Keith Faure
Encyclopedia
Keith George Faure from Norlane, Victoria
, is an Australia
n career criminal, convicted of multiple murders and manslaughters. He is currently serving life imprisonment
with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for his role in two murders related to the Melbourne gangland killings
. Faure's criminal history includes further convictions for armed robbery and breaking and entering
.
Faure and Chopper Read
continued a lengthy prison war while imprisoned in Melbourne
's Pentridge Prison during the 1970s and 1980s and Faure features prominently in Read's first few books. Faure was also the basis for the character of Keithy George in the film Chopper, who is stabbed to death in the film's opening scenes. Faure, portrayed by actor David Field
was reported to be unhappy with his portrayal and used his anger at his depiction in the film as a defense in a minor traffic offence. In the drama series Underbelly
Faure is played by Kym Gyngell
although as with several other characters his name is not mentioned in the series due to a court order.
in a Melbourne shoot-out four months later.
His brother, Leslie Faure, is currently serving a 14 year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, killed in 1997. Faure's youngest brother, Noel Faure, was convicted of manslaughter for the 1990 killing of Frank Truscott of Rye, Victoria. Faure has been sent to trial for murder on five occasions and received two murder convictions.
Keith Faure suspected to be involved in the Murder of Carl Williams on the 19th April 2010, Carl told papers that he was 'comfortable' with his yard mates. Keith was known to have been on Carl Williams side during Melbourne's Underworld Wars. No links available.
branch of the ANZ Bank.
Faure was convicted of shooting Senior Constable Michael Pratt
in the back during the robbery. Pratt was later awarded the George Cross
award for bravery, however he was forced to retire from the police force due to injuries sustained in the shooting by Faure.
Faure was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for his role in the robbery and shooting of Pratt.
.
.
on 8 May 2004.
On 3 November 2005, Faure and Evangelos Goussis
, were convicted for the murder of Lewis Caine, the first murder convictions related to the Melbourne underworld wars.
and associate Herbert Wrout were shot while drinking at the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road, Brunswick
.
Faure was reportedly paid A$150,000 by Tony Mokbel
for the murder of Moran, of which $140,000 was collected.
On 5 December 2005, during the comittal hearing for the murder of Lewis Moran
, Faure fainted in the dock and was attended to by paramedics after suffering a suspected stroke
. Faure pleaded guilty to the murder of Moran.
Norlane, Victoria
Norlane is a northern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Norlane is located approximately 7 km from the Geelong central business district and approximately 70 km from the state capital, Melbourne...
, is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n career criminal, convicted of multiple murders and manslaughters. He is currently serving life imprisonment
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...
with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for his role in two murders related to the Melbourne gangland killings
Melbourne gangland killings
The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
. Faure's criminal history includes further convictions for armed robbery and breaking and entering
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
.
Faure and Chopper Read
Chopper Read
Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read is an Australian ex-criminal, who wrote a series of semi-autobiographical and fictional crime novels. The 2000 film Chopper was based on his life.-Early life:...
continued a lengthy prison war while imprisoned in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Pentridge Prison during the 1970s and 1980s and Faure features prominently in Read's first few books. Faure was also the basis for the character of Keithy George in the film Chopper, who is stabbed to death in the film's opening scenes. Faure, portrayed by actor David Field
David Field (actor)
David Field is an Australian actor who has appeared on television and in films. Some of the films he appeared in include Chopper, Two Hands and Gettin' Square. His most notable roles are as Keithy in Chopper and as Acko in Two Hands...
was reported to be unhappy with his portrayal and used his anger at his depiction in the film as a defense in a minor traffic offence. In the drama series Underbelly
Underbelly (TV series)
Underbelly is a 13-part Australian television mini-series that retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, and is the first series in the larger Underbelly Franchise. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival,...
Faure is played by Kym Gyngell
Kym Gyngell
Kym Gyngell is an Australian AFI award winning comedian and film, television and stage actor...
although as with several other characters his name is not mentioned in the series due to a court order.
Criminal family
Faure's grandfather, Norman Leslie Bruhn, was reported to be a Sydney-based gangster who operated during the 1920s. He was shot and killed in 1927 during a hit ordered by Snowy Cutmore, who died with Squizzy TaylorSquizzy Taylor
Joseph Leslie Theodore "Squizzy" Taylor was an Australian Melbourne-based gangster. He rose to notoriety by leading a violent gang war against a rival criminal faction in 1919, absconding from bail and successfully hiding from the police for over a year in 1921-22, and the Glenferrie robbery in...
in a Melbourne shoot-out four months later.
