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Roger Rogerson

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Roger Caleb Rogerson
Born (1941-01-03) 3 January 1941 (age 83)
Other namesRodger the Dodger[1]
Occupationformer detective
Criminal statusimprisoned
SpouseAnne Melocco
Conviction(s)Murder, drug trafficking, perverting the course of justice
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment

Roger Caleb Rogerson (born 3 January 1941) is a former detective-sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force and a convicted murderer.[2]

During his career, Rogerson was one of the most decorated officers in the police force, having received at least 13 awards for bravery, outstanding policemanship and devotion to duty including the Peter Mitchell Trophy, the highest annual police award.[3][4] During his time in office he was implicated in—but never convicted of—two killings, bribery, assault and drug dealing.[5]

In 1999 Rogerson was convicted of perverting the course of justice and lying to the Police Integrity Commission. Rogerson is also known for his association with other NSW detectives who are reputed to have been corrupt, including Ray "Gunner" Kelly and Fred Krahe, and with a number of organised crime figures, including Abe Saffron,[6] Arthur "Neddy" Smith and Christopher Dale Flannery. Smith was a convicted heroin dealer, rapist and armed robber who has claimed Rogerson gave him the "green light" to commit crimes in New South Wales (NSW). Henry and Lanfranchi were also heroin dealers and armed robbers, while Flannery specialised in contract killing.

In May 2014 Rogerson was remanded in prison after being charged, with another former NSW detective Glen McNamara, with the murder of 20 year old student Jamie Gao, and supply of drugs. Both pleaded not guilty in January 2015. Their trial was started in July 2015, but was aborted after two days for legal reasons, publication of which was not permitted.[7] Following a retrial, both Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty of murder.[2] In September 2016 both were sentenced to jail for life for the murder of Gao.

Biography

Police career

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. By 1978 his reputation was sufficient to gain convictions based on the strength of unsigned records of interviews with prisoners (known as "police verbals"). He was brought in to investigate the Ananda Marga conspiracy case, despite having no connections to the Special Branch investigating the case. 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.[8][9]

The Peter Mitchell Award was presented to Rogerson in 1980 for the arrest of escaped armed robber Gary Purdey. 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 interview.[8][dead link‍]

Rogerson was responsible for the 1981 shooting death of Warren Lanfranchi.[10] During the inquest the coroner found he was acting in the line of duty, but a jury declined to find he had acted in self-defence. However, it was alleged by Lanfranchi's partner, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, and later by Neddy Smith, that Rogerson had murdered Lanfranchi as retribution for robbing another heroin dealer who was under police protection, and for firing a gun at a police officer. Huckstepp, a heroin addict and prostitute, appeared on numerous current affairs programs, including 60 Minutes and A Current Affair, demanding an investigation into Lanfranchi's death. She also made statements to the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. Huckstepp was later murdered, her body found in a pond in Centennial Park, New South Wales.[10]

Fellow police officer Michael Drury has alleged that Rogerson was involved in his attempted murder. Drury claims he refused to accept a bribe Rogerson offered for Drury to change his evidence in a heroin trafficking trial of convicted Melbourne drug dealer, Alan Williams. 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. However, on 20 November 1989, Rogerson was acquitted.[11][12]

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.[13]

After the police force

Rogerson was dismissed from the NSW Police Force[13] on 11 April 1986. 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. He spent nine months in jail in 1990 before being released on bail pending an appeal. His appeal was unsuccessful and he spent a further three years in jail from 1992 to 1995.[14] Rogerson was depicted by Richard Roxburgh in the mini-series Blue Murder, first broadcast in 1995. In addition, he was later portrayed by Sam Lyndon in the second part of the 2011 television miniseries Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, as investigating threats against Cleo and later Australian Women's Weekly editor Ita Buttrose in the early 1970s.

After leaving the police, Rogerson worked in the building and construction industry as a supplier of scaffolding. He also became an entertainer, telling stories of his police activities in a spoken-word stage show called The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, with former Australian footballers Warwick Capper and Mark "Jacko" Jackson.[15]

On 17 February 2005, Rogerson and his wife were convicted of lying to the 1999 Police Integrity Commission. Rogerson served 12 months of a maximum two-and-a-half-year sentence. He was released from Kirkconnell Correctional Centre on 17 February 2006. Rogerson's wife, Anne Melocco, was sentenced to two years' periodic detention for the same offence.[16][failed verification] Following his release from prison in 2006, Rogerson resumed his entertainment career with Mark "Jacko" Jackson by appearing in a show called The Wild Colonial Psychos with Jackson and Mark "Chopper" Read.[13]

In 2008 Rogerson reviewed episodes of the Underbelly series and Melbourne's underworld war in The Daily Telegraph's online blog.[17] Rogerson has also blogged about the 2009 series of Underbelly for The Daily Telegraph.[18]

In 2009, he published an autobiography about his time as a detective, entitled The Dark Side, launched by broadcaster Alan Jones.[19]

Murder charge and conviction

On 27 May 2014, Rogerson was charged with the murder of Sydney student Jamie Gao, allegedly after a drug deal having gone wrong.[20] On 21 January 2015, Rogerson and his co-accused, Glen McNamara (also a former police detective), were committed to stand trial over the alleged murder.[21] On 6 March 2015 both accused were arraigned at a hearing in the NSW Supreme Court. Both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gao and also not guilty to supplying 2.78 kilograms (6.1 lb) of "ice" (methamphetamine). The men were due for trial in the Supreme Court on 20 July 2015.[22] On the second day, the trial was aborted for unpublished reasons.

