Milat
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Ivan’s house at Eagle Vale.
Knife carried by Ivan in his car.
Plastic bag and Ruger bolt assembly, trigger mechanism and magazine recovered from a wall cavity in Ivan’s Eagle Vale house.
Close-up of the hole in the wall near the north-eastern corner of the loungeroom in Milat’s house made by police to retrieve the hidden Ruger bolt assembly.
Photograph of prosecution legal team and several police involved in the trial of Ivan Milat. The picture was taken following Ivan’s conviction and gaoling for life. Front row (left to right): Instructing Solicitor Sarah Huggett, Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi, Crown Prosecutor Dan Howard. Back row (left to right): Task Force Air detectives Bob Benson, Gary Miller, Louise Donald, Andy Waterman, Rod Lynch, Steve McLennan, Shaun Gagan, Steve Leach and Bret Coman.
An older looking Ivan Milat in January 2009 being led from Goulburn Hospital after treatment for cutting his finger off and attempting to post it to the High Court. Courtesy of Gary Ramages and News Pix
Police sketch of an unidentified female murder victim found in the Belanglo State Forest in 2010 who became known as Angel because of the T-shirt she was wearing when murdered (above right). Courtesy NSW Police
Matthew Milat, Ivan’s great nephew, being led from the New South Wales Supreme Court after he is sentenced to 43 years’ gaol for murder. Courtesy Stephen Cooper and News Pix
Clive Small visits the memorial to Ivan Milat’s victims in the Belanglo State Forest.
The plaque reads:
This plaque commemorates the memory of the following persons whose remains were found in the Belanglo Forest during 1992 and 1993
Caroline Jane Clarke United Kingdom
Deborah Phyllis Everist Australia
James Harold Gibson Australia
Anja Habschied Germany
Gabor Kurt Neugebauer Germany
Simone Loretta Schmidl Germany
Joanne Lesley Walters United Kingdom
Acknowledgement is made of the efforts of members of the New South Wales Police Service and State Emergency Service in extensive investigations and in searches undertaken in the adjacent areas
‘Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’
Romans 8:39
Unveiled by
The Honorable John Fahey, M.P.
Premier of New South Wales
and member for Southern Highlands
5th February 1994
A sign at the entrance to the Belanglo State Forest gives an ominous, if unintended, reminder of the murders to visitors.
Superintendent Clive Small, Task Force Air Commander, inspects a murder crime scene in Belanglo State Forest in November 1993. Courtesy of News Limited and News Pix
Police guard the crime scene of the murdered backpackers Gabor Neugebauer and Anja Habschied in the Belanglo State Forest.
Terrain typical of the area where the murders occurred and the police search was conducted.
Missing person poster for Debbie Everist, posted by her mother, Peggy, and brothers, at various stops along the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney.
The Neugebauers visiting the O’Malleys in Easter 1992: (left to right) Angela Klaassen, Anke and Manfred Neugebauer, Peter and Rita O’Malley and Frank Klaassen.
Deborah Everist and James Gibson, both of Victoria, last seen on 30 December 1989 when they left Surry Hills to hitchhike to Confest near Albury. Their bodies were recovered in the Belanglo State Forest on 5 October 1993.
Photograph, dated 29 March 1991, located by police at William Milat’s house at Bargo showing Ivan carrying Everist’s green sleeping bag.
Gibson’s Berghaus ‘Cyclops Echo’ backpack, found on the side of Galston Road, Galston.
Paul Onions, an English backpacker, was given a lift near Liverpool on 25 January 1990 and escaped when a person later identified as Ivan Milat attempted to abduct him and fired at him as he escaped.
Onions indicating to Detective Stuart Wilkins where he escaped from Ivan Milat. He was picked up by a passing motorist and driven to Bowral Police Station.
Next denim shirt owned by Onions and found in the garage of the Milat family home at Guildford.
A close-up of the shirt label.
Ivan’s 4WD, as described by Onions.
Simone Schmidl, a German backpacker, last seen on 20 January 1991 when she left Guildford to hitchhike to Melbourne. Her remains were found in Belanglo State Forest on 1 November 1993.
Schmidl’s High Sierra backpack, found in an alcove at Walter Milat’s house at Hilltop.
Schmidl’s water bottle, found in a bedroom of Ivan’s Eagle Vale house.
