 | |
 | |
| Date | 1970–2010, most active from 1987 to 1999 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 40 years |
| Location | Marks Park,Tamarama |
| Coordinates | 33°53′55″S151°16′23″E / 33.8984765°S 151.2730416°E /-33.8984765; 151.2730416 |
| Also known as | Sydney Cliff Murders |
| Type | Hate crime |
| Cause | Anti-LGBT sentiment |
| Target | Gay men |
| Participants |
|
| Outcome |
|
| Deaths | Up to 80 |
| Arrests | 96[2]: 33 |
| Accused |
|
| Convicted |
|
| Convictions | 80 |
Thegay gang murders[3][4] are a series ofanti-LGBThate crimes perpetrated by large gangs of youths in Sydney, between 1970 and 2010, with most occurring in 1989 and 1990. The majority of these occurred at localgay beats, and were known to the police as locations where gangs of teenagers targeted homosexuals.[5][6] In particular, many deaths are associated with the cliffs of Marks Park,Tamarama, where the victims would allegedly be thrown or herded off the cliffs to their deaths.[7] As many as 80gay men were murdered by these groups in the period,[8] with many of the deathsunreported, considered accidents or suicides at the time.[9]
Today a memorial to the victims is in Marks Park.[10]
In 1991, the "Alexandria Eight" were convicted for the murder of Richard Johnson the previous year in a bathroom atAlexandria Park.[11] In a recording taken of the group in the prison, they also bragged of murdering a gay man at the Marks Park cliffs (described as "cliff jumping").[3]: 32 [11][12] Though he met resistance from within the force, investigating officer Steve McCann followed up this evidence, eventually learning of the "Bondi Boys".[4]
The Bondi Boys were the largest and most prolific of the groups, consisting of 30 men and women aged from 12 to 18.[3]: 138 They are primarily associated with deaths at Marks Park,[13] and also referred to themselves with the abbreviations PTK and PSK, generally understood to mean "People that Kill" and "Park Side Killers" respectively.[3]: 139 [14] In 1989, David McMahon, a victim who had escaped being thrown from the cliffs, identified Sean Cushman and another person as two members of the group.[15] Neither were charged.[3]: 162 While they attacked McMahon, they allegedly discussed a similar murder committed at the cliffs a month prior, pointing to them also perpetrating the death of John Russell.[13]
When interviewed by Operation Taradale, former members of the Bondi Boys denied that anyone was killed by their group.[16]
Three men were convicted for the assault and murder of Kritchikorn Rattanajaturathaporn on the Marks Park cliffs in 1990.[17][18][19]
A 2017 report by ACON identified two further groups operating in the period, the "North Narra Boys" who focused onNorth Narrabeen, and an unnamed gang that operated in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and used baseball bats to attack gay men.[20]
The murders and bashings that took place during the period were generally considered suicides or disconnected incidents at the time, and subsequently went largely uninvestigated for several decades.[3] Because of this inaction on the part of the police, various "gangs" were able to bash and murder gay men with little interference from authorities.[11] The most notable investigations prior to the formation of "Operation Taradale" were those preceding, and subsequently undertaken after, the arrests of the "Tamarama Three" and "Alexandria Eight".[15]
Operation Taradale was the first effort to reinvestigate cases from the period, originating in 2001 whenDetective Sergeant Steve Page noticed a similarity between the deaths ofRoss Warren and John Russell.[21]: 9 In both cases it had previously been found that the victims accidentally fell to their deaths from the cliffs of Marks Park.[5] In 2005, the final report was delivered to deputycoroner Jacqueline Milledge,[22] who subsequently recategorised the deaths of Warren and Russell as homicides,[23] describing the original investigations as "grossly inadequate" and "shameful".[24] It found that while police at the time were aware of the gangs of teenagers that committed the majority of these crimes, little was done to address the issue and early investigations into these attacks were "inadequate and naive".[5] In 2023, NSW Police "quietly reversed" their 2005 inquest findings,[25] and in evident seachange towards willingness to investigategay related killings, welcomed the three $100,000 rewards posted for the capture of the killers of Warren, Mataini and Russell.[26]
