He was released from Kirkconnell Correctional Centre on 17 February 2006. Recorded as Roger, Rodger, Rojer, and the patronymics Rogers, Rodgers, Rodgerson, Rodson, Roddison, Rogerson and others, this is an Anglo-Scottish surname, but one of French origins. McPherson was a standover man who probably committed or commissioned more murders than any other major organised figure. A year later his autobiography Neddy was published with even more damning claims against Rogerson and the book became the basis for Blue Murder. Given the lead role of Rogerson, brave cop and bad cop rolled into one, Roxburgh played the Roger on the move, taking care of Sydneys most dangerous and violent criminals. Big Sky Publishing. An inquest heard Rogerson fatally shot Lanfranchi while trying to effect an arrest, but failed to find it was done in self-defence. BLUE Murder was the original true crime blockbuster, a massive hit even while it was still banned. Smith (left) is pictured with ex-wife Debra and brothel keeper Harvey Jones, who he was convicted of having murdered in 1983. Rogerson was eventually jailed in 1990 for conspiring to pervert the course of justice over the transfer of A$110,000 into bank accounts under false names during the Drury trial. Smith insisted the pair became partners in crime. 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. Rogerson and his second wife Anne Melocco were convicted of lying to the Police Integrity Commission, and this is portrayed in Blue Murder: Killer Cop. There was a whole coterie of men who liked Roger because Roger could do things for them, McNab says. She went on television and gave extensive interviews about allegedly crooked police, including Rogerson who she claimed murdered Lanfranchi and stole the $10,000 bribe he was carrying to be let off the police shooting. His family was among those in court for today's hearing. Rodgerson is a surname. Australia's most corrupt cop Roger Rogerson launches appeal. Rogerson 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. Rogerson, 80, and McNamara, 62, were jailed for . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. And Rogersons last application for an extension of time to do so has been refused by the Supreme Court. Interactive map reveals when you may see SNOW, Revealed: The top 10 fastest-growing destinations for UK pensioners retiring overseas. A reality TV star has allegedly been caught having a full-on affair with a co-star, leaving his longtime girlfriend and fellow castmate heartbroken. "I was trying to get my life back together, the last thing I needed to do was think about this.". Even after he was booted from the police force in 1986, outed "dog" drug dealer Neddy Smith as his informant and was jailed twice, the man known as Roger the Dodger seemed a Teflon man. Crucially, McNab has produced a remarkable portrayal of Rogersons activities in his twilight years, leading up to the murder of Gao. A new book by former colleague Duncan McNab details how the charismatic one-time detective manipulated generations of fellow officers and gangsters, but when the mask slipped he revealed a vile and vicious criminal. 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. There was no doubt this time that the lethal shot had been fired by Rogerson, who quipped that Burns "fell out of the car dead as a doornail". [8][9], A new trial started on 1 February 2016. Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go fire killed 15 people. [27] On 6 March 2015, both accused were arraigned at a hearing in the NSW Supreme Court. It was a different time. And on free to air, they watched it again. Drury alleged that Rogerson had tried to bribe him to changes his evidence in the heroin trial of Melbourne dealer Alan Williams. [2] In September 2016, both were sentenced to jail for life for the murder of Gao. In June 2016, Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara were found guilty of killing student Jamie Gao for his drugs (Partridge, 2016a). They were photographed by a federal police surveillance unit in the Covent Garden at Chinatown, 'He's never seen him in prison because Neddy was in the hospital and Roger hasn't been there. Smith later said that Rogerson ordered him to disarm Lanfranchi en route. So you get that very clear view this was a bloke who was completely and utterly ruthless and self-absorbed and didnt mind who he hurt to get what he wanted.. Test your knowledge by naming all 20 of these famous films. CORRUPT cop and convicted killer Roger Rogerson has been working as a prison cleaner at Long Bay since he was jailed for life last year. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. [24], In 2009, he published an autobiography about his time as a detective, entitled The Dark Side, launched by broadcaster Alan Jones. However, on 20 November 1989, Rogerson was acquitted. By Stephen Gibbs for Daily Mail Australia, Published: 08:31 GMT, 13 September 2021 | Updated: 09:09 GMT, 13 September 2021. The following day her body was found floating in Busby Pond, in Centennial Park. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Smith was convicted of the Jones murder and acquitted of killing Huckstepp. CCTV showed both men walking into a Padstow storage facility with the young drug dealer in 2014 before he was shot dead. It would take years for the police to get serious about bringing its shiniest (though far from its only) rotten apple undone. 