Claremont serial killings: unsolved rape may offer vital clues – former detective
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Version 0 of 1. A detective who worked on the Claremont serial killer case in Western Australia says a rape in a Perth cemetery in 1995, one year before the first of the murders, could be “incredibly important” to the investigation. The Post newspaper in Perth has reported that detectives believe the killer of three women last seen in Claremont also abducted a 17-year-old girl from Gugeri street in 1995 then raped her at Karrakatta cemetery. The newspaper speculates the rapist is the same man who murdered Ciara Glennon, a 27-year-old lawyer, in March 1997. The first victim was 18-year-old secretary Sarah Spiers, who disappeared in January 1996. A few months later, 23-year-old childcare worker Jane Rimmer vanished. The bodies of Rimmer and Glennon were found, but Spiers was never seen again and is presumed dead. All three victims had been at hotels in the affluent western suburb. Terry Dobson, the former detective who is now a lawyer, said the Karrakatta rape was “looked at very early on” after a local detective deemed it worthy of follow-up. Dobson said the sexual assault could be “incredibly important” to the murder inquiry, which now involves better investigative techniques and forensic advances. “There were a number of officers who thought Karrakatta was the start of it,” Dobson told radio station 6PR. Dobson said he would not be surprised if police were “throwing the kitchen sink at this”. “If you look at the way the three murders were committed, you’ve got a killing machine. They won’t rest until they solve this. They’ll never stop trying to solve this one.” Dobson said the killer may be from overseas and would not have stopped offending if still alive. “He’s either dead or in another jurisdiction,” he said. Pryce Scanlan, acting assistant commissioner for state crime, told reporters on Friday that media reports on an active investigation could seriously jeopardise it and negatively affect prosecutions. “Maintaining the operational integrity of this investigation is paramount if we are to bring the offender or offenders to justice,” Scanlan said. “Therefore, the operational outcomes must be prioritised over media and public interest. “WA police remains committed to solving these crimes and the investigation remains open.” Police have not previously commented on speculation of possible links between the case, which is one of Australia’s longest-running investigations, and other crimes. |