His brother, Leslie Faure, is currently serving a 14 year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, killed in 1997. Faure's youngest brother, Noel Faure, was convicted of manslaughter for the 1990 killing of Frank Truscott of Rye, Victoria. Faure has been sent to trial for murder on five occasions and received two murder convictions.
Keith Faure suspected to be involved in the Murder of Carl Williams on the 19th April 2010, Carl told papers that he was 'comfortable' with his yard mates. Keith was known to have been on Carl Williams side during Melbourne's Underworld Wars. No links available.
1976 Clifton Hill ANZ Bank robbery
On 4 June 1976, Faure and two accomplices set out to rob the Clifton HillClifton Hill, Victoria
Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is...
branch of the ANZ Bank.
Faure was convicted of shooting Senior Constable Michael Pratt
Michael Kenneth Pratt
Michael Kenneth Pratt GC is a former constable of the Victoria Police Force of Melbourne, Australia, and a recipient of the George Cross, gazetted on 4 July 1978...
in the back during the robbery. Pratt was later awarded the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
award for bravery, however he was forced to retire from the police force due to injuries sustained in the shooting by Faure.
Faure was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for his role in the robbery and shooting of Pratt.
Manslaughter of Shane Rowland
Faure was found guilty of the manslaughter of Shane Dennis Rowland, shot dead on 1 May 1976 at a house in RichmondRichmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
.
Manslaughter of Alan Sopulak
Faure was found guilty of the manslaughter of prisoner Alan Sopulak in Pentridge prison. Sopulak died after he was stabbed nine times in the back with a sharpened butter knifeButter knife
In common usage, a butter knife may refer to any non-serrated table knife designed with a dull edge and rounded point; formal flatware patterns make a distinction between such a place knife and a butter knife...
.
Melbourne gangland killings
Murder of Lewis Caine
The body of Melbourne underworld figure, Lewis Caine, (also known as Sean Vincent) was found dumped in a residential street in BrunswickBrunswick, Victoria
Brunswick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland...
on 8 May 2004.
On 3 November 2005, Faure and Evangelos Goussis
Evangelos Goussis
Evangelos Goussis, is an Australian former boxer and kickboxer from Geelong, Victoria, and is a multiple murderer, guilty of the murders of two victims of the Melbourne gangland killings...
, were convicted for the murder of Lewis Caine, the first murder convictions related to the Melbourne underworld wars.
Murder of Lewis Moran
Lewis MoranLewis Moran
Lewis Moran was an Australian organized crime figure and patriarch of the infamous Moran family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Notable for his involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings, Moran was shot dead in a Melbourne hotel The Brunswick Club in 2004...
and associate Herbert Wrout were shot while drinking at the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road, Brunswick
Sydney Road, Melbourne
Sydney Road is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.-Geography:...
.
Faure was reportedly paid A$150,000 by Tony Mokbel
Tony Mokbel
Antonios Sajih 'Tony' Mokbel is an Australian from Melbourne, Australia, who was a fugitive until his recapture in Athens, Greece on 5 June 2007. He is of Lebanese descent and born in Kuwait. Detectives from Operation Purana allege that he is the mastermind behind the Melbourne amphetamines trade...
for the murder of Moran, of which $140,000 was collected.
On 5 December 2005, during the comittal hearing for the murder of Lewis Moran
Lewis Moran
Lewis Moran was an Australian organized crime figure and patriarch of the infamous Moran family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Notable for his involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings, Moran was shot dead in a Melbourne hotel The Brunswick Club in 2004...
, Faure fainted in the dock and was attended to by paramedics after suffering a suspected stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Faure pleaded guilty to the murder of Moran.
Trial and guilty plea
On 3 May 2006, Faure was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for the murder of Lewis Caine and life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 19 years for the murder of Lewis Moran. Faure also gave evidence against Goussis on both of these murders in a deal with the prosecution in return for a reduced sentence.Summary of criminal convictions
| Date | |Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| February, 1974 | Armed robbery in company | Sentenced to 2 years 6 months imprisonment. |
| April, 1974 | Armed robbery in company | Sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. |
| February, 1977 | Manslaughter Manslaughter Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates... |
Sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. |
| July, 1977 | Manslaughter | Sentenced to 9 years imprisonment. |
| November, 1977 | Armed robbery in company | Sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. |
| April, 1989 | Armed robbery | Sentenced to 13 years 6 months imprisonment. |
| 13 May 2006 | Murder Murder Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide... |
Sentenced to 24 years imprisonment. |
| 13 May 2006 | Murder | Sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 19 years. |