as the 11th century. [17][18], Rogerson received a criminal conviction, which was overturned on appeal, for involvement in drug dealing, allegedly conspiring with notorious Melbourne drug dealer Dennis Allen to supply heroin. With Rogerson dismissed from the force in 1986 and Smith's other police friends no longer able to help, he was refused bail and spent the rest of his life in jail. CCTV showed both men walking into the storage unit with the drug dealer and at their trial they each blamed theother for killing him. In 1984, undercover policeman Michael Drury was shot in his Sydney home as he fed his young daughter. 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. Glen McNamara (right) is escorted by a correctional services officer as he leaves the NSW Supreme Court in 2016. Roger Rogerson was jailed for life for the 2014 murder of student Jamie Gao. It was an offer I couldnt refuse, and Mrs Rogerson assured me hed be on his best behaviour. 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. Convicted killer Roger Rogerson working as a prison cleaner There was a whole coterie of men who liked Roger because Roger could do things for them, says author Duncan McNab. Roger Rogerson being escorted to a prison van at the Supreme Court in Sydney in 2016. 'He did mention that he probably would have been dead long before if he hadn't been in jail but that's about it,' Ms Melocco said. Watch the video above about Roger Rogerson's sentencing. Put a schooner of Reschs in his gnarled hand and we could have been two old mates chatting at the pub. The death of Lanfranchi, whose girlfriend was heroin-addicted prostitute turned police corruption whistleblower, was ruled in the line of duty. One was the murder in company of tow truck driver, Ronnie Flavell and the other of brothel owner Harvey Jones. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' He knew that knowing everybody would be good for his own business and this extraordinary, outwardly affable, bright, capable man showed no fear.. 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'. He was. Gao's body was later dumped off the coast. All those years later, [for Rogerson] to have that amount of clout, quite spooky.. His first experience of killing came in 1976 in the NSW town of Avoca Beach, where he and other officers rained gunfire on a house holding murderous criminal Phillip Western. Things went fatally wrong for the naive Gao after Rogerson, waiting in the wings on the deal, conceived with McNamara a more brutal but profitable alternative. Rogerson who is now80, and Glen McNamara, now 62, were jailed for life for the murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao. 00:55. The 20-year-old student was shot dead in a Padstow storage unit in 2014 and his body was wrapped in a tarpaulin and dumped in Cronulla. In 2005, when Roger Rogerson was sentenced to his second stint in jail - this time for lying under oath to the Police Integrity Commission six years earlier, unaware the true story had been captured on audiotapes - a District Court judge and a prominent psychiatrist both expressed the view that the former NSW detective might be rehabilitated and An . Tony Martin is pictured left playing Smith and Richard Roxburgh as Rogerson in the television series Blue Murder. Huckstepp, a heroin addict and prostitute, appeared on numerous current affairs programs, including 60 Minutes and A Current Affair, demanding an investigation into the shooting. Digging up the past: The gruesome bid to cover up the murder of - 7NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Florence Pugh's father is threatened with 2,500 fine as he goes to war with council over Oxford Do not sell or share my personal information. The jury said I didn't act in self-defence. But the whiff of suspicion persists that Rogerson had a hand in at least seven others. CCTV showed both men walking into a Padstow storage facility with the young drug dealer in 2014 before he was shot dead. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Convicted killer Roger Rogerson working as a prison cleaner They also were jailed for plotting to steal 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine from the drug dealer. What an interesting confluence: one man who has an appalling reputation but has rehabilitated himself to genial rogue for hire, and a bloke whos supposed to be pure and downtrodden, McNab says. Rodgerson - Wikipedia 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. I'm a vet, and here are five dog breeds most prone to cancer - including Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers. When Lanfranchi stepped out of the car, Rogerson shot him dead, claiming self defence. The menacing conversation included an unsuccessful attempt by Rogerson to wound his biographer by recalling the suicide of a colleague whod been involved in a fatal hit and run on a child and to whose parents McNab had to break the news. 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. "I was trying to get my life back together, the last thing I needed to do was think about this.". He was granted bail but in December the next year was arrested with two others outsideBotany Council preparing to snatch its Christmas payroll drop. Blue Murder (TV Mini Series 1995) - IMDb Roger Rogerson leaves a court hearing in 2014. Rogerson was jailed again in 2005 for 12 months for lying to NSW's Police Integrity Commission about bribing a local council official to obtain work. Roger Rogerson reacts to learning Neddy Smith died in the same jail McNamara had argued that would have convinced the jury that Rogerson shot Gao and he was under duress when he helped dispose of the body. Christopher Dale Flannery. He says McNamara wasnt a hero cop whose career was ruined by his battle against corruption that was a fiction he created. 00:01. + Follow. 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. Roger Rogerson: The life and crimes of Australia's most notorious cop. He spun off his infamy into a round of after-dinner pub speaking engagements. Most of Jamie Gao's murder was caught on CCTV. But as McNab now recalls, Rogerson was protected in large part by his aura within the polices own ranks. Melocco was sentenced to two years' periodic detention for the same offence. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Huckstepps media profile blossomed, but she couldnt give up heroin. 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. He was last seen catching a taxi in the city, and never seen alive again. Made in 1995, by the time all the court cases, ICAC and royal commission hearings about the cops and crims had been cleared for the ABC to broadcast in 2001, countless people had watched it. As a public figure straddling corruption and crime in modern times, Rogerson has no peer, McNab says. Not much stuck. US seeks 15-year jail term for ex-Goldman banker Roger Ng over 1MDB scandal Still, it fascinates me that Rogers career was brought to an end by a 20-year-old Asian kid with an education.. Rogerson gets jail keyboard at Long Bay jail. Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara lose appeal over Jamie Gao's murder. I dismissed it as bluster, but nonetheless looked over my shoulder for the next few days. Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov provokes gales of laughter as he tells audience the West started Find out what Uber drivers really think of you! 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! His family was among those in court for today's hearing. Rogerson had once been the brightest star in the New South Wales Police Force and Smith one of the heaviest criminals that Sydney has known. [21], On 17 February 2005, Rogerson and his wife, Anne Melocco, were convicted of lying to the 1999 Police Integrity Commission. Australia's most corrupt cop Roger Rogerson's makes last ditch attempt In late January, 1985 Flannerys family home was sprayed with rounds from a rifle. "It alleged both men were part of a plan to steal drugs from the deceased and kill him," he said. In June 2016, Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara were found guilty of killing student Jamie Gao for his drugs (Partridge, 2016a). The surname Rodgerson was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland from ancient times, some say as early as the 11th century. The sentencing of the 75-year-old detective recalls an era of deeply rooted police corruption in Australia, Rogerson rose through the ranks during his career to win 12 commendation awards, Sallie-Anne Huckstep spoke out against Rogerson, who shot dad her drug dealer boyfriend Warren Lanfranchi, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Roger Rogerson reacts to learning Neddy Smith died in the same jail An armed robber, nightclub bouncer and convicted rapist, he moved into contract killing and is said to have murdered a Melbourne barrister and later a Sydney brothel owner. The latter are alleged to have been Rogersons hope for unloading the ice. 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. Ms Melocco said Rogerson hadbeen disappointed by losing his murder conviction appeal but had not given up hope and would take the case to the High Court. With his running knowledge of underworld sellers and buyers, Rogerson was a fantastic middleman but came to grief when he stopped being middleman and decided to actually take a bigger slice, McNab says. Its a challenge that will almost certainly elude this once-celebrated detective - who will now likely die in jail. Rogerson, 75, has taken a job as the prison sweeper, which involves general cleaning duties like emptying bins and mopping floors, at the Kevin Waller Unit for aged and frail inmates. Jamie Gao's . Rogerson (in handcuffs) is serving life for the murder of 20-year-old drug dealer Jamie Gao. McPherson was a standover man who probably committed or commissioned more murders than any other major organised figure. 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. A generation of his colleagues have either keeled over or retired, and Rogers looking around for fresh playmates, McNab says. 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. Early Origins of the Rodgerson family. [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). [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). The new book explores in richer detail the accounts of Rogersons profiteering from crime while a detective, anticipating the pivotal shift in Australian criminal enterprise from armed robberies and safe breaking to drug trafficking. Rogerson, McNamara jailed for life for murder of Jamie Gao He could get them out of strife with the coppers, he could tell them how the coppers operated, how best to avoid things, the depth of his knowledge. ), English footballer; Stan Rodgerson (1894-1955), Australian rules footballer; See also. His only hope for freedom, now, would be an uphill battle to try to find new and compelling evidence that will change the court's mind and give him one last chance to appeal. Smith insisted the pair became partners in crime. His 'threat' came shortly after the release of my first book on him. Rogerson, 75, and McNamara, 57, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Gao and dumping his body in waters off Cronulla the next day. Test your knowledge by naming all 20 of these famous films. His wife Anne Melocco told Daily Mail. Train fares will rise by 5.9% TOMORROW - but travellers can still get cheaper tickets if they buy them Will El Salvador's new mega-prison turn into a bloodbath? There was a whole coterie of men who liked Roger because Roger could do things for them, McNab says. 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. NSW News. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rogerson, 82, serving life term for murder of drug dealer. "Roger would like to see you," she said. "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. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. More than one acquaintance describes Rogerson as a psychopath but the apparently remorseless killer has never undergone a psychiatric assessment of any depth, McNab says. Ex-cops lose drug dealer murder appeal | PerthNow In 1981, in a back lane called Dangar Place in Sydneys Chippendale, in front of a large group of police officers, Rogerson shot dead heroin dealer Warren Lanfranchi. Actors Steve Bastoni and Peter Phelps play the roles of Detective Michael Drury, who survived an assassination attempt, and Smith friend Graham Abo Henry. 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. Smith has spent much of his life in prison for earlier crimes, but despite his reputation as a killer, he was convicted of only two deaths. But the cool-headed Smith was not impressed with Flannery, who made powerful enemies among Sydney ganglands other factions and police alike. Rogerson and McNamara argued the guilty verdict could not be supported by evidence and there hadbeen a miscarriage of justice. Similarities to the true life scenes played out in Sydney and involving the real Roger Rogerson and a body in the ocean in 2014 must have had Blue Murders producers minds reeling. Huckstepp's body was found floating in a pond at Centennial Park in 1986 and Smith would later be charged with murdering the sex worker, with unproven suggestions Rogerson had been involved. It was the beginning of the end for Rogersons police career, and Flannerys hot heatedness and ready gun toting would be his own demise. 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. Notorious gangster Neddy Smith died aged 76 in Long Bay jail last week while serving a life sentence of murder. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant. [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. jailed for life for the murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao. Theres just something horribly wrong with Rogers head. Interactive map reveals when you may see SNOW, Revealed: The top 10 fastest-growing destinations for UK pensioners retiring overseas. [38], In 1988 Roger Rogerson told a Bulletin reporter that he and the other lead detectives fabricated evidence. The Dodger had brought a whole new network of people who knew Rogerson out of the woodwork. 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. Rogerson, 80, and McNamara, 62, were jailed for . 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.