Betty Shanks | |
|---|---|
 Betty Shanks in September 1952 | |
| Born | 10 October 1929, Wilston, Queensland |
| Died | (aged 22) Grange, Queensland, Australia |
| Alma mater | The University of Queensland |
The Murder of Betty Shanks is one of the oldest and most notorious unsolved murder cases [1] in Queensland, Australia.
On the night of 19 September 1952, 22-year-old Betty Shanks got off a tram at Days Road Terminus in Grange, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, after attending classes in the city and started her short walk home. Her violently beaten body was found in the garden of a house on the corner of Carberry and Thomas Streets the next morning at 5:35 AM, [2] by a policeman who lived nearby. [3] At the time it was Queensland's biggest criminal investigation ever, [4] and as of 2010 [update] a reward of A$50,000 is still current. [2]
An attack by a sex offender was considered very early in the investigation. [5] Another theory is that the murderer attacked the wrong woman, and was actually interested in a doctor's receptionist – who also walked home down the same street at the same time, and had keys to the surgery which contained drugs. [4] A number of people have confessed over the years, however all have proven to be false. [6]
Several books have been written about the murder and the authors have outlined who they believe the murderer to be. These works include:
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The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of 'Firmness with Courtesy' was changed to 'With Honour We Serve'. The headquarters of the Queensland Police Service is located at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
The following lists events that happened during 2000 in Australia.
Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane, Australia, was Queensland’s main jail from the 1880s to the 1980s, by which time it had become notorious for poor conditions and rioting. Located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, it is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century. After closing in 1992, the larger 1960s section was demolished, leaving the heritage listed section, which is open to the public through guided tours run by Boggo Road Gaol Pty Ltd.
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The Telegraph was an evening newspaper published in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first published on 1 October 1872 and its final edition appeared on 5 February 1988. In its day it was recognised as one of the best news pictorial newspapers in the country. Its Pink Sports edition was a particularly excellent production produced under tight deadlines. It included results and pictures of Brisbane's Saturday afternoon sports including the results of the last horse race of the day.
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