This article delves into the dark underbelly of Melbourne's criminal world, exploring a history of violent hitman killings, fueled by greed, power struggles, and a culture of revenge. From iconic figures like Ray 'The General' Chuck and Rod Collins to infamous incidents like the Great Bookie Robbery and the assassination of Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim, the article paints a chilling portrait of the city's violent past.
It's striking how quickly we can lose our moral compass and start cheering for the executioner. But in reality, gangland hitmen are foot soldiers in the underworld, driven by greed and the desire for respect. When criminal profits increase, instead of simply enjoying the spoils of their illicit activities, crime gangs eliminate those they deem unwanted, much like a snake shedding its skin.
The long-awaited murder of Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim is the latest in a long string of tit-for-tat killings that are as ingrained in Melbourne as laneway graffiti. The motives are numerous and varied, including eliminating competition, silencing police informants, striking first, or settling scores. It's not an exact science. There have been numerous cases of mistaken identity, such as that of honest fruit vendor Paul Virgona, 46, who was shot dead on his way to work in 2019. This incident proves that to be a hitman, one must be both ruthless and somewhat foolish.Long before the Underbelly and tobacco wars, there was the fallout from the