A LIFE OF CRIME, ON BOTH SIDES
The end finally arrives for Roger the Dodger
Roger Rogerson’s early police career was so spectacular many of his colleagues believed the brash young detective would become police commissioner one day.
But Rogerson was not just some nononsense, Dirty Harry-style cop. He was a serial killer with a badge – a lowlife crook with the backing of the police force. Rogerson was rushed to hospital on Thursday night after falling ill in his cell at Long Bay prison, where he was serving a life sentence.
The 83-year-old was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital in
Randwick where his life support was turned off on Friday morning. Rogerson died about 11pm Sunday.
Rogerson was feared by Sydney’s criminals after being involved in shooting dead three armed robbers on different occasions in the line of duty.
As a homicide detective, Rogerson also established himself as an outstanding operator early on, helping solve the horrific murder of 16-year-old Sydney schoolgirl Maureen Bradley in 1971.
“In the mid ’80s he was God,” a former high-ranking police officer said.
“Roger Rogerson was a legend and he was a very effective police officer in many ways.”
Before he was booted from the police force, he received 13 bravery awards and in 1980 was a recipient of the Peter Mitchell Trophy for outstanding police work – considered the highest accolade the force could give.
The following year, the third person he shot dead was heroin dealer and convicted armed robber Warren Lanfranchi in Dangar Place in the inner Sydney suburb of Chippendale. There were 18 police officers in and around the laneway when Lanfranchi arrived for a meeting with Rogerson, who claimed the crook was handing himself in over an earlier crime.
Rogerson said Lanfranchi pulled a weapon and he was forced to shoot him twice, killing him.
At first there was no recriminations against the decorated officer, with defenders of Rogerson arguing that Lanfranchi was a violent criminal who dared to point a gun at a NSW police officer. Back in 1981, that was a death sentence for any criminal.
What Rogerson didn't count on was the bravery and tenacity of Lanfranchi’s girlfriend, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp who went on a media campaign accusing Rogerson of murdering her former partner in cold blood.
Lanfranchi’s killing did little to hurt the rising star of the police force, but the attempted murder of undercover cop Mick Drury did.
The shooting of Mr Drury, himself a recipient of the Peter Mitchell award, was the beginning of the end for Rogerson.
Mr Drury later gave a statement while in a critical condition in hospital, saying in the weeks before he was shot through the window of his Chatswood home, Rogerson had offered him $30,000 to lie in court about a Melbourne crook Alan Williams.
Though seriously wounded, Mr Drury survived his ordeal and is still alive today.
“Had Drury died before that accusation came out, Roger would have just gone on from strength to strength, but that failed shooting exposed him and split the NSW Police Force,” said a former detective who knew Rogerson well.
“And Sallie-Anne wasn't going away, she kept talking.”
Rogerson was suspended while the investigation into Mr Drury’s allegations were investigated before he was charged with conspiracy to murder – a charge he was eventually acquitted of.
In April 1986, Rogerson was sacked from the NSW Police Force after he went on TV and spectacularly outed Arthur “Neddy” Smith and Lennie McPherson as police informants, which was against regulations. There were also rumours swirling around at the time that he was involved in the eventual murder of Ms Huckstepp, who was found strangled in a pond at Centennial Park in February of that year.
No one has ever been convicted over her murder despite notorious killer Smith being charged with the death.
By the late ’80s Rogerson was under siege over the shooting of Mr Drury and eventually was
club before Burns arrived.
Rogerson shoots drug dealer Warren Lanfranchi (below) dead on a Chippendale backstreet (left).