Infra-red photograph identifies Schmidl’s nickname scratched from the bottle lid.
Schmidl’s Salewa ‘Canyon’ backpack, given by Ivan to Alex and Elizabeth Milat.
Schmidl’s Salewa blue sleeping bag cover, containing her green Vaude Hogan tent, found in garage at Ivan’s house.
Police search Walter Milat’s property at Hilltop using a metal detector.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Summary of circumstances implicating Ivan Milat in the seven backpacker murders and the attempted abduction of Paul Onions
More than 300 exhibits were tendered in Ivan Milat’s trial for the murder of the seven backpackers and attempted abduction of Paul Onions. Appendix 1 is a summary of exhibits and evidence, and the way in which they implicate Ivan Milat.
Appendix 2: Ruger .22 calibre self loading rifle, model 10/22
Appendix 2 is a chart presented to the jury in the trial of Ivan Milat, depicting the Ruger rifle model used by him in the killing of Caroline Clarke and Gabor Neugebauer. Parts of the rifle used were recovered by police hidden in Ivan’s Eagle Vale home.
Appendix 3: Anschutz .22 calibre repeating rifle, model 1441/42, Serial No. 1053118
Appendix 3 is a chart presented to the jury in the trial of Ivan Milat, depicting the Anschutz rile used by him, along with the Ruger rifle, at the crime scene during the killing of Gabor Neugebauer and Anja Habschied, and recovered from an alcove in the home of Walter Milat at Hilltop.
Appendix 4: Staff of Task Force Air
While the arrest and prosecution of Ivan Milat was a team effort, it is not always practical in a book about crime to acknowledge in the narrative the important contributions of individual police. Appendix 4 records the names of all officers who worked on Task Force Air to bring Ivan Milat to justice. It is followed by a list of officers who spent valuable time working with the task force during the investigative, evidence-gathering and prosecution phases. The list indicates the rank of each officer during that attachment to Task Force Air. (The term ‘5th Region’ is a shorthand term used to describe a number of statewide commands.)
Appendix 1: Summary of circumstances implicating Ivan Milat in the seven backpacker murders and the attempted abduction of Paul Onions
James Harold Gibson and Deborah Phyllis Everist: Disappeared 30 December 1989
Items located and claims against Ivan Comments
Green sleeping bag found on shelf in walk-in wardrobe in bedroom 1 at Ivan’s house in Eagle Vale. 1. Found in same plastic bag as Salewa sleeping bag identified as belonging to Simone Schmidl.
2. Identified by Timothy Everist, brother of Deborah, as having been borrowed by Deborah.
3. Photograph located by police in search of William Milat’s house at Bargo depicts Ivan with a similar sleeping bag. Picture has caption ‘Wombeyan 29.3.91’.
Ivan carried a knife in his car. Gibson, Everist, Schmidl, Habschied, Clarke and Walters had stab wounds and/or clothing cut. 1. A camouflage-handled Bowie knife in a brown leather pouch was found inside a ‘Triple M’ bag in bedroom 4 at the Eagle Vale house.
2. Ivan said he carried the camouflage knife in his work bag.
3. Witness Johanna Breitkopf, who worked with Ivan, saw the knife on the floor of Ivan’s car.
4. Anthony Sara, a workmate of Ivan’s, identified the knife as being
carried by Ivan.
5. Craig Gandy, work associate of Ivan, identified the camouflage-coloured knife as being very similar to the one carried by Ivan.
Ricoh XR-2 camera, serial number 32103005, lens serial number 110731. 1. Found on 31 December 1989 west of bridge on side of Galston Road, Galston.
2. Identified as belonging to Gibson.
3. Ivan was working at Dural (near Galston) during week of 12–18 December 1989.
Berghaus ‘Cyclops Echo’ backpack, red with blue trim and green suede, first seen on side of Galston Road, Galston, west of bridge, in January 1990. Picked up from side of road on 13 March 1990 by local resident and handed to police a fortnight later. 1. Identified as belonging to Gibson.
2. Name cut out, as with Schmidl’s water bottle and pouch found in bedroom 4 of Ivan’s house.
3. Ivan was working at Dural in week of 12–18 December 1989.
Simone Loretta Schmidl: Disappeared 20 January 1991
Items located and claims against Ivan Comments
Red size 12 T-shirt with Loquat Valley School emblem cut down the back found about 50 metres from Schmidl’s body. 1. Cut rag. Cut the way it was, the T-shirt was consistent with industrial recycled rags found at Ivan’s house.