A new trial started on 1 February 2016. On 15 June 2016, Rogerson and McNamara were found guilty of Gao's murder.[23]

On 25 August 2016, Rogerson and McNamara faced a sentencing hearing. The NSW crown prosecutor, Christopher Maxwell sought for the judge to jail Rogerson and McNamara for life, stating there was no distinction between a contract killing and killing for the purpose of financial gain[24]

On 2 September 2016, Justice Geoffrey Bellew sentenced Rogerson and McNamara to life in prison, with the statement "The joint criminal enterprise to which each offender was a party was extensive in its planning, brutal in its execution and callous in its aftermath". Lawyers for both Rogerson and McNamara have indicated they will appeal against the sentence.[25]

Notes

  1. ^ "Roger Rogerson: A life of crime and comedy". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara found guilty of the murder of Jamie Gao". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Investigation into the relationship between Police and Criminals: First Report" (PDF). Independent Commission Against Corruption. February 1994. ISBN 0 7310 2910 0.
  4. ^ Rogerson, Roger (3 April 2008). "Q&A with Roger Rogerson". News.com.au. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
  5. ^ A bizarre twist has Rogerson answering questions of murder. The Northern Star, 31 May 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2016
  6. ^ Taylor, Grant. The Weekend West, 20–21 February 2016, p.9. "[A former WA detective said] he was introduced to Mr Rogerson [in June 1975] at the Raffles Hotel in Applecross just days after Shirley Finn [a Perth brothel keeper] was killed. Drinking with Mr Rogerson at the Raffles was [Perth vice-squad head] Bernie Johnson and Saffron"
  7. ^ Bibby, Paul. "Jury discharged in trial of Roger Rogerson, Glen McNamara for Jamie Gao murder", Sydney Morning Herald, 28 July 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2016
  8. ^ a b see Take Two by Tim Anderson, 1992, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)>
  9. ^ "Research Report on Trends in Police Corruption" (PDF). nsw.gov.au. Police Integrity Commission. Parliament of New South Wales, Australia. December 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  10. ^ a b Morri, Mark (28 May 2014). "Disgraced Sydney detective Roger Rogerson is a consummate storyteller who loves a beer, writes Mark Morri". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  11. ^ Goodsir, D. Line of Fire: The inside story of the controversial shooting of undercover policeman Michael Drury, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 1995. ISBN 1-86448-002-5.
  12. ^ Hole, Jacquelyn (21 November 1989). "Jury Finds Roger Rogerson Not Guilty" (scan). The Sydney Morning Herald. No. No. 47, 495. p. 3. Retrieved 6 March 2015 – via news.google.com. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  13. ^ a b c Ansley, Greg (21 August 2004). "Comedy caper beyond a crime". The New Zealand Herald. APN New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  14. ^ Jacobsen G., McClymont K. "Novel end as Rogerson gets two years to finish thriller". Sydney Morning Herald, 19 February 2005. Retrieved 29 March 2016
  15. ^ Cashmere, Paul, (27 October 2003). "Who Are The Good The Bad and The Ugly?" at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 May 2007) Undercover Music News; Undercover Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 27 October 2003.
  16. ^ I could have been chief: Roger Rogerson at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 May 2007). ninemsn.com.au; Nine National News. 13 March 2006. AAP. Archived from the original. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  17. ^ Rogerson, Roger (26 March 2008). Roger Rogerson reviews 'Underbelly' and blogs live blogs.news.com.au; Daily Telegraph blogs.
  18. ^ Rogerson, Roger (23 February 2009). Roger Rogerson reviews the third episode of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities blogs.news.com.au; Daily Telegraph blogs. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  19. ^ Goodsir, Darren. "Roger Rogerson myth can stand no longer", Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  20. ^ "Roger Rogerson charged over Jamie Gao murder; Gao shot twice in the chest, police allege". news.com.au. News Limited. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  21. ^ Oriti, Thomas (22 January 2015). "Former detectives Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara face murder trial over Jamie Gao death". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  22. ^ "Rogerson pleads not guilty to murder". 9news.com.au. AAP. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  23. ^ Partridge, Emma (15 June 2015). "Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara found guilty of the murder of Jamie Gao". Sydney Morning Herald.
  24. ^ Margetts, Jayne (25 August 2016). "Jamie Gao murder: Rogerson and McNamara should be jailed for life, prosecutor says". ABC News.
  25. ^ Hoerr, Karl (2 September 2016). "Jamie Gao murder: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara sentenced to life in prison". ABC News.

References

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