Russell Street Bombing
Encyclopedia
The Russell Street Bombing refers to the 27 March 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters
complex in Russell Street
, Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. The explosion was caused by a car bomb
hidden in a stolen 1979 Holden Commodore
.
The blast seriously injured 21-year-old Constable
Angela Taylor, who died on 20 April, becoming the first Australian policewoman to be killed in the line of duty. A further 22 people were injured. The explosion caused massive amounts of damage to the police HQ and surrounding buildings, estimated at more than A$1 million.
The Age
newspaper reported that the blast had such an impact because of the open-floor design of the offices acted like a claymore mine
, sending more shrapnel as the blast ripped through the floors, seemingly adding more pressure to the blast as it followed its path. The station has closed down and been converted into apartments.
In the course of the investigation, a group of people including Stan Taylor,
Peter Reed, Craig Minogue
and Rodney Minogue were apprehended. The motive for the bombing seems to have been revenge against the police, as the bombers had previously been arrested and still resented their jail terms. In court, Taylor, Reed and Craig Minogue were convicted; Rodney Minogue was eventually acquitted on appeal.
and detonator
s were stolen from the Tryconnel Mine at Blackwood. On 25 March 1986, a Holden Commodore was stolen. Both crimes were later found to provide equipment needed for the construction of the bomb.
officers raided the Kallista
home of Peter Michael Reed at 5.45 am. It was alleged that upon attempting to enforce the arrest by forcing entry to the premises, Reed produced a .455 Smith and Wesson revolver
and fired at police, seriously injuring Det Sgt Wylie. Reed was then fired upon by Det Sgt Quinsee and arrested. Reed was charged with attempted murder, recklessly causing serious injury, using a firearm to prevent apprehension and possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances in addition to charges related to the Russell Street bombing. Reed later stated at his trial in unsworn evidence that:
On 30 May 1986, police arrested Stanley Brian Taylor during a 2 am raid on his Birchip
home. Brothers Craig
and Rodney Minogue were arrested in a Swan Hill
motel at 5.15 am later that day.
Russell Street Police Headquarters
Russell Street Police Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia was for many years the headquarters of the Victoria Police before they were moved to William Street in about 1990. The main multi-storey brick building located on the west of the site was constructed 1940-1943 in the Art Deco style by...
complex in Russell Street
Russell Street, Melbourne
Russell Street is a north-south street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837. At its southern end it intersects with Flinders Street and Federation Square, while at its northern end it becomes Lygon Street, a street famous for its...
, 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...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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...
. The explosion was caused by a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
hidden in a stolen 1979 Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
.
The blast seriously injured 21-year-old Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
Angela Taylor, who died on 20 April, becoming the first Australian policewoman to be killed in the line of duty. A further 22 people were injured. The explosion caused massive amounts of damage to the police HQ and surrounding buildings, estimated at more than A$1 million.
The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper reported that the blast had such an impact because of the open-floor design of the offices acted like a claymore mine
M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine
The M18A1 Claymore is a directional anti-personnel mine used by the U.S. military. It was named after the large Scottish sword by its inventor, Norman A. MacLeod...
, sending more shrapnel as the blast ripped through the floors, seemingly adding more pressure to the blast as it followed its path. The station has closed down and been converted into apartments.
In the course of the investigation, a group of people including Stan Taylor,
Peter Reed, Craig Minogue
Craig Minogue
Craig W. J. 'Slim' Minogue is an Australian prisoner, convicted for the 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27 March 1986. In 1988, Minogue was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 30 years...
and Rodney Minogue were apprehended. The motive for the bombing seems to have been revenge against the police, as the bombers had previously been arrested and still resented their jail terms. In court, Taylor, Reed and Craig Minogue were convicted; Rodney Minogue was eventually acquitted on appeal.
Investigations
On 7 October 1985, geligniteGelignite
Gelignite, also known as blasting gelatin or simply jelly, is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and saltpetre .It was invented in 1875 by Alfred Nobel, who had earlier invented dynamite...
and detonator
Detonator
A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
s were stolen from the Tryconnel Mine at Blackwood. On 25 March 1986, a Holden Commodore was stolen. Both crimes were later found to provide equipment needed for the construction of the bomb.
Arrests
On 25 April 1986, ten Victoria PoliceVictoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
officers raided the Kallista
Kallista, Victoria
Kallista is a locality within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges...
home of Peter Michael Reed at 5.45 am. It was alleged that upon attempting to enforce the arrest by forcing entry to the premises, Reed produced a .455 Smith and Wesson revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
and fired at police, seriously injuring Det Sgt Wylie. Reed was then fired upon by Det Sgt Quinsee and arrested. Reed was charged with attempted murder, recklessly causing serious injury, using a firearm to prevent apprehension and possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances in addition to charges related to the Russell Street bombing. Reed later stated at his trial in unsworn evidence that:
"the police started the shooting and I only used his firearm in self defence."
On 30 May 1986, police arrested Stanley Brian Taylor during a 2 am raid on his Birchip
Birchip, Victoria
Birchip is a town in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia on the Sunraysia Highway north of Donald. The town is located in the Shire of Buloke Local Government Area. At the 2006 census Birchip had a population of 822...
home. Brothers Craig
Craig Minogue
Craig W. J. 'Slim' Minogue is an Australian prisoner, convicted for the 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27 March 1986. In 1988, Minogue was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 30 years...
and Rodney Minogue were arrested in a Swan Hill
Swan Hill, Victoria
Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684.-History:...
motel at 5.15 am later that day.
Trial
The crown did not allege that any person played any particular role in the bombing, but that each of them were members of a team which planned the bombing and caused the bomb to explode. Evidence against the accused was as follows:- Gelignite and detonators used in the construction of the bomb were of the same type as those stolen from Tryconnel Mine.
- Gelignite was found at Reed's house wrapped in newspaper containing fingerprintFingerprintA fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s belonging to Rodney Minogue. - Craig Minogue owned a pair of side cutters which produced cuts similar to those found on detonator wires.
- a file with traces of brass deposits matched with brass deposits found at the bomb site.
- a block of wood from which a wooden part of the bomb had been sawn was found at Craig Minogue's premises.
- tinned copper wire, similar to that used with detonators found at the bomb site, was found at Craig Minogue's premises.
- residue of gelignite matched residue found at a previous address of Craig Minogue in Lower Templestowe.
- evidence from a witness that Craig Minogue called around Easter 1986, to ask about the use of detonators.
- a witness testified that Craig Minogue was seen driving a 1979 Holden Commodore around the CBD prior to the explosion.
Summary of sentences
| Defendant | |Convictions | Birchip, Victoria Birchip, Victoria Birchip is a town in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia on the Sunraysia Highway north of Donald. The town is located in the Shire of Buloke Local Government Area. At the 2006 census Birchip had a population of 822... |
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|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Reed | Kallista, Victoria Kallista, Victoria Kallista is a locality within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges... |
|
|
|
| Craig Minogue Craig Minogue Craig W. J. 'Slim' Minogue is an Australian prisoner, convicted for the 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27 March 1986. In 1988, Minogue was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 30 years... |
Melbourne, Victoria |
|
|
|
| Rodney Minogue | Melbourne, Victoria |
(Rodney Minogue was subsequently unconditionally acquitted by the Victorian Court of Appeal of all charges) |
|
|
See also
- Phoenix (TV series)Phoenix (TV series)Phoenix is an Australian police drama television series. Phoenix screened as two thirteen-part series on Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1992 and 1993....
- a 13-part Australian police drama television series loosely based on the Russell Street bombing