Dark Stories: On This Day In True Crime History - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1928: Clifford Hulme Hanged at Perth for the Wubin Murder

In June 1928, Clifford Hulme shot and killed Harold Eaton Smith at Wubin, a remote farming district north of Perth. The two men had been working together that afternoon. When Smith’s children went to bring their father his usual tea, they found Hulme approaching the house carrying a rifle. What followed included further attacks on Smith’s widow and children, crimes that shocked the court and compelled the Chief Justice to clear the public gallery before Mrs Smith gave her testimony.

Hulme’s defence rested on a plea of insanity, but the jury declared him sane and guilty. He received the death sentence without a word. He was executed on 3 September 1928.

Clifford Hulme murderer hanged at Fremantle Gaol Monday morning

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Australia Execution Murder Perth Trial WA Wubin

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2009: Millionaire Michael McGurk Shot Dead Outside His Cremorne Home

On the evening of 3 September 2009, millionaire businessman Michael McGurk was shot dead in the driveway of his home in Cremorne, Sydney. His young son witnessed the killing. McGurk had been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with property developer Ron Medich over a failed business deal.

The murder triggered one of the most complex organised crime investigations in New South Wales in years. Ron Medich was ultimately convicted in 2019 of arranging the killing, and sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison.

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Australia Cremorne Gang Murder NSW Organised Crime Sydney Trial

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1857: Two Men Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Brutal Murder of a Brothel Madam

On a wet, cloudy night in 1857, Chong Sigh and Hing Tzan entered the brothel of Sophia Lewis on Exhibition Street, in Melbourne, intending to rob and murder her.

Chong Sigh cut the sleeping woman’s throat, but the first wound was not fatal. Hing Tzan held her down while a second, deeper cut was made. When Lewis moved again, Hing Tzan returned to her and, according to the men’s later confession, almost severed her head from her body.

The pair then plundered the room and slipped away into the night, narrowly avoiding a constable on his beat before eventually scattering to Geelong and Ballarat.

Both men were arrested, confessed and were convicted of murder. Their statements confirmed that Chong Sigh had conceived the plot, with robbery as the motive, while Hing Tzan carried out the final fatal attack.

At Melbourne Gaol, the two men presented a striking contrast on the scaffold. Chong Sigh was overcome with emotion and cried loudly, while Hing Tzan remained comparatively composed and appeared to chant a prayer. Hing Tzan briefly resisted when the execution cap was placed over his head, apparently fearing that his hair was about to be cut, but quickly became calm. Both men were hanged on 3 September 1857.

Hooded man holding a glowing lantern in a dark forest

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Australia Execution Melbourne Murder Organised Crime Robbery VIC

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1816: Constable Thomas Wright Killed After Removing an Illicit Still from the Army Barracks

Early morning, September 2nd 1816, Constable Thomas Wright was standing outside the Guard Room at the army barracks in Sydney‘s outer settlement of Windsor when he was assaulted with a cutlass. The attack is believed to have been motivated by his earlier removal of an illicit still from the barracks.

Three soldiers, were tried for his wilful murder and all three were acquitted owing to conflicting witness statements. According to the Sydney Gazette, the trial had excited considerable interest and ended in a manner gratifying to general feeling, but left the true circumstances of Wright’s death unresolved.

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Australia Murder NSW Police Trial Windsor

1928: Clifford Hulme Hanged at Perth for the Wubin Murder

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2009: Millionaire Michael McGurk Shot Dead Outside His Cremorne Home

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1857: Two Men Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Brutal Murder of a Brothel Madam

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1816: Constable Thomas Wright Killed After Removing an Illicit Still from the Army Barracks

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