Unsolved LGBTQ+ NSW Hate Crime Inquiry

[Kurve]

* Hate Crime Inquiry finds new evidence

Crispin Dye, the former long-term manager of the Australian rock band AC/DC, was bashed in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst nearly 30 years ago. He died from severe head injuries on Christmas Day in 1993, a day after being attacked near Oxford Street, where he had been celebrating the release of his debut solo album.

The case has been stymied by a series of blunders and delays including exhibits lost, a failure to test key evidence, a lack of forensic testing, confusion and mismanagement of evidence.

Dye’s blood-stained jeans and denim shirt were never sent for forensic analysis, while other exhibits “could not be found and appear to have been lost years ago”, counsel assisting Peter Gray told the hearing on Tuesday.

Only upon request were five items of Dye’s clothing – including his jeans and shirt – submitted by the inquiry from NSW police for analysis earlier this year. Two pieces of paper were also subsequently found, one possibly containing a fingerprint.

Just hours before the inquiry was due to begin, it was told the blood found on the back pocket of Dye’s jeans contained DNA from an unknown male, matching a profile obtained from another crime scene.

New evidence about brutal death of AC/DC manager uncovered during gay hate inquiry

Crispin Dye's case, which was due to be revisited today at an inquiry, has now been delayed after a judge described NSW Police record keeping as "borderline shambolic".

www.abc.net.au

NSW police records ‘bordering on shambolic’ after murder of AC/DC manager, inquiry told

Gay hate crime inquiry hears items of Crispin Dye’s clothing were not forensically analysed after he was attacked in Sydney in 1993

www.theguardian.com

HATE CRIMES - FINAL REPORT

 

[BomberManU]

It really beggars belief that there was such a culture of 'gay bashing' in this country, as recent as the 90's.
Sounds like 'shambolic' is just another way of saying they didn't give a stuff.

 

[stormbird]

From ABC News, 21 June 2023, bolded by me:

"An inquiry has heard the jeans and shirt Mr Dye was wearing when fatally assaulted in Sydney 30 years ago were never sent for examination through three separate police probes and a coronial inquest.
Nor were two pieces of paper stashed in his shirt — including one with a name and number scribbled on it — ever located or categorised by investigators."

Bloody clothes left untested by police for 30 years could solve mystery of who killed AC/DC manager

An inquiry hears a NSW Police task force ruled there was "insufficient information" to establish whether the former AC/DC manager's death was a hate crime but it had not tested his blood-stained clothes.

www.abc.net.au

 

[BFew]

A long deceased POI has been identified and their name suppressed.

DNA breakthrough in former AC/DC manager’s murder

A person of interest has been identified in the 1993 murder of Crispin Dye in Darlinghurst. The man had a substantial criminal history, including assault.

www.smh.com.au

'DNA breakthrough in former AC/DC manager’s murder

By Michaela Whitbourn​

August 22, 2023 — 12.00pm

...On Tuesday, the inquiry heard that a DNA match had been confirmed and a person of interest had been identified: a man who allegedly committed a break and enter in Sydney’s Glenwood in February 2002. A blood swab was obtained from that crime scene. The man’s name was suppressed by the inquiry.

The person of interest had a substantial criminal history, the inquiry heard, and he had been arrested in late 1993 and early 1994 for his involvement in two fights, including an assault on a German tourist near Kings Cross. The man died by suicide in 2002.

The discovery of a person of interest some 30 years after Dye’s death “demonstrates the importance of ensuring the timely and/or repeated forensic testing of exhibits even in cold cases”, the lead counsel assisting the inquiry, Peter Gray, SC, and O’Brien said in written submissions released on Tuesday.

“It is regrettable that, in Mr Dye’s case, this step was not taken at any time after December 1993 until the inquiry did so in 2023, by which time [the man’s] death and the loss or destruction of relevant records have made it significantly more difficult to pursue this lead.”

Counsel assisting said it was not possible to draw any conclusion about “what role, if any, [the man] played in Mr Dye’s death” and “there was eyewitness evidence that three men were seen standing around Mr Dye, moving him around and then running away”.

The inquiry sent multiple hairs found on Dye’s denim shirt, T-shirt and a piece of paper for forensic testing earlier this year. One hair from his shirt provided a partial DNA profile that had been labelled unknown male B, the inquiry heard.

“It has not been possible to obtain any further DNA markers from that exhibit because of the passage of time, even with current technologies. If this hair had been examined or re-examined earlier, there is a chance that it would have been discovered in a less aged and/or degraded state and would have permitted a more fruitful analysis,” counsel assisting said in written submissions.

Counsel assisting submitted to the head of the inquiry, Supreme Court judge John Sackar, that he consider recommending in his final report that NSW Police monitor DNA databases “with a view to identifying a match to unknown male B”.

“Further recommendations in relation to Mr Dye will be contained in the confidential section of the report,” counsel assisting said.

The inquiry previously heard that the state’s Forensic & Analytical Science Service found two pieces of paper in Dye’s shirt pocket when they were asked to conduct testing this year. This included a Post-it style note bearing a handwritten name and phone number.

“It is clear to the inquiry that these pieces of paper had never previously been found or noticed,” O’Brien said during Tuesday’s hearing. She submitted that “the failure to find these pieces of paper is extraordinary”.

The man whose name was written on the Post-it note told the inquiry that he was not contacted by police following Dye’s death and was not aware of the note until it was shown to him by inquiry staff in March this year, counsel assisting said.

Counsel assisting said, “the inquiry has conducted several private hearings in relation to the death of Mr Dye. That evidence will be the subject of a confidential part of the report of the inquiry in due course”.

The inquiry heard Dye was gay or possibly bisexual, and O’Brien said there was “reason to suspect that the attack was motivated by LGBTIQ bias, either in whole or in part”.

The inquiry was due to deliver a report to the governor by August 30.
The deadline was extended last week to December 15.
...'

Person of interest found in AC/DC manager's 1993 murder

Forensic testing on a bloodstain found on the back pocket of musician Crispin Dye's jeans has uncovered a person of interest in his unsolved murder.

www.perthnow.com.au

 

[Kurve]

The person of interest had a substantial criminal history, the inquiry heard, and he had been arrested in late 1993 and early 1994 for his involvement in two fights, including an assault on a German tourist near Kings Cross. The man died by suicide in 2002.

The weight of what he'd done may have been too heavy?

Some answers finally.

RIP Crispin.

 

[Kurve]

Just bumping this for a few minutes.

 

[BFew]

Here's the entry page for the NSW Inquiry.

The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes

lgbtiq.specialcommission.nsw.gov.au

The videos of the inquiry hearings

iCourts – Live Broadcast

Live Stream

icourts-playlist.events.corrivium.live

The Final Report page

Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes

The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes (the Inquiry) was established by Letters Patent signed on 13 April 2022 and tasked with investigating unsolved suspected hate crime deaths of LGBTIQ people (or people who were presumed to be LGBTIQ) in NSW between 1970 and 2010.

www.nsw.gov.au

Published transcripts and exhibits from each of the hearings are on this site too.