137:
The flogging was delivered on 1 April 1958. Taylor and O'Meally were the last men flogged in
Victoria. O'Meally claimed that the flogging opened his rib cage, that he was placed back in his cell with open chest and back wounds, and was not given any medical attention. He said he took three months to
72:
When Howell arrived at the cinema he saw a man loitering near the parked cars. When the young constable approached him, the man dropped his torch and a set of car keys and ran. Constable Howell grabbed the man but the man shook him off and continued to flee. Howell chased the man and caught up with
76:
O'Meally was charged with the murder. He had been released from prison in May 1951 after serving six months for the assault of another policeman. O'Meally claimed to be innocent of the murder. He claimed that the police had conspired to "frame" him. He said he knew who the murderers were but would
48:
On his own he was soon in trouble. He was sentenced to two days hard labour for riding on a train without a ticket. In June 1936 he was convicted of assaulting a policeman. As a result, he was classified as "uncontrollable" and sent to
Gosford Reformatory. He escaped but was lost for a week in the
107:
In March 1957 O'Meally again escaped from
Pentridge. With an accomplice, John Henry Taylor, who was armed with a .38 automatic handgun, he ran through the main gates of the gaol. Chief Penal officer Robert Davis tried to stop them and was shot in the thigh, breaking his femur. The pair ran to a
87:
O'Meally was sentenced to hang for the murder of the policeman. This was commuted by the new State Labor government to ""imprisonment for the full term of his life without any remissions whatsoever and without the benefit of the regulations relating to the remission of sentences", that is, life
40:
O'Meally was born Joseph
Thompson and was the second of four children. When he was aged 11 the family moved to Sydney. The marriage of his parents soon dissolved and he became a ward of the state. He left that care when aged 14. O'Meally claimed to be the grandson of Johnie O'Meally a member of
118:
On 31 October 1957 Mr
Justice Hudson told O'Meally and Taylor; "You are both clearly beyond hope of reform. Simply to sentence you to a further term of imprisonment would be to impose a totally inadequate form of punishment, and would provide no real deterrent against further attacks of a like
115:, before O'Meally then took the firearm and engaged in a gun battle with warders. They were re-captured within 13 minutes after the bonnet of the getaway car flicked up and broke the windscreen, causing the car to crash into a hydrant.
148:
O'Meally went on to become
Victoria's longest serving prisoner. He served 27 years before being released on parole on 5 July 1979. The State Cabinet had accepted a recommendation of the Adult Parole Board. The State Governor, Sir
81:. His wife supported that claim. Coincidentally, Constable Howell had also lived in Bonbeach. O'Meally claimed that, because he and Howell were known to each other Howell would have identified him before he died.
144:
From
February 1966 O'Meally spent four and a half years breaking rocks. He was moved again when he assaulted a warder and broke the warder’s false teeth. He was also placed in solitary confinement for two weeks.
64:
On the night of 30 January 1952 Constable George Howell was working at the
Malvern East Police Station. He was unarmed when he left the station on a bicycle to patrol the area around the Crystal Palace Theatre,
373:
388:
383:
56:
As a juvenile he received a number of convictions for assault, housebreaking and riotous behaviour. Before 1952 he had 42 convictions including five for assaulting police.
403:
378:
368:
84:
After 10 days of evidence from 41 witnesses the jury took four hours to find O'Meally guilty. He cried as the verdict was delivered, and again denied his guilt.
325:
315:
358:
393:
122:
They were sentenced to 10 more years in gaol. In O'Meally's case, this added nothing to his sentence. Both were also sentenced to 12 strokes of the
109:
398:
126:
to be delivered in one session. This would be the first flogging since 1943. The order to flog O'Meally was appealed to the
363:
156:
O'Meally was last heard of living in
Queensland and according to relatives, died in 2011 in Brisbane at the age of 92.
73:
him. The man turned and shot George Howell once, in the stomach, at point-blank range. Howell died on 1 February 1952.
32:– 1995 in rural Queensland) was an Australian criminal, notorious as the last man to be flogged in Victoria in 1958.
127:
69:
where there had been a number of thefts from cars. Howell was 21 years old and due to be married on 26 February.
131:
29:
353:
348:
220:
123:
92:
66:
153:, ratified the decision. Sir Henry had led the prosecution of O'Meally at the 1952 murder trial.
78:
42:
96:
50:
342:
150:
335:
Osborne, Don, "Pentridge: Behind The
Bluestone Walls", Echo Publishing, Sydney, 2015
112:
326:
Willis, Richard, Murdoch, Lindsay & Comerford, Damien; “Freedom for O’Meally”
141:
In June 1965 O'Meally's wife divorced him on the grounds of his imprisonment.
