2007 Melbourne CBD shootings

Last updated

2007 Melbourne CBD shootings
Location Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date18 June 2007 (2007-06-18)
8:15 a.m. (AEST)
Weapons Llama Mini-Max (.40 S&W) [1]
Deaths1 [2]
Injured2
PerpetratorsChristopher Wayne Hudson

The 2007 Melbourne CBD shooting was an incident that occurred in the Melbourne central business district, Australia on 18 June 2007. Three people were shot, one fatally, [3] by Christopher Wayne Hudson, 31, a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, who opened fire on two men and a woman during an argument on the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane at about 8:20 a.m. Hudson fled from the scene and went into hiding for two days, before turning himself in to police on 20 June 2007 in Wallan, north of Melbourne. [4]

Contents

In May 2008, Hudson pleaded guilty to the murder of Brendan Keilar [5] and was sentenced that September to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Christopher Hudson

Christopher Wayne Hudson
ParentTerry Hudson
Conviction(s) Murder
Attempted murder × 2
Intentionally causing serious injury
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment
35-year non-parole period

Christopher Hudson was a full member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, having defected from rival group The Finks in 2006. Shortly afterward, he was involved in a kickboxing tournament on the Gold Coast and was shot in the chin. [6] In the days before the killing of Brendan Keilar, Hudson had fired at police in Campbellfield after a night of car driving with Collingwood footballer Alan Didak. On 28 June, Didak was interviewed by police about this incident. Didak claimed that he was intoxicated at the time, was not in control of the situation and was concerned for his safety. [7]

The shootings

Hudson spent the night of 17 June 2007 drinking at the Spearmint Rhino in King Street. Early in the morning of 18 June, he assaulted stripper Autumn Daly-Holt, a workmate of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Kara Douglas. [8] [9] He then called Douglas, who arrived to pick him up around 7:30 a.m. Hudson dragged her out onto the street by her hair. At the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, two male bystanders, 43-year-old solicitor Brendan Keilar and 25-year-old Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard attempted to assist Douglas. Hudson pulled a gun and shot all three. Keilar was fatally wounded in the head. De Waard and Douglas were shot in the upper body. Douglas later had a kidney removed as a result of her injuries. Douglas, from Sydney, had been staying in the Punt Hill apartments on Flinders Lane. [10] Hudson fled the scene as Keilar died in the street, dumping his weapon and jacket in a nearby construction site on Flinders Street between Queen and Bond Streets, where they were found by a construction worker about an hour later. [11] The Rialto Towers were evacuated amid reports that the gunman had fled into the tower, sparking a level-to-level search. [12]

His car was discovered abandoned on Flinders Lane between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets. The black Honda CRV with New South Wales registration plates was revealed to be one vehicle owned by the gunman. His other vehicle was a black Mercedes-Benz sedan, later found in Richmond. [4]

Still high from a drug binge, Hudson fled to a Hells Angels safehouse north of the city. At 5:00 p.m. on 20 June, he surrendered himself to Victorian Police at Wallan, walking into the police station without incident. Homicide squad detectives transferred him to Melbourne where he was charged with murder and other offences in an out-of-court hearing. [7] [13]

Aftermath and trial

Hudson was to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, but was unable to make it due to an injury to his forearm that required surgery. [14] The magistrate ordered that Hudson be remanded into custody. The formal charges were: one charge of murder in relation to Brendan Keilar, two charges of attempted murder in relation to Kara Douglas and Paul de Waard, one charge of intentionally causing serious injury in relation to Autumn Daly-Holt and one charge of unlawful imprisonment. He was later also charged with nine offences in relation to the shooting incident involving Collingwood Magpies player Alan Didak. [7] [15]

In May 2009, allegations came to light that Hudson had been tortured by members of the Hells Angels for bringing unwanted police attention to the group. The claimant alleges a club tattoo was burned from his forearm with a blowtorch before he surrendered to police. The story arose after police raided the Angels' clubhouse in Sydney and took possession of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle apparently owned by Hudson. [16] This story was denied by Victoria Police and was further discredited when Hudson's stepmother sent a recent photograph, clearly showing the club tattoo, to the ABC program Media Watch . [17]

Paul de Waard returned to the Netherlands to recover from his injuries. In October 2007, he revealed on a television interview that he was still undergoing extensive rehabilitation. He also made an appearance on the Dutch television show In de schaduw van het nieuws (In the shadow of the news) on 21 November 2009.

Related Research Articles

The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders of 36 underworld figures in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between January 1998 and August 2010. The murders were retributive killings involving underworld groups. The deaths caused a power vacuum within Melbourne's criminal community, and rival factions fought for control and influence. Many of the murders remain unsolved, although detectives from the Purana Taskforce believe that Carl Williams was responsible for at least ten of them. The period culminated in the arrest of Williams, who pleaded guilty on 28 February 2007 to three of the murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upfield railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Upfield railway station is the terminus of the suburban electrified Upfield line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield. A station at the site opened on 8 October 1889 as North Campbellfield. It was closed on 13 July 1903, was reopened on 5 March 1928, and was closed again on 5 May 1956. On 17 August 1959 the current station opened as Upfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flinders Street, Melbourne</span> Street in Melbourne, Victoria

Flinders Street is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly 1 mi (1.6 km) in length and one and a half chains in width.

The Walsh Street police shootings were the 1988 murders of two Victoria Police officers: Constables Steven Tynan, 22, and Damian Eyre, 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Fevola</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1981

Brendan Fevola is a former professional Australian rules footballer and radio presenter. He played with the Carlton and Brisbane Lions football clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Carl Anthony Williams was an Australian convicted murderer and drug trafficker from Melbourne, Victoria. He was a central figure in the Melbourne gangland killings as well as their final victim.

