Month: November 2018

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-24/whiskey-au-go-go-firebombing-new-inquest/10290416

https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/new-inquest-to-investigate-whiskey-au-go-go/10300408

The sister of a man killed in the 1973 firebombing of Brisbane nightclub Whiskey Au Go Go says she hopes a new inquest will finally discover the truth of what really happened.

“I’d like to know who gave that order to go and do such an evil act,” Helen Palethorpe told 7.30.

Her brother Leslie was one of 15 who were killed in the fire. He was only 20.

Speaking out for the first time since the Queensland Government ordered the inquest last June, Ms Palethorpe said the tragedy had affected many peoples’ lives.

“Let’s have the truth, let’s have the reason why my beautiful brother had to die that night,” she said.

Were Police Protecting Someone?

The Whisky Au Go Go in Fortitude Valley went up in flames after two drums of diesel fuel were set alight in the building foyer.

Police quickly arrested two men — James Finch and John Stuart — who were subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

But there is evidence others were also involved in the crime.

The new inquest is expected to examine why police at the time didn’t investigate further, and why corrupt NSW detective Roger Rogerson was involved in the original investigation.

Rogerson, who is currently serving a life sentence for a 2014 murder, reportedly told a newspaper he has no “new or secret evidence”.

But Queensland crime author Matt Condon, who is writing a book on the Whiskey Au Go Go tragedy, says one possible theory is that police were protecting someone.

“From my understanding and research, police didn’t proceed because one of the unnamed individuals associated with the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing was an informant to a very senior corrupt police officer,” he said.

Let’s have the truth

After being deported to the UK in 1988, Finch admitted at least two other men were involved in the crime.

One of the men he named, Vincent O’Dempsey, was convicted last year for the 1974 murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters.

The prosecution argued his motive was to keep Barbara McCulkin quiet about his involvement in the Whiskey Au Go Go fire.

“I’ve had indications of police corrupt, government corrupt, I’ve been told it could be because of an insurance claim — let’s have the truth.”

Retired police officer Hunter Nicol, who was in the nightclub at the time of the firebombing, was more reluctant to speculate about the reasons for attack.

“It’s like anything, people have theories on the JFK assassination or the moon landing,” he told 7.30.

“They could be right, they could be wrong, so I’ll leave it to the coroner.”

Nonetheless, he welcomed the new inquest, expected to get underway in the new year.

“There are questions people want answered, undoubtedly,” he said.

“Whether they’ll get the answers they’re looking for is another matter.”

Another David Murray exclusive;

False confession claims on club bombing ‘untrue’

Evan Griffiths, now 94, is one of few officers still alive who investigated the 1973 Brisbane nightclub blaze that killed 15 people.

Two men — James Finch and John Stuart — were convicted over the fire but suspicions that others were involved are set to be examined in a new inquest.

Mr Griffiths played an important role, as one of six senior officers who said they were in a police interview room when Finch purportedly admitted he lit the fire to help Stuart extort nightclubs.

Finch has always denied confessing and last month repeated his claims that police fabricated his unsigned record of interview.

At his home north of Brisbane, where he lives independently and is still an active member of the community, Mr Griffiths was not surprised by Finch’s protests.

“Oh well, you wouldn’t expect him to say he did (confess), would you?” he said.

Mr Griffiths, a detective sergeant attached to the Brisbane Criminal Investigation Branch at the time of the fire, said Finch “most certainly” did confess to police. “Not to me, but to the team,” he said.

“All those things were put to him. You do it thoroughly, you don’t buggerise around, make up things or anything as you put a statement in.”

Pressed on whether the confession happened, he said: “Well, what did we give in evidence? You couldn’t deny it, you’d be out for all sorts of things, wouldn’t you?”

He said police had been confronted by a “mess” when they ­attended the nightclub in the early hours of the morning.

He said after the charges were laid “I don’t think we even celebrated, I don’t think we had a drink”.

“There was a team of us and we stuck as a team right through. What you did, you did right ­according to the law,” he said.

The Queensland government ordered the new Whiskey inquest after Vince O’Dempsey and Garry Dubois were last year given life sentences over the 1974 murders of Barbara McCulkin and her daughters Vicki and Leanne.

O’Dempsey’s trial was told he murdered Barbara McCulkin because she could have implicated him in the Whiskey fire.

Finch and Stuart maintained throughout their imprisonment they were innocent. After being released on parole and sent back to Britain, Finch admitted he lit the blaze and named the others he said were involved: Stuart, O’Dempsey, Barbara McCulkin’s husband Billy McCulkin, petty criminal Thomas Hamilton and a senior Brisbane detective.

The real motive for the fire continues to be contested.

Asked this week whether O’Dempsey and the other men could have been involved, Mr Griffiths said: “They were all in the background somewhere, they were all mates.”

He said police had not to his knowledge protected any other players. Asked if a specific local detective was corrupt, he laughed: “Don’t want me to answer it, do you? I had no jobs with him. Hit the nail on the head, didn’t you?”

Police had not been in touch with him about the inquest.

“No one’s mentioned it at all. No one’s come anywhere near me,” he said.