Ashley Coulston
Encyclopedia
Ashley Mervyn Coulston is an Australian sailor and triple murderer currently serving life imprisonment
without parole for the 1992 murders of three people in Burwood, Victoria
and the attempted abduction and robbery of a couple in St Kilda Road
several months later.
It would be the abduction attempt that would lead police to his involvement in the triple murder which had previously remained unsolved.
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On 26 January 1988, Coulston left Port Stephens in G'Day 88, a vessel he designed and built himself however he ran into troubles and on 12 March 1988, activated his vessels emergency beacon.
He was rescued by a passing tanker just north of New Zealand's North Island
after spending 46 days at sea in stormy weather. The remains of his vessel washed up on the New Zealand shore several months later.
On 25 October 1988, Coulston attempted his voyage once again sailing from New Zealand to Australia, successfully arriving in Brisbane
on 6 January 1989.
newspaper for a tenant to share their home after a housemate decided to leave the premises and return home to live with their parents.
Kerryn Henstridge, 22, Anne Smerdon, 22, and Peter Dempsey, 27, the brother-in-law of one of the women, were forced into separate rooms and hogtied using cable ties. Coulston then proceeded to shoot them in the back of the head killing them. No motive has ever been offered for the killings.
s, then drove to St Kilda Road and parked his car near the National Gallery of Victoria
.
He then approached a couple and attempted to abduct them. The couple offered Coulston their money, which he took. He then proceeded to restrain the couple using the cable ties. Whilst attempting to restrain one he was overpowered by the other allowing the couple to escape and raise the alarm with nearby security guards.
The security guards gave chase however Coulston fired at the guards, hitting one in the hip. Coulston was eventually arrested by police at the scene and taken into custody. The gun used in the abduction attempt would later link Coulston to the triple murders in Burwood several months earlier.
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
without parole for the 1992 murders of three people in Burwood, Victoria
Burwood, Victoria
Burwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is largely the City of Whitehorse but includes the City of Monash in its south west corner. At the 2006 Census, Burwood had a population of 11,886.-History:The...
and the attempted abduction and robbery of a couple in St Kilda Road
St Kilda Road, Melbourne
St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004 and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city....
several months later.
It would be the abduction attempt that would lead police to his involvement in the triple murder which had previously remained unsolved.
Trans-Tasman voyages
In 1988, Coulson came to media attention when he attempted to sail his custom built 8 foot vessel which he named G'Day 88 from Australia to New Zealand across the Tasman SeaTasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
.
On 26 January 1988, Coulston left Port Stephens in G'Day 88, a vessel he designed and built himself however he ran into troubles and on 12 March 1988, activated his vessels emergency beacon.
He was rescued by a passing tanker just north of New Zealand's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
after spending 46 days at sea in stormy weather. The remains of his vessel washed up on the New Zealand shore several months later.
On 25 October 1988, Coulston attempted his voyage once again sailing from New Zealand to Australia, successfully arriving in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 6 January 1989.
Triple murder
On 29 July 1992, two students advertised in the Herald SunHerald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
newspaper for a tenant to share their home after a housemate decided to leave the premises and return home to live with their parents.
Kerryn Henstridge, 22, Anne Smerdon, 22, and Peter Dempsey, 27, the brother-in-law of one of the women, were forced into separate rooms and hogtied using cable ties. Coulston then proceeded to shoot them in the back of the head killing them. No motive has ever been offered for the killings.
Attempted abduction
On 1 September 1992, Coulston armed himself with the same weapon used to commit the earlier murders and some cable tieCable tie
A cable tie, also known as a zip tie or tie-wrap , is a type of fastener, especially for binding several electronic cables or wires together and to organize cables and wires.-Design and use:...
s, then drove to St Kilda Road and parked his car near the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
.
He then approached a couple and attempted to abduct them. The couple offered Coulston their money, which he took. He then proceeded to restrain the couple using the cable ties. Whilst attempting to restrain one he was overpowered by the other allowing the couple to escape and raise the alarm with nearby security guards.
The security guards gave chase however Coulston fired at the guards, hitting one in the hip. Coulston was eventually arrested by police at the scene and taken into custody. The gun used in the abduction attempt would later link Coulston to the triple murders in Burwood several months earlier.