It was later claimed that Rogerson shot Lanfranchi for robbing a heroin dealer under the detectives police protection. 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. 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. Rogerson Smith said Lanfranchi had asked him to organise a payment to Rogerson so that the dealer wasnt charged with the police shooting. Ex-Goldman banker Roger Ng: Malaysian jail 'absolute hell' . Blue Murder: With Richard Roxburgh, Tony Martin, Steve Bastoni, Gary Day. To improve your experience. According to Camden, the noted historian of the 16th century, this name Roger was a . Actors Steve Bastoni and Peter Phelps play the roles of Detective Michael Drury, who survived an assassination attempt, and Smith friend Graham Abo Henry. And so are the Sydney gang wars of the mid 1980s, when criminals turned on each other in a shooting feast over dominance in the Sydney heroin trade. "The deceased was shot and killed by one of them and both Rogerson and McNamara cooperated to dispose of the body at sea and cover their tracks.". The menacing conversation included an unsuccessful attempt by Rogerson to wound his biographer by recalling the suicide of a colleague whod been involved in a fatal hit and run on a child and to whose parents McNab had to break the news. [16], Fellow police officer Michael Drury has alleged that Rogerson was involved in his attempted murder. 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. 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. Australian cops 'will die in jail' for cold-blooded drug deal murder of He spent a further three years in jail. In January 1958, he joined the New South Wales Police Cadet Service. Gao's body was later dumped off the coast. His wife Anne Melocco told Daily Mail Australia that Rogerson had mentioned Smith's death but there had certainly been no celebration or revengeful one-liners. Apparently he has been regularly enjoying using far more than his allotted precious telephone minutes. 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. But the whiff of suspicion persists that Rogerson had a hand in at least seven others. While it was impossible to know who fired the fatal shot, Rogerson claimed the kill, according to Australia's News Limited newspapers. "It alleged both men were part of a plan to steal drugs from the deceased and kill him," he said. Smith was a convicted heroin dealer, rapist and armed robber who claimed Rogerson gave him the "green light" to commit crimes in NSW, while Flannery specialised in contract killing. Can the dogs of Chernobyl teach us new tricks when it comes to our own survival? He and fellow former detectiveGlen McNamara were jailed for life in September 2016 and lost appeals over their convictions in July. It was an unsettling enough account for its subject that Rogerson, having emerged from jail after a stint for perjury, phoned up the author to give his first personal glimpse of his dangerous side. Australia's most corrupt cop Roger Rogerson's makes last ditch attempt Im not the only visitor outside his circle of family and friends. Andrew Rule's final meeting with corrupt cop Roger Rogerson Rogerson served twelve months of a maximum two-and-a-half-year sentence. A few months later, Rogerson and colleagues shot Sydney bank robber "Butchy" Burns in his getaway car. It was a career-defining performance for actor Richard Roxburgh. He was. Rogerson joined the New South Wales (NSW) police in 1959, aged 18. The Chubb, McCann, Croft and Sandery cases were dismissed at committal and the Shu case was no-billed. Gao was not the first drug dealer whose life Rogerson had ended with two bullets to the chest. Although gun residue was found on Rogerson's clothes, the judge said he couldn't be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of who fired the fatal shot. 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. Roger Rogerson was the teak-hard. Roger Rogerson, a 75-year-old former detective who boasted about killing people and has already served three prison sentences, was on Wednesday found guilty in the death of a student drug dealer. In 1981, in a back lane called Dangar Place in Sydneys Chippendale, in front of a large group of police officers, Rogerson shot dead heroin dealer Warren Lanfranchi. The 20-year-old student was shot dead in a Padstow storage unit in 2014 and his body was wrapped in a tarpaulin anddumped in Cronulla. Huckstepp was later murdered, her body found in a pond in Centennial Park, New South Wales. Roger Rogerson - Duncan McNab - Google Books Roger Rogerson: The life and crimes of Australia's most notorious cop. Justice Bell said although both accused had denied the existenceof a joint criminal enterprise to kill Mr Gao, the Crown had shown the men cooperated to dispose of the body. He is also known for his association with other New South Wales (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,[7] Arthur "Neddy" Smith and Christopher Dale Flannery. wikipedia.en/Roger_Rogerson.md at main chinapedia/wikipedia.en 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". Most of Jamie Gao's murder was caught on CCTV. [11] Rogerson attended Bankstown Central School and later Homebush Boys High School. 