Green water bottle and pouch found with Ivan’s imperial telescopic sight in ‘F15E Seymour Johnson’ model plane box on bed in bedroom 4 of Ivan’s house. 1. Name ‘Simi’ scratched in two places on the water bottle and patch torn out in pouch.
2. Identified as having been purchased by Schmidl in New Zealand with witness Jeanette Muller, who purchased identical water bottle and pouch.
3. Admitted by Ivan as belonging to Schmidl.
Green and pink/purple Salewa sleeping bag in white plastic bag found in same plastic bag as green sleeping bag and identified as being owned by Everist, found in walk-in robe in bedroom 1 at Ivan’s house. 1. The Salewa sleeping bag matched the blue Salewa cover found in the garage of Ivan’s house.
2. Admitted by Ivan as belonging to Schmidl.
Blue Salewa nylon sleeping bag cover containing: green Vaude Hogan tent bag with tent and fly, green peg bag with pegs and cords, and green bag with aluminium tent frame; found on shelving in garage at Ivan’s house. 1. Blue sleeping bag cover belonging to Schmidl’s Salewa sleeping bag found in bedroom 1 of Ivan’s house.
2. Ivan admitted sleeping bag cover and contents belonged to Schmidl.
Compact-o-mat headband found wrapped around Vaude Hogan tent in Salewa sleeping bag cover. 1. Identical band found around Schmidl’s head in forest.
2. Jeanette Muller said Schmidl had a pair of these headbands.
3. Ivan admitted the headband belonged to Schmidl.
Arno multicoloured strap in ‘Cadpac 5’ bag with shotgun parts and straps located on shelf in garage of Ivan’s house. 1. John Timmins identified the ‘Cadpac 5’ bag as being identical to those used by Readymix where Ivan worked.
2. Ivan admitted the ‘Cadpac 5’ bag and contents were his, but denied any knowledge of the Arno strap.
3. Ivan admitted the Arno strap belonged to Schmidl.
Envelope containing three NZ $20, one NZ $10 and other banknotes located on bedside table in bedroom 3 of Ivan’s house. 1. Ivan had not been out of Australia in the relevant period.
2. Schmidl had travelled to New Zealand on 20 November 1990 and returned to Australia on 19 January 1991.
Markill cooking set with Edelrid stove and Kayser cups located by police in kitchen pantry in Ivan’s house. 1. Kristine and Doris Murphy identified cooking set and stove as belonging to Schmidl.
2. Jeanette Muller identified Kayser cups as belonging to Schmidl.
Salewa ‘Canyon SH 60/75’ multicoloured backpack handed to police by Elizabeth ‘Joan’ Milat, sister-in-law of Ivan and married to Alex, at West Woombye, Queensland. 1. Joan Milat said Ivan had given her the backpack before she and Alex moved to West Woombye in January 1993.
2. Ivan admitted the backpack belonged to Schmidl.
One yellow grandfather T-shirt with one cut piece of green cloth stamped ‘Linen Service Public Hospital’, five cut pieces of green cloth and two cut pieces of light-blue cloth located on garage bench at the Guildford house of Ivan’s mother, Margaret. 1. John Walls identified the T-shirt as being manufactured for and only available from Hallenstein stores in New Zealand during the latter part of 1990.
2. Schmidl purchased four of these T-shirts on 20 December 1990.
3. The cut rags were consistent with being industrial recycled rag.
E. W. Groening bag containing a quantity of rags located in garage of Ivan’s house. 1. Similar to rags found at and near crime scenes in the forest.
2. Identified as being supplied to the Central Asphalt Depot.
3. Ivan admitted that he obtained the bag of ‘jumbo’ rags from work.
Blue High Sierra day pack with contents including: two camouflage-coloured SKK rifle magazines; four cartridge adaptors containing 24 .45 calibre PMC, Winchester and Norma cartridges; five packets of Winchester 30/30 cartridges, and seven packets of Hushfire .22 calibre cartridges, batch number ‘52392’, located in an apple box in the alcove under Walter Milat’s house at Hill Top. 1. Ivan admitted that the day pack belonged to Schmidl.