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. People whove known him have seen the facade drop, and it drops hard and fast, and the real Roger pops out: vile, vicious, opportunistic, McNab says. She also made statements to the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. Geesche Jacobsen, Kate McClymont (21 February 2005). Rogerson (in handcuffs) is serving life for the murder of 20-year-old drug dealer Jamie Gao. Christopher Dale Flannery. CCTV showed both men walking into the storage unit with the drug dealer and at their trial they each blamed theother for killing him. But as McNab now recalls, Rogerson was protected in large part by his aura within the polices own ranks. He was the master of the police verbal, an unsigned confession from a suspect, and operated in an era later classified as corrupt. Welcome to the Coronation! Single mother faces 170 parking fine after overstaying at McDonald's for just 14 minutes while she treated Man had sex with his wife on bollard in protest after it had been erected by neighbour to stop him parking What will the next pandemic be? Roger Rogerson was jailed for life for the 2014 murder of student Jamie Gao. Rogerson was suspected of having organised the hit after former undercover agent Drurys surveillance resulted in charged against Melbourne heroin dealer, Alan Williams. He is pictured in 1980. Published Sep 4, 2016. Drury refused and believed Rogerson was behind the attempt on his life. 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. It implicated Roger Rogerson in Drurys attempted execution at the behest of a heroin trafficker. [8][9] Following a retrial, both Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty of murder. The Dodger had brought a whole new network of people who knew Rogerson out of the woodwork. McNamara argued his life sentence was excessive but Justice Bell said it was justified given the murder was a cold-blooded execution. Drury spent 12 days in a coma, but survived. Roger Rogerson after being jailed for life in June. [14][dead link], Rogerson was responsible for the 1981 shooting death of Warren Lanfranchi. Theres just something horribly wrong with Rogers head. "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. He was utterly charming, very smart, a great conversationalist, witty, with great one-liners, says McNab, a once starry-eyed colleague who remembers how others in the NSW criminal investigation bureau would be drawn to Rogerson and bask in some of that reflected charisma. Rogerson had publicly accused Smith of informing on other criminals in media interviews and in the early 1990s the crook spectacularly turned on the copper. 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. Three years later he was tried for conspiring with hitman Christopher Dale Flannery to murder Drury. Rogerson has called a new witness, who told the court he picked up what he thought was a gun wrapped in a towel from a doorstep in the months before the murder. Read about our approach to external linking. Rogerson is pictured in 2004. "Mr McNamara said don't tell Rogerson because that goes to the whole issue whether or not the applicant had any knowledge of whether or not there was a gun," John Stratton SC argued. The request was for a chat, not an interview. 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. Melbourne hitman Christopher Dale Flannery was a career criminal who became known as Mr Rent-A-Kill. Former detectives Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara have lost their appeals against convictions for the murder of Sydney drug dealer Jamie Gao. Put a schooner of Reschs in his gnarled hand and we could have been two old mates chatting at the pub. It was later claimed that Rogerson shot Lanfranchi for robbing a heroin dealer under the detectives police protection. As a former NSW detective, I met Rogerson regularly when we were both stationed at the Criminal Investigation Branch headquarters. In late January, 1985 Flannerys family home was sprayed with rounds from a rifle. They were famously photographed slapping each other with wads of $50 notes for the benefit of federal police surveillance unit at Chinatown's Covent Garden Hotel. Reborn as an investigative journalist and author, McNab became Rogersons unauthorised biographer with his 2006 book The Dodger. McNab quit the force in dismay. To improve your experience. Detectives have variously described . Had Jamie been a little bit more dexterous in the use of Google he might actually have not gone to that deal, he says. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up. The prospect of an appeal still drives him, despite the court having denied him the ability to do so. "The case relied upon by Rogerson was completely lacking in credibility and did not raise any doubt about his guilt," the judgement read. Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was a Sydney private schoolgirl who fell into heroin addiction and prostitution and in 1981 began a relationship with Sydney dealer Warren Lanfranchi. The unlikely pairing culminated in Gao, through contacts with a Triad gang in Hong Kong, arranging the import of 3kg of ice from mainland China. Both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gao and also not guilty to supplying 2.78 kilograms (6.1 lb) of "ice"(methamphetamine). Roger Rogerson leaves a court hearing in 2014. Drury claims he refused to accept a bribe Rogerson offered in exchange for evidence tampering in a heroin trafficking trial of convicted Melbourne drug dealer Alan Williams. Rogerson, 75, and McNamara, 57, pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Gao and dumping his body in waters off Cronulla the next day. You might also be interested in these Crime Scene Investigator stories: Charismatic and affable. Lanfranchi was something of a wild man who shot at police and robbed other dealers, and also a standover man who worked for Sydney gangster Neddy Smith. Property News:House prices in some school catchments explode by up to $367,000 - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. Drury is now retired from the police force and a respected philatelist and collector of rare stamps. If your parents dont have a dusty old video cassette of the original or the machine to play it on this is a must read which also includes a handbook to the real characters of the new series. Harsh words forgotten. An . Roger Rogerson: The life and crimes of Australia's most notorious cop. 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. Rogerson and McNamara appealed against their convictions and McNamara also appealed against his sentence. Drury almost died and the attempted murder changed the course for Roger Rogerson, who Drury claimed sought revenge. When will the Beast from the East be at YOUR door? He will get that chance over coming days. Australia's most corrupt cop Roger Rogerson is making a last ditch attempt not to die in jail as he has applied to the High Court of Australia to appeal his life sentence. She also claimed that Neddy Smith had lied at Lanfranchis inquest and was in cahoots with Rogerson. Rogerson, 75, and McNamara, 57, were found guilty of murdering Mr Gao, 20, during a drug deal at a Padstow storage facility on May 20, 2014 and dumping his body in waters off Cronulla the next day. Smiths loving family and his ex-wife Debra, with whom he has remained friends, have continued to visit him in prison, where the 72-year-old is set to die without being released. [33] However, Rogerson then lodged an appeal in 2020. Smith said Lanfranchi had asked him to organise a payment to Rogerson so that the dealer wasnt charged with the police shooting. Rogerson, now 80, was in Long Bay's aged and frail unit last Wednesday when a prison officer told him 76-year-old Smith had died in the jail hospital. 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. But the three appeal judges agreed Witness A was a "liar". 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. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Smith became a star witness for the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Wood Royal Commission, revealing Rogerson and others alleged corruption. He said he arranged for it to be handed over to McNamara. A large scale search was underway at Freshwater Beach on Saturday night after a young man was reported missing in the water. , who was shot dead inside a Padstow storage unit in 2014. A generation of his colleagues have either keeled over or retired, and Rogers looking around for fresh playmates, McNab says. Production isnt even underway yet and theres already friction behind the scenes on the controversial Sydney-based reality series. Flannery may have shot up to a dozen people before he was called to a meeting with George Freeman On May 9, 1985. John Ibrahim's secret date with Rogerson. But Drury believed the shocking truth that Rogerson was involved, and could only publicly admitted it after the disgraced detective was convicted for Jamie Gaos murder in late 2016. Im not the only visitor outside his circle of family and friends. Rogerson was welcomed in Bandidos and Rebels clubhouses across the country and was regularly seen briefing queues of bikies in coffee shops. Glen McNamara (right) is escorted by a correctional services officer as he leaves the NSW Supreme Court in 2016. Blindsided: Stars affair rocks hit show, Reality star sent to jail over secret sex tape. Rogerson also used his influencing skills in a multimillion-dollar civil legal dispute while doing consultant work under the auspices of other peoples private investigator licences. Rogerson, who was called to give evidence at the seven murder committals, denied ever taking money off Smith or that Jones had been paying him a bribe. As a public figure straddling corruption and crime in modern times, Rogerson has no peer, McNab says. "It is clear that the offenders acted with complete disregard for the life of another human being.". 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. Smith, who survived Sydney's 1980s gang wars, had suffered from Parkinson's disease for the past four decades and spent his last 33 years behind bars. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Both are appealing their convictions and life sentences for the. This included auctioning signed photos of himself standing near Lanfranchi's dead body. Its a challenge that will almost certainly elude this once-celebrated detective - who will now likely die in jail. The jury said I didn't act in self-defence. Both pleaded not guilty in January 2015. Gao was not the first drug dealer whose life Rogerson had ended with two bullets to the chest. 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.