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374:'s inquest into Smith's death began on 12 June 1935 at the City Coroner's Court directed by Mr. E.T. Oram, the same day Holmes was found dead in his car with gunshot wounds to his chest. Although Holmes was the inquest's main witness, he was never offered
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In early June 1935, Holmes decided to cooperate with the police in investigating the murder of Smith. He told
Detective Sergeant Frank Matthews that Brady had killed Smith, dismembered his body and stowed it into a trunk that he had then thrown into
331:. He then claimed Brady had come to his home, showed him the severed arm and threatened Holmes with murder if he did not receive £500 immediately. Holmes also admitted that after Brady had left his home, he travelled to the Sydney coastal suburb of
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On 11 June 1935, Holmes withdrew £500 from his account and late in the evening left home, telling his wife he had to meet someone. He was also very cautious as he left his home, accompanied by his wife to the door of his Nash
199:. Examination revealed that the limb had been severed with a knife, which resulted in a murder investigation. Three days later, the aquarium owners killed the shark and gutted it, hampering the initial police investigation.
389:
KC (1900–1984), claimed to the coroner that there was not enough substance to begin the inquest. Evatt argued that an arm "did not constitute a body", and that Smith, minus his arm, could still be alive. The case is
168:
and transferred to the Coogee
Aquarium Baths, where it was displayed publicly. Within a week, it became ill and vomited in front of a small crowd, leaving the left hand and forearm of a man bearing a distinctive
472:
In 2024, Richard Fidler interviewed
Phillip Roope on the ABC's Conversations program. The interview focuses on the new and impelling evidence, how the writers went about researching the case, and why. You can
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417:, apparently due to information Smith had given to the police. Smith had been exposed as a police informant and therefore would have been targeted for assassination.
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floating in the pool. Before it was captured, the tiger shark had devoured a smaller shark. It was this smaller shark that had originally swallowed the human arm.
310:. However, the bullet instead flattened against the bone of his forehead and he was merely stunned. Revived after falling into the water, he crawled into his
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on the day Smith had gone missing, and that "he was dishevelled, he had a hand in a pocket and wouldn't take it out... it was clear that was frightened."
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A book, published in 2020, provides some new and plausible insight into the case. Written by
Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher, the book is titled
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for small amounts against their bank accounts that he and Smith then cashed. Police were later able to establish that Smith had been
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Smith was last seen drinking and playing cards with
Patrick Francis Brady at the Cecil Hotel in the southern Sydney suburb of
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Holmes was cremated at
Northern Suburbs Crematorium on 13 June 1935. He left an estate valued at over £34,000 in 1935.
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Initially, Holmes denied any association with Brady but four days later, on 20 May 1935, the businessman went into his
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in
Taloombi Street, Cronulla at the time Smith went missing. Police alleged that Smith was murdered at this cottage.
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The inquest's most important witness, Holmes, was then dead; the case against Brady was insufficient due to lack of
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The investigation into the murder of Smith and his severed arm became legendary in
Australia's legal history.
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in the U.S.), but wrongly implies that the arm belonged to a swimmer who was eaten by the shark.
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driver testified that he had taken Brady from
Cronulla to Holmes' address at 3 Bay View Street,
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before his testimony could be heard. Forensic evidence was examined by forensic pathologist
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police had no doubt that he was murdered. Holmes had been due to give evidence at Smith's
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Cold Case Jury website which shows the real-time verdict of readers on the Shark Arm case
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on 7 April 1935 after telling his wife he was going fishing. Brady had rented a small
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500:. This case was also featured on Season 5, Episode 2 of the popular YouTube series
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for approximately four hours until he was finally caught and taken to hospital.
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and suburban billiard saloon keeper who had been missing since 7 April 1935.
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559:. Mandarin Press, Australia, 1991. pages 274-275, 'The Shark Arm Case'. (
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It was also the basis for season 4 episode 15 of the comedy crime series
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The police charged Brady with the murder of Smith, although he was later
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222:, including one in 1934 in which an over-insured pleasure cruiser named
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During mid-April, a tiger shark was caught 3 km (1.9 mi) from
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on his own life to spare his family the public disgrace of conviction.