Victor George Peirce was an Australian gangster from Melbourne, Victoria. Peirce was a member of the Pettingill family, which was headed by matriarch and former Richmond brothel owner Kath Pettingill.

The Moran family is an infamous Melbourne, Australia-based criminal family notable for their involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings. Family matriarch Judy Moran lost two sons, Jason and Mark, estranged husband Lewis, and brother-in-law Des died in an underworld feud that resulted in the deaths of over 30 criminals from January 1998 to August 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Didak</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1983

Alan Didak is a former professional Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Street, Melbourne</span> Street in Melbourne, Victoria

William Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly north–south from Flinders Street to Victoria Street, and was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street is located in-between King Street and Queen Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flinders Lane</span> Street in Melbourne

Flinders Lane is a minor street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district of Victoria, Australia. The laneway runs east–west from Spring Street to Spencer Street in-between Flinders and Collins streets. Originally laid out as part of the Hoddle Grid in 1837, the laneway was once the centre of Melbourne's rag trade and is still home to boutique designers and high-end retailers including Chanel, now perched alongside numerous upscale hotels like the W Hotel Melbourne and Adelphi Hotel, loft apartments, cafes and bars.

<i>The Pacific</i> (miniseries) 2010 war drama television series

The Pacific is a 2010 American war drama miniseries produced by HBO, Playtone, and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.

Judith Maryanne Moran is the matriarch of the Moran criminal family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, involved in the Melbourne gangland killings.

Denise McGregor (1966–78) was an Australian schoolgirl from Pascoe Vale, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. She was kidnapped, raped and murdered on 20 March 1978. McGregor's assailant was never identified, and the case remains one of Melbourne's most infamous cold cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January 2017 Melbourne car attack</span> 2017 car attack in Melbourne, Victoria

On 20 January 2017, around 1:30 pm AEDT on a busy Friday, a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians along Bourke Street in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. Six people were killed and twenty-seven were seriously injured. The driver of the vehicle, James "Dimitrious" Gargasoulas, who was in a drug-induced psychosis, was subsequently found guilty of six counts of murder and was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 46 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2017 Melbourne car attack</span> Incident in December 2017 in Melbourne, Australia

On 21 December 2017, at 4:41 pm AEDT, a driver rammed pedestrians with his car at the corner of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, killing one person and injuring seventeen others, including himself. The sole fatality, an elderly man, died eight days after the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Devils Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw motorcycle supporter club of the Hells Angels MC

The Red Devils Motorcycle Club (RDMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club and the principal support club of the Hells Angels. The club is not to be confused with the now-defunct Original Red Devils Motorcycle Club that was founded in Canada in the late 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in California</span>

Numerous police and international intelligence agencies classify the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club as a motorcycle gang and contend that members carry out widespread violent crimes, including drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, gunrunning, extortion, and prostitution rings. Members of the organization have continuously asserted that they are only a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have joined to ride motorcycles together, to organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies, and that any crimes are the responsibility of the individuals who carried them out and not the club as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in the United States</span>

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is designated an outlaw motorcycle gang by the Department of Justice. There are an estimated 92 Hells Angels chapters in 27 U.S. states, with a membership of over 800. Due to the club's designation as a "known criminal organization" by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, the United States has a federal policy prohibiting its foreign members from entering the country. The Hells Angels partake in drug trafficking, gunrunning, extortion, money laundering, insurance fraud, kidnapping, robbery, theft, counterfeiting, contraband smuggling, loan sharking, prostitution, trafficking in stolen goods, motorcycle and motorcycle parts theft, assault, murder, bombings, arson, intimidation and contract killing. The club's role in the narcotics trade involves the production, transportation and distribution of marijuana and methamphetamine, in addition to the transportation and distribution of cocaine, hashish, heroin, LSD, MDMA, PCP and diverted pharmaceuticals. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the HAMC may earn up to $1 billion in drug sales annually.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), an international outlaw biker gang, has been involved in multiple crimes, alleged crimes, and violent incidents in Australia. The Hells Angels are legally classified as a criminal organisation in the Australian state of Queensland, and there have been attempts to classify them as such in New South Wales. The Hells Angels have been linked with drug trafficking and production, as well as a host of violent crimes including murder, in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ "Accused killer put pistol to head then ran off". Sydney Morning Herald . 24 June 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Herald Sun update". Herald Sun . 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
  3. ↑ Staff Reporters (18 June 2007). "Gunman at Large". The Age . Melbourne. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
  4. 1 2 Staff Reporters. "Police find suspected gunman's car". ABC News . Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  5. ↑ Hudson pleads guilty over Melbourne shootings – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  6. ↑ "Interstate arrest over bikie brawl". Australasian Biker News. Retrieved 3 April 2006.
  7. 1 2 3 "Suspect gunman turns himself in". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  8. ↑ "Father pleads for victims of attack". The Age. Melbourne. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  9. ↑ "Party girls' world collided with violence". The Age. Melbourne. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  10. ↑ "Gunman and victim in hotel stay". The Age. Melbourne. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  11. ↑ Royall, Ian; Sikora, Natalie (19 June 2007). "10 minutes that shook Melbourne". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  12. ↑ "Police widen net in hunt..." Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
  13. ↑ "Gunman surrenders to police". The Age. Melbourne. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  14. ↑ "Suspect undergoes surgery". The Age. Melbourne. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  15. ↑ "'I give up': Inside story of fugitive's surrender". The Age. Melbourne. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  16. ↑ Paul Kent. "CBD shooter Chistopher Wayne Hudson tortured by Hells Angels bikies". Herald Sun . Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  17. ↑ "Daily Tele Pwned!". Media Watch . Retrieved 7 May 2008.

37°49′07″S144°57′34″E / 37.81859°S 144.959568°E / -37.81859; 144.959568

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.