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Bassett Road machine-gun murders : New Zealand's gangster killings

documentary heritage
  • Description

    "On Saturday morning, 7 December 1963, Eric Lewis called around to his property in Bassett Road, Remuera, Auckland, to collect the rent. He was not prepared for the scene that greeted him when he opened the door: his two tenants, George Walker and Kevin Speight, had been violently murdered days before. The machine-gun execution of Walker and Speight marked the beginning of a new, more sinister era of crime in New Zealand.

    The two men convicted of the killings - Ron Jorgensen and John Gillies - became household names. Both the victims and their killers were deeply involved in Auckland's burgeoning criminal scene"--Back cover.

  • Place
  • Other Id

    HV6535.N49 BAI (Library of Congress Call Number)

    89024 (Cat ID)

    88866 (Presto content ID)

  • Department

Images and documents

Catalogue

  • Object Type
  • Name/Title
    Bassett Road machine-gun murders : New Zealand's gangster killings
  • Primary Maker

     Scott Bainbridge (Author)

  • Contributor/Publisher
    Allen & Unwin
  • Place
  • Date
    2013
  • Physical Description

    vii, 287 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm

  • ISBN/ISSN
    9781877505287
  • Level of Current Record
    Bib record
  • Member Object

    1 item in this collection. View all items.

  • Content
    Prologue -- Introduction
    Part one: Gangland murders in Remuera. 1. Setting the scene ; 2. Two bodies found at 115 Bassett Road ; 3. Kevin Speight's background ; 4. George Walker's background ; 5. The investigation team ; 6. Shaking down the crims ; 7. Police get their first breakthrough ; 8. Curtis squeals ; 9. Police interviews continue ; 10. Red herrings and false leads ; 11. Johnny's story ; 12. Johnny Who? ; 13. Putting the heat on Gillies ; 14. The Anglesea Street firm under pressure ; 15. Lola's story ; 16. Gillies goes to ground ; 17. The missing piece revealed ; 18. Jorgensen's alibi ; 19. New Year's Eve, 1964
    Part two: The trial and its aftermath. 20. Following the arrests ; 21. The lower-court hearing ; 22. Preparing for trial ; 23. The trial begins ; 24. Closing addresses, the summing up and verdict ; 25. Jorgensen's appeal ; 26. The confession ; 27. What happened to Jorgensen and Gillies? ; 29. What happened to the other players? 29. What happened to key police and other personnel? -- Glossary of gangster-speak.
  • Public Access Text

    [Keywords: Homicide investigation--New Zealand--Auckland--History--20th century; Murder--New Zealand--Auckland--History--20th century]

    Bibliography: pages 286-287.

  • Collection Type
    Reading Room
  • Copyright
    All rights reserved
  • Last Update
    16 Dec 2023
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