2. Ivan admitted that the two SKK magazines belonged to him.
3. The five packets of Winchester 30/30 cartridges were suitable for use in the Winchester 30/30 repeating rifle located in the alcove under Walter’s house, and consistent with a packet of cartridges in a photograph of Ivan holding a Winchester 30/30 rifle. Photograph dated ‘16.1.94’.
4. The seven packets of Hushfire .22 calibre cartridges have the same batch number—‘52392’—as packets found in yellow haversack marked ‘Ivan’ found in the alcove under Walter’s house (one empty packet), and in the pockets of green jacket with the name ‘Preston’ in Ivan’s Holden Jackaroo number QBY-388 (two packets), and ten other packets found in the alcove under Walter’s house.
Ivan carried a knife in his car. Schmidl and others suffered stab wounds. 1. A camouflage-handled Bowie knife in brown leather pouch was found inside a ‘Triple M’ bag in bedroom 4 of Ivan’s house.
2. Ivan admitted that the knife was his and that he carried it in his work bag.
3. Johanna Breitkopf identified the knife as similar to the one she had seen in Ivan’s car.
4. Anthony Sara identified the knife as the one carried by Ivan.
5. Craig Gandy identified the knife as being very similar to the one carried by Ivan.
Gabor Kurt Neugebauer and Anja Susanne Habschied: Disappeared 26 December 1991
Items located and claims against Ivan Comments
Two pieces of material. One piece of material knotted and wrapped around head of Neugebauer. The second piece of material was used as a gag and covered mouth of Neugebauer. 1. Both pieces of material came from one garment, a dress.
2. The knot was of similar configuration to knotted pink cloth found with pink jeans belonging to Habschied found 165 metres from Neugebauer.
A leash-type device made of a length of black electrical tape wound into two loops, with brown leather strap, a length of white sash cord and black cable tie, all intertwined, located 61 metres from Neugebauer. 1. The cable tie, electrical tape and sash cord were similar to items found at Ivan’s house.
2. Karen Milat identified the cord as being of a type used by Ivan.
Length of black electrical tape located 62 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Six small pieces stuck together compared with tape in ‘leash’ and tape at Ivan’s house. Jim Gothard, a senior analyst from the NSW Health Department’s Division of Analytical Laboratories, identified the tapes as being of the same composition as that found in the forest. The surface was different, but this could have been caused by weathering.
Piece of pink cloth with knot located with folded pink jeans belonging to Habschied 165 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Blue sleeping bag cover belonging to Schmidl’s Salewa sleeping bag found in bedroom 1 of Ivan’s house.
2. Ivan admitted sleeping bag cover and contents belonged to Schmidl.
3. Professor Michael Pailthorpe said both pieces of pink cloth were part of the same garment, possibly a shirt or blouse.
Length of yellow and blue rope located 165 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Rope had two loops, one loop measured at 70 centimetres long, the other at 12 centimetres.
2. Identified as being similar to rope used by Telecom and rope in boot of green Datsun Bluebird number RJF-631, at Hill Top, the property of Richard Milat, but printing ink on tape inside rope a different colour.
3. Karen Milat identified the rope as being the same type as that used by Ivan.
Small-sized singlet cut down the back from the neck to the waist located in vicinity of Habschied. 1. Professor Pailthorpe described the cut and material as being consistent with being cut industrial recycled rags.
Ebbtide sloppy joe located in vicinity of Habschied. 1. Consistent with being an industrial recycled rag.
Empty Winchester ‘Winner’ .22 calibre cartridge case box and plastic tray located 165 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Boxes with same batch number ‘ACD1CF2’, manufactured on 2 June 1988, found in alcove under Walter’s house.
Empty Eley .22 calibre cartridge box located 165 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Batch number of box is ‘J23CGA’ or ‘J26CGA’, manufactured on 23 or 26 March 1979.
2. Boxes with batch number ‘J23CGA’ were found by police in bedroom 4 in Ivan’s house and in the alcove under Walter’s house.
Twenty-three of 27 Winchester .22 calibre cartridge cases, twenty Winchester .22 calibre cartridge cases, and four unfired Winchester .22 calibre cartridges, all located 165 metres from Neugebauer. 1. Forty-seven cartridge cases and the four unfired