Len Lawson
Len Lawson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1927 |
| Died | 29 November 2003 Grafton Correctional Centre, New South Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Graphics artist, comic strip artist |
| Criminal charge | Rape, murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
Leonard Keith Lawson (1927 – 29 November 2003), better known as Len Lawson or Lennie Lawson,[1] was a bestselling Australian comic book creator, successful commercial artist and photographer. He was however a notorious criminal who was convicted on charges of both rape and murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in custody
Lawson first came to prominence as the creator of The Lone Avenger, an Australian comic book hero, whose first appearance was in the second issue of Action Comics in 1946,[1] running for thirteen years, eventually taking over the entire comic and selling up to 70,000 copies.[2] Lawson also created another masked Western vigilante hero The Hooded Rider, as well as Diana, Queen of the Apes[1] and Peter Fury.[3][4]
In 1954, however, Lawson kidnapped, assaulted and raped five models. He was sentenced to death but had his sentence commuted to 14 years in prison.[2][5] After his release in 1961, he raped and killed another model on 7 November 1962 and on the next day, took several hostages at the Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School, killing a 15-year-old girl in the ensuing siege.[5] Sentenced to life imprisonment, Lawson died in prison in November 2003.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "Len Lawson". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 29 November 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ a b Juddery, Mark (16 November 2007). "Aussie heroes left to history". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ Drewe, Robert (5 December 2009). "Lone Avenger's last stand draws a blank". The Age. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Drewe, Robert (27 March 2010). "Grim truth finally emerges from beneath the hood". The Age. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ a b c Sutton, Candace (30 November 2003). "Killer Lawson dies after 50 years in jail". The Sun–Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
External links
- Drewe, Robert (1986). Fortune. Penguin Group Australia. ISBN 0-14-100797-4.
- James Hollege (1962). Crimes Which Shocked Australia. Horwitz Publications.
- Writer, Larry (2008). The Australian book of True Crime. Pier 9. ISBN 1-74196-207-2.
- "Lennie Lawson". The Blog of Death. 29 November 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
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- 1927 births
- 2003 deaths
- Australian comics writers
- Australian illustrators
- Australian comics artists
- Australian rapists
- Australian people convicted of murder
- Australian prisoners sentenced to death
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New South Wales
- Prisoners who died in New South Wales detention
- Australian people who died in prison custody
- Australian artist stubs
- Crime biography stubs