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torture, mutilate and kill to get their own way. After being told that the Kanes intended to kill him, Bennett, Prendergast and
Vincent Mikkleson killed Leslie Kane on 19 October 1978 and went into hiding. The three were later arrested for the murder but as the body was never found, the charges were dismissed. With Brian Kane threatening to kill him, Bennett was arrested on a minor charge in 1979. While being escorted by police from the courthouse holding cells to the courtroom, he was taken up a flight of stairs into the path of a man, disguised as a barrister. The man shot Bennett several times in the chest. Bennett tried to flee but collapsed on the courthouse steps and died a short time later. Although Brian Kane was suspected, circumstantial evidence suggested a conspiracy to kill Bennett, which included senior members of the Victorian Police, most notably Brian Murphy with whom Bennett had a long-standing feud.
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The identity of the robbers was widely known in the underworld and so
Bennett became the target of standover men, who included Brian and Leslie Kane, and corrupt police demanding part of the proceeds. The Kane brothers were particularly violent psychopaths who wanted 'their cut' and were willing to
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The money was never recovered and although Norman Lee was charged, he was later acquitted. None of the other members of the gang was ever convicted. Prendergast disappeared in 1985, and apart from Lee, the rest of the gang had all been murdered by the end of 1987. In 1992, Lee was killed by police
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197:, of three 90-minute episodes was released depicting the robbery. This miniseries started filming on 26 August 1984, and was broadcast in September 1986. Lee participated in the production as a consultant, and even used his own residence in Verity Street,
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https://www.newspapers.com/image/123102962/?clipping_id=8949314&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjEyMzEwMjk2MiwiaWF0IjoxNzE0OTY4NjU5LCJleHAiOjE3MTUwNTUwNTl9.BdjxEwv4VyeGhMr6RNAZjDWB-ejI4HccjCz7hazSM_c
163:. Lee's lawyer, Phillip Dunn, QC, later revealed the details of the crime, including the identities of all those involved. As no one was ever jailed or convicted, the Great Bookie robbery technically remains an unsolved crime.
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40:. The true figure for the amount stolen has never been confirmed, as the Victoria Club quoted the missing figure to police as only $ 1 million to avoid the attention of the
44:(ATO). They rented an office several floors above and hid the money in that room's safe before coolly walking out of the building and onto the street days after the event.
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http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/defence-barrister-philip-dunn-on-australias-most-notorious-robbery/news-story/a1ba715989c6d68df7df14a918c00f35
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When police searched through Ian
Carroll’s records after he was killed, they found that between April and June 1977, he deposited $ 437,165 in his accounts.
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draws on the Great Bookie robbery for its major crime scene. In this version, however, a number of people are killed during the robbery.
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A well-organised gang of six stole what is widely believed to be from $ 14–16 million (in 2011 the equivalent of $ 88 million) from
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Laurence “Laurie” Prendergast (missing from 23rd August 1985, declared dead by foul play, at an inquest on 17 December 2021) and
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as the shooting location for the house of one of the gang. Lee was still living there at the time of his death.
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323:"Features 10 years later, cameras roll on the Great Bookie Robbery Bright light for a perfect crime"
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A highly fictionalised version of the crime was also depicted in one episode of the 2009 miniseries
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Raymond "Chuck" Bennett (died 12 November 1979), who is believed to have been the mastermind,
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No one has ever been arrested for
Bennett's murder, which was, in effect, an execution.
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Norman Leung “Chops” Lee (died on 28 July 1992, shot by police while he tried to rob the
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Watson, Bronwyn (26 September 1986), "The bookies' loss is
Channel 9's gain",
331:. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 April 1986. p. 7 (Section B)
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in the
Victoria Club, which was located on the second floor of a building in
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Ian Revell “Fingers” Carroll (Born 26 Aug 1941 - shot dead 3 January 1983),
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https://australianmissingpersonsregister.com/ampr/LauriePrendergast.htm
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Summary of crime including details revealed by
Phillip Dunn, QC
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based on the original crime but otherwise entirely fictional.
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176:is a 1985 Australian television film directed by
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116:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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136:Learn how and when to remove this message
306:Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995
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114:adding citations to reliable sources
725:Organised crime events in Australia
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245:"Inside the Great Bookie Robbery"
204:The 2002 Australian feature film
565:Indigenous Australians and crime
216:Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities
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24:, Australia, on 21 April 1976.
750:April 1976 events in Australia
688:List of massacres in Australia
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42:Australian Taxation Office
20:was a crime committed in
730:1976 crimes in Australia
349:"Robbery with realism",
194:The Great Bookie Robbery
310:Oxford University Press
38:Queen Street, Melbourne
740:Robberies in Australia
436:States and territories
697:Crime internationally
678:Convicts in Australia
575:Immigration and crime
366:Sydney Morning Herald
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110:improve this section
69:freight terminal at
18:Great Bookie robbery
52:The gang included:
745:1970s in Melbourne
735:Crime in Melbourne
429:Crime in Australia
339:– via Trove.
304:Ed. Scott Murray,
253:. 27 November 2015
167:In popular culture
159:during a heist at
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178:Michael Thornhill
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97:does not
78:Aftermath
22:Melbourne
509:Canberra
504:Brisbane
494:Adelaide
257:28 March
199:Richmond
48:The Gang
671:History
615:Prisons
173:Robbery
118:removed
103:sources
591:Courts
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514:Darwin
335:28 May
67:Ansett
524:Perth
28:Crime
337:2020
259:2020
185:1986
101:any
99:cite
16:The
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632:Qld
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183:In
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