77:
not name them. O'Meally claimed that he was at home with his wife in
374:
Australian people convicted of murdering police officers
108:
nearby filling station, stole a ute belonging to future
316:Walsh, Geoff; “Lonely Lifer sees the Light of day”
389:Prisoners sentenced to death by Victoria (state)
308:Sharpe, Alan, "The Man They Couldn't Break"; in
301:Richardson, Hal; "O'Meally Sentenced to Death",
269:Osborne, "Pentridge: Behind The Bluestone Walls"
384:People convicted of murder by Victoria (state)
233:The Advertiser, "Two Criminals to be Whipped"
8:
91:In 1955 O'Meally escaped from H Division of
251:Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Light of Day"
242:Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Light of Day"
171:Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Light of Day"
45:. It is unclear when he changed his name.
404:Escapees from Victoria (state) detention
285:, Victoria, Volume 76 Issue 4 April 2010
379:Australian prisoners sentenced to death
221:"Legend's close call with prison break"
164:
369:Australian people convicted of assault
95:. He was re-captured the same day, in
198:Sharpe, "The Man They Couldn't Break"
180:Sharpe, "The Man They Couldn't Break"
7:
359:People from Young, New South Wales
298:(Launceston Tasmania), 24 May 1952
14:
394:People paroled from life sentence
283:Journal of the Police Association
134:, both of whom upheld the order.
312:, Kingsclear Books, Sydney, 1997
288:"Two Criminals To Be Whipped",
260:Willis, "Freedom for O'Meally"
1:
292:, Adelaide, 1 November 1957
223:. V8 Sleuth. 7 August 2024.
99:, not far from the prison.
420:
310:25 True Australian Crimes
128:Supreme Court of Victoria
132:High Court of Australia
30:Young, New South Wales
28:; 25 November 1920 in
399:Criminals from Sydney
22:William John O'Meally
305:Saturday 24 May 1952
281:"In Their Honour…",
364:Australian escapees
16:Australian criminal
189:"In Their Honour"
49:mangroves on the
411:
270:
267:
261:
258:
252:
249:
243:
240:
234:
231:
225:
224:
217:
211:
205:
199:
196:
190:
187:
181:
178:
172:
169:
124:cat o'nine tails
93:Pentridge Prison
88:without parole.
60:Murder of Howell
51:Hawkesbury River
419:
418:
414:
413:
412:
410:
409:
408:
339:
338:
278:
273:
268:
264:
259:
255:
250:
246:
241:
237:
232:
228:
219:
218:
214:
206:
202:
197:
193:
188:
184:
179:
175:
170:
166:
162:
110:racing champion
105:
62:
43:Ben Hall's gang
38:
26:Joseph Thompson
17:
12:
11:
5:
417:
415:
407:
406:
401:
396:
391:
386:
381:
376:
371:
366:
361:
356:
351:
341:
340:
337:
336:
333:
332:, 5 July 1979,
323:
322:, 5 July 1979,
313:
306:
299:
293:
290:The Advertiser
286:
277:
274:
272:
271:
262:
253:
244:
235:
226:
212:
200:
191:
182:
173:
163:
161:
158:
104:
103:Escape of 1957
101:
61:
58:
37:
34:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
416:
405:
402:
400:
397:
395:
392:
390:
387:
385:
382:
380:
377:
375:
372:
370:
367:
365:
362:
360:
357:
355:
352:
350:
347:
346:
344:
334:
331:
327:
324:
321:
317:
314:
311:
307:
304:
300:
297:
294:
291:
287:
284:
280:
279:
275:
266:
263:
257:
254:
248:
245:
239:
236:
230:
227:
222:
216:
213:
209:
204:
201:
195:
192:
186:
183:
177:
174:
168:
165:
159:
157:
154:
152:
151:Henry Winneke
146:
142:
139:
135:
133:
129:
125:
120:
116:
114:
111:
102:
100:
98:
94:
89:
85:
82:
80:
74:
70:
68:
59:
57:
54:
52:
46:
44:
35:
33:
31:
27:
23:
19:
329:
319:
309:
302:
295:
289:
282:
265:
256:
247:
238:
229:
215:
210:1952 CLR, 13
208:O'Meally v R
207:
203:
194:
185:
176:
167:
155:
147:
143:
140:
136:
121:
119:character."
117:
113:Norm Beechey
106:
90:
86:
83:
75:
71:
63:
55:
47:
39:
25:
21:
20:
18:
354:1995 deaths
349:1920 births
343:Categories
36:Early life
303:The Argus
138:recover.
67:Caulfield
296:Examiner
130:and the
79:Bonbeach
330:The Age
320:The Age
276:Sources
97:Coburg
24:(born
160:Notes
345::
328:,
318:,
53:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.