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with
Patrick Francis Brady (1889–1965), an ex-serviceman and convicted
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Brady was arrested on 16 May and charged with the murder of Smith. A
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Peter Luck. A Time to Remember. Mandarin Press, Australia, 1991. (
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Late Mr. R HOLMES.Application for Probabte. Gross Estate £34,137
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Shark arm : a shark, a tattooed arm and two unsolved murders
923:. 'Chief Justice Frees Brady' - Part 2, Chapter 22, page 156. (
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MURDERED IN CAR - Principal Witness in Aquarium Mystery Inquest
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who also managed a successful family boat-building business at
827:, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
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named Reginald William Lloyd Holmes (1892–1935). Holmes was a
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794:"NZEDGE Legends — Sydney Smith, Forensic Expert — Scientists"
982:"Forgotten Australian TV Plays: The Grey Nurse Said Nothing"
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Edward Frederick ("Eddie") Weyman, who was arrested while
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was made to appear that Holmes had committed suicide, but
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suggests that Smith was killed by Brady on the orders of
515:(titled "The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Episode").
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After a description of the tattoo was published in the
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The Shark Arm Case was the basis of a 2003 episode of
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MURDER CHARGE in Crown Case. Trial of PATRICK BRADY
705:"The Shark Arm Case "Dimensions in Time" Transcript"
653:"The Shark Arm Case "Dimensions in Time" Transcript"
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766:Death Notice : Reginald William Lloyd Holmes
347:. He had been shot three times at close range. The
62:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
218:. Holmes had employed Smith several times to work
413:with a forged cheque in 1934 and later during a
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314:and led two police launches on a chase around
202:Early inquiries correctly implicated a Sydney
140:refers to a series of incidents that began in
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857:Mrs. Holmes's Evidence. Dreadful Allegations
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870:Quarter Sessions Court. Weyman 'Bound over
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1024:"The Unusual Australian Shark Arm Murders"
819:Cunneen, Chris; McLaughlin, John Kennedy,
940:Vince Kelly. The Shark Arm Case. page 167
675:Holmes family - New Zealand Boatbuilders
122:Learn how and when to remove this message
475:hear the interview on the ABC listen app
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335:and discarded Smith's arm in the surf.
303:by shooting himself in the head with a
195:confirmed the match. Smith was also a
692:Twelve Crimes That Shocked the Nation
577:. Wakefield Press, Australia. 1995. (
428:in Sydney on 18 April 1965, aged 76.
426:Concord Repatriation General Hospital
277:when Brady was eventually brought to
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1005:. Wakefield Press, Australia. 1995 (
889:. Wakefield Press. Australia, 1995 (
483:also mentions this case in his book
60:adding citations to reliable sources
844:Proceedings Challenged by Mr Evatt
710:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
658:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
588:Phillip Roope & Kevin Meagher.
980:Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020).