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. 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. His one-time mate Arthur Neddy Smith is across the road in the prison hospital suffering from advanced Parkinsons disease. Former detectives Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara have lost their appeals against convictions for the murder of Sydney drug dealer Jamie Gao. A generation of his colleagues have either keeled over or retired, and Rogers looking around for fresh playmates, McNab says. The latter is what brought Rogerson together with McNamara, whose own cultivated image as a former honest cop hung out to dry likewise unravels under McNabs inspection. "Roger would like to see you," she said. [31], 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". Tony Martin is pictured left playing Smith and Richard Roxburgh as Rogerson in the television series Blue Murder. Smith's long relationship with the since disgraced detective sergeant Roger Rogerson caused both men ongoing difficulties. During the Gao trial, McNamara alleged Rogerson confessed to him of complicity in the killings of heroin dealers Alan Williams and Luton Chu, as well as Lanfranchis partner Sallie-Anne Huckstepp. All the benefits of simply switching from white to brown - AND how purple, Why is Britain experiencing so many earthquakes? CCTV showed both men walking into the facility with the young drug dealer. Blue Murder covers the height of their relationship, which ended with Smith being charged for the murders of (among others) Huckstepp and Harvey Jones and with Rogerson leaving the force. Too good a bloke? How Roger Rogerson used 'mesmerising' charm to become Where things went horribly wrong for Rogerson was his blindness to the array of CCTV cameras that captured their meeting with Gao in the Padstow storage unit, McNab says. But I suspect there are a lot more, McNab says. It was one of the most high-profile court cases Australia has ever seen - at its conclusion, Rogerson was acquitted. ROGER ROGERSON. [20], After leaving the force, Rogerson worked in the building and construction industry as a supplier of scaffolding. An armed robber, nightclub bouncer and convicted rapist, he moved into contract killing and is said to have murdered a Melbourne barrister and later a Sydney brothel owner. [19], Rogerson was dismissed from the NSW Police Force on 11 April 1986 (had not seen active service since his suspension on 30 November 1984 as a result of the Drury investigation). Early Origins of the Rogerson family. 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. 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. Drury alleged that Rogerson had tried to bribe him to changes his evidence in the heroin trial of Melbourne dealer Alan Williams. The jury said I didn't act in self-defence. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' But the cool-headed Smith was not impressed with Flannery, who made powerful enemies among Sydney ganglands other factions and police alike. Rodgerson - Wikipedia The disgraced ex-policeman and fellow former detective Glen McNamara were found guilty in a Sydney court of murdering 20-year-old Jamie Gao in a storage facility in the city's south-west in May, 2014, during a botched drug deal. Rogerson and another former cop, Glen McNamara, were found guilty of shooting Gao inside a west Sydney storage . jailed for life for the murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao. These days, having left the police force, I make my living as a journalist, specifically writing crime. Rogerson was suspected of having organised the hit after former undercover agent Drurys surveillance resulted in charged against Melbourne heroin dealer, Alan Williams. "According to the plan McNamara lured the deceased to the storage unit for a drug deal and Rogerson attended supposedly to purchase the drugs. She also made statements to the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. Melocco was sentenced to two years' periodic detention for the same offence. Still, it fascinates me that Rogers career was brought to an end by a 20-year-old Asian kid with an education.. The last time I'd spoken to him - or rather been spoken at by him - he said he'd make sure I was 'sorted out'. But as McNab now recalls, Rogerson was protected in large part by his aura within the polices own ranks. Early Origins of the Rodgerson family. More than three decades later, Rogerson now stands as both the definitive figure of police corruption in Australia and also arguably the best-connected figure ever to stalk the criminal underworld. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They also were jailed for stealing 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine with a street value of up to $19 million from the 20-year-old student. Rogerson verdict: What it's like to be an old bloke in jail - LinkedIn Lennie McPherson. Married to his then wife Debra, with whom he had four children, the physically imposing Smith is both a wiley gangster and a big-hearted family man. Rogerson has been in custody since May 2014 for the murder that month of 20-year-old student and wannabe drug dealer Jamie Gao. Read more of Duncan McNab's investigations here. Those f------ lefties at the Herald and the ABC gave me f------ heaps but I got through it," he was alleged to have said to his one-time friend. Rogerson, 75, has taken a job as the prison sweeper, which involves general cleaning duties like emptying bins and mopping floors, at the Kevin Waller Unit for aged and frail inmates. But it has emerged that neither Rogerson nor McNamara has formally lodged appeals. He later joked in court that the media had changed his name by deed poll from decorated officer to "disgraced former detective". "The case relied upon by Rogerson was completely lacking in credibility and did not raise any doubt about his guilt," the judgement read. He moved his bashing and murder business to Sydney where he made the big-time, including his failed attempt to murder police officer Mick Drury in June 1984. Glen McNamara is escorted by a correctional services officer as he leaves the NSW supreme court in Sydney in February 2016. Disgraced former detective Roger Rogerson is appealing his life sentence, arguing he didn't know Glen McNamara had sourced a gun before the murder. 2023 BBC. Both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Gao and also not guilty to supplying 2.78 kilograms (6.1 lb) of "ice"(methamphetamine). They did so because, although they 'knew' Stuart and Finch were involved, they had insufficient evidence to convict them. . Smith (left) is pictured with ex-wife Debra and brothel keeper Harvey Jones, who he was convicted of having murdered in 1983. From shooting heroin dealer Warren Lanfranchi in Dangar Place, the now notorious city back lane, to living it up with a violent underworld identity, Rogerson is Blue Murders dramatic focus. Blue Murder will appear in two parts, beginning at 8.30pm on Sunday on Channel 7. Rodgerson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms - HouseOfNames Read about our approach to external linking. The prospect of an appeal still drives him, despite the court having denied him the ability to do so. Not much stuck. As a public figure straddling corruption and crime in modern times, Rogerson has no peer, McNab says. April 2000: He was Australia's most notorious cop.A real-life Dirty Harry who finally crossed the line and finished in jail. In May 2014, Rogerson was remanded in prison after being charged, along with fellow former NSW detective Glen McNamara, with the murder of 20-year-old student Jamie Gao, and supply of drugs. Rogerson, 79, appeared in the Court of Criminal Appeal via video link, dressed in a prison issued green tracksuit and seated beside a walker. 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. Smith and Rogerson - both serving life for murder in Long Bay jail - had known each other 45 years and once formed the most infamous partnership in Australian crime. "Extensive in its planning, brutal in its execution and callous in its aftermath," he said. "It was the '80s. McNamara told the trial Rogerson shot the student dead as he "seethed with anger" over the exchange of drugs and cash. [13], 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. ", Rogerson claims he didn't know co-accused McNamara bought a gun. ISBN9781925675443. According to Camden, the noted historian of the 16th century, this name Roger was a valiant . His family was among those in court for today's hearing. Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov provokes gales of laughter as he tells audience the West started Find out what Uber drivers really think of you! [10] Rogerson's father Owen Rogerson emigrated from Kingston upon Hull, England during his career as a boilermaker; his mother Mabel Boxley emigrated from Cardiff, Wales with her parents as a youth (her English born father Caleb Boxley was the reason for Roger's middle name). In September last year, Rogerson was jailed for life for the murder of young drug dealer Jamie Gao, 20, and supplying almost 3kg of ice. "It is clear that the offenders acted with complete disregard for the life of another human being. Roger Rogerson reacts to learning Neddy Smith died in the same jail People I know whove taken him on as a mate, love his company, cant even begin to pin down why hed done this [murder Gao], McNab says. On February 6, 1986 she told her flat mate that she would be back home shortly after an evening phone call. Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go fire killed 15 people. Corrupt cops Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara are contemplating a lifetime behind bars after losing their appeals. It was an offer I couldnt refuse, and Mrs Rogerson assured me hed be on his best behaviour. He grumbles about the attention but relishes telling old stories to a fresh audience. McNab took it as a measure of the enduring chilling effect of Rogersons reputation. Rogerson was jailed . In late January, 1985 Flannerys family home was sprayed with rounds from a rifle. The Dodger had brought a whole new network of people who knew Rogerson out of the woodwork. Rogerson (in handcuffs) is serving life for the murder of 20-year-old drug dealer Jamie Gao. Glen McNamara, 60, also watched proceedings remotely. The surname Rogerson was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland from ancient times, some say as early as the 11th century. As one officer scoured through frames of CCTV vision from the storage unit, an older colleague passing by spotted a figure with a distinctive gait. Drury refused and believed Rogerson was behind the attempt on his life. 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. A big Beckham birthday! Over the past year, detectives have been talking to him about the 1975 murder of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn and the 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go fire in Brisbane. He claimed that he was trying to arrest Lanfranchi for five suspected armed robberies. Digging up the past: The gruesome bid to cover up the murder of - 7NEWS He was as floored as anyone when, one Sunday evening in 2014, calls and emails came flooding in pointing to an astonishing final act in the Dodgers criminal career. He was granted bail but in December the next year was arrested with two others outsideBotany Council preparing to snatch its Christmas payroll drop. Smith insisted the pair became partners in crime. Stella Dings unique way of relating to her students has seen the NSW science teacher develop engaging lessons based on gaming. Drury was a Sydney detective whose dramatic attempted murder in 1984 believed to have been carried out by Melbourne hitman Chris Flannery brought an end to Roger Rogersons career. Rogerson and McNamara appealed against their convictions and McNamara also appealed against his sentence. [4][5] During his time in office he was implicated inbut never convicted oftwo killings, bribery, assault and drug dealing.[6]. 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.. "It is clear that the offenders acted with complete disregard for the life of another human being.". 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. Roger Rogerson could not have been written by anyone else. A three-judge panel of Justice Andrew Bell, JusticeRobert Beech-Jones and Justice Robert Allan Hulme in the NSW Court of Appeal today unanimously dismissed the appeals. The sentencing of the 75-year-old detective recalls an era of deeply rooted police corruption in Australia, Rogerson rose through the ranks during his career to win 12 commendation awards, Sallie-Anne Huckstep spoke out against Rogerson, who shot dad her drug dealer boyfriend Warren Lanfranchi, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. The death of Lanfranchi, whose girlfriend was heroin-addicted prostitute turned police corruption whistleblower, was ruled in the line of duty. There was a whole coterie of men who liked Roger because Roger could do things for them, says author Duncan McNab. Inside Prince Harry's finances from when he met Meghan Markle to landing 100M with Netflix and book Spare 'Why the last-minute delay?' "It was open to the sentencing judge to determine that a life sentence should be imposed," he said. Crucially, McNab has produced a remarkable portrayal of Rogersons activities in his twilight years, leading up to the murder of Gao. 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. Roger Rogerson after being jailed for life in June. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. A year later his autobiography Neddy was published with even more damning claims against Rogerson and the book became the basis for Blue Murder. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Aw mate, it couldnt be Roger, hes too good a bloke, the boss said. She began a relationship with a police officer. [32] However, neither Rogerson nor McNamara formally lodged appeals, and in July 2019 Rogersons last application for an extension of time to do so was refused by the NSW Supreme Court.