On 30 August 2015, Strike Force Parrabell was formed by the NSW police to investigate the circumstances of 88 deaths identified by several 2013 news articles[2]: 17 and a 2000 submission to theAustralian Institute of Criminology.[2]: 19 [27] The force specifically focused on crimes that took place between 1976 and 2000.[2]: 14 In 2018, the Parrabell report was released,[28] identifying 23 cases between 1976 and 2000 as "unsolved".[29][30] Of the cases, 61% had insufficient information to determine if it was a "bias crime", and 22% had suspicions of being a "bias crime".[2]: 26
In 2015, a $100,000 reward was offered by the NSW police for information leading to the culprits behind the murder of Warren, Russell, and Gilles Mattaini.[31][32]
In 2020, 49-year-old Scott White was arrested for the murder ofScott Johnson in 1988.[33] Although he initially pleaded "not guilty" to the charges,[34] in January 2022 White admitted to the murder of Johnson.[35] He was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison later that year in May.[36]
The gay gang murders reached their zenith during theNew South Wales 1988-1995Coalition government led byNick Greiner until 1992, when he was succeeded byJohn Fahey. The Coalition had come into power just 4 years after same-sex relationships weredecriminalised in 1984, a reform most of the party had opposed, as had theCatholic Right of theLabor Party prior to PremierNeville Wran'swhipped vote.[39] Despite the Coalition's traditionally conservativeopposition to LGBT rights however, senior figures within theLiberal Party spearheaded initiatives key to the investigation, prosecution, and ultimately the prevention of LGBT-relatedhate crime.[37][40]
NSW Police MinisterTed Pickering’s willingness to publicly launch the Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby's (GLRL)Streetwatch Report on anti-LGBT+ violence in April 1990[41] was "an indication to the wider community that anti-LGBTIQ violence was unacceptable and required a government response."[37] Independent MP,Clover Moore (later to becomeLord Mayor of Sydney) had been instrumental in alerting Pickering to the issues by taking him to "hot spots" in herDarlinghurst electorate of Sydney. TheStreetwatch Report collected data directly from victims of anti-LGBTIQ attacks via surveys that were administered by the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service and Lesbian Lines, and was followed by the GLRL'sOff Our Backs Report and theCount and Counter Report.[42]
Because manygay bashings and homicides were being perpetrated by school-ageyouth gangs,[43] in February 1993New South Wales Education MinisterVirginia Chadwick agreed to a meeting with theGay and Lesbian Teachers and Students Association (GaLTaS) led by Co-ConvenorDerek Williams with former GLRL Co-Convenor Carole Ruthchild and some of the students forced to quit school, in co-ordinated attempts to prevent students from becoming involved in serious crime, and to reduce the incidence of ubiquitoushomophobic bullying and violence in her schools.[44][45]
GaLTaS Co-Convenor Jacqui Griffin'sThe SchoolWatch Report : A Study Into Anti-Lesbian and Anti-Gay Harassment and Violence in Australian Schools, with foreword byPaul O'GradyMLC and Epilogue by Derek Williams[46][47] was modelled on the GLRL'sStreetwatch Report.[41][48] Alongside its data documenting bullying and violence against LGBT+ students, Griffin's report revealed significantunder-reporting by victims out of fear ofreprisals, andouting to their families and peers.
A copy of theSchoolWatch Report was sent to Mrs Chadwick, who expressed alarm at its findings in an interview withThe Sydney Morning Herald, confirming she had heard "very sad, and sometimes horrifying stories" about discrimination.[49] Chadwick subsequently launched theSchoolWatch Report on 6 March 1995 atRandwick Boys High School in a ceremony attended by teachers, students, Griffin, Williams, the headmaster Geoff McNeill who had invited Chadwick, and the school'sP&C.[38]
Following the recommendations of theParrabell report, aparliamentary inquiry was initiated by theNSW legislative council in 2019.[50] This inquiry expanded the scope to include the period between 1970 and 2010, and delivered its report in February 2021. The report largely focused on analysing the case studies of suspected victims, and of determining the failings in police response at the time. It found that a persistent culture of homophobia and transphobia within the police force had led to many cases of homophobic attacks lacking thorough investigation.[21]: 36
The final submission of the report led to the formation of ajudicial inquiry on 4 November 2021,[51][52] led by John Sackar KC. By 2023, there were still "50 to 100 persons of interest at least known" toNSW Police.[53] The Sackar inquiry held its final sitting in November 2023.[54]