825:Australian Dictionary of Biography
821:"Evatt, Clive Raleigh (1900–1984)"
625:"What Sick Shark Revealed: Murder"
230:. Soon afterwards, the pair began
27:1935 incident in Sydney, Australia
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1254:Indigenous Australians and crime
1077:History of Coogee Aquarium Baths
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544:, Australia. 1963 & 1975. (
47:needs additional citations for
1377:List of massacres in Australia
456:claims that Holmes took out a
152:, resulting subsequently in a
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1434:Unsolved murders in Australia
1429:People murdered in Australia
411:attempting to defraud a bank
442:The Grey Nurse Said Nothing
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385:The lawyer serving Brady,
1419:1935 murders in Australia
910:11 September 1935 page 10
525:List of unsolved murders
439:It inspired the TV play
1424:Coogee, New South Wales
1053:"Shark Arm murder 1935"
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1125:States and territories
489:In a Sunburned Country
1386:Crime internationally
1367:Convicts in Australia
1264:Immigration and crime
1003:The Shark Arm Murders
951:Sydney Morning Herald
908:Sydney Morning Herald
887:The Shark Arm Murders
872:Sydney Morning Herald
859:Sydney Morning Herald
846:Sydney Morning Herald
781:Sydney Morning Herald
768:Sydney Morning Herald
755:Sydney Morning Herald
733:Angus & Robertson
678:Sydney Morning Herald
575:The Shark Arm Murders
542:Angus & Robertson
450:The Shark Arm Murders
403:The Shark Arm Murders
265:were searched by the
1058:Dictionary of Sydney
874:11 July 1934 page 10
861:15 June 1935 page 1)
848:13 June 1935 page 11
770:14 June 1935 page 10
757:12 June 1935 page 13
681:14 June 1935 page 11
596:, Australia. 2020. (
359:later that morning.
160:Discovery of the arm
154:murder investigation
56:improve this article
783:30 July 1935 page 9
432:Cultural references
1118:Crime in Australia
921:The Shark Arm Case
729:The Shark Arm Case
557:A Time To Remember
538:The Shark Arm Case
18:The Shark Arm Case
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1259:Human trafficking
1249:Police misconduct
735:, Australia. 1963
594:Allen & Unwin
503:BuzzFeed Unsolved
448:In his 1995 book
376:police protection
366:Coroner's inquest
232:criminal activity
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16:(Redirected from
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1439:Murder in Sydney
1393:Crime by country
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112:December 2021
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1285:Criminal law
1063:. Retrieved
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1032:. Retrieved
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999:Alex Castles
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715:the original
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635:. Retrieved
633:. 5 May 1935
630:Sydney Truth
628:
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571:Alex Castles
556:
555:Peter Luck.
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452:, Professor
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259:Port Hacking
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244:blackmailing
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216:Lavender Bay
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193:Fingerprints
184:Sydney Truth
182:
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166:Coogee Beach
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54:Please help
49:verification
46:
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1372:Bushrangers
481:Bill Bryson
387:Clive Evatt
349:crime scene
345:Dawes Point
305:.32 calibre
275:prosecution
204:businessman
156:and trial.
150:tiger shark
1408:Categories
1295:Punishment
1234:Corruption
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929:0207132127
831:6 December
804:6 December
609:References
550:0207132127
497:CSI: Miami
487:(known as
485:Down Under
224:Pathfinder
82:newspapers
1208:Melbourne
744:Whiticker
590:Shark Arm
422:acquitted
312:speedboat
271:Air Force
208:fraudster
146:Australia
1198:Canberra
1193:Brisbane
1183:Adelaide
519:See also
458:contract
407:gangster
399:evidence
353:forensic
333:Maroubra
297:boatshed
269:and the
251:Cronulla
246:Holmes.
228:Terrigal
212:smuggler
1360:History
1304:Prisons
1028:YouTube
986:Filmink
372:Coroner
357:inquest
301:suicide
286:taxicab
255:cottage
96:scholar
1280:Courts
1218:Sydney
1203:Darwin
1061:. 2010
1034:28 May
1009:
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893:
798:NZEDGE
637:3 June
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308:pistol
236:forger
171:tattoo
142:Sydney
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1213:Perth
512:Psych
341:sedan
279:trial
189:boxer
103:JSTOR
89:books
1067:2012
1036:2024
1007:ISBN
964:ISBN
925:ISBN
891:ISBN
833:2019
806:2019
694:2005
639:2016
598:ISBN
579:ISBN
561:ISBN
546:ISBN
370:The
267:Navy
261:and
210:and
136:The
75:news
1341:ACT
1336:Tas
1321:Qld
1316:Vic
1311:NSW
1162:ACT
1157:Tas
1142:Qld
1137:Vic
1132:NSW
58:by
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1346:NT
1331:SA
1326:WA
1167:NT
1152:SA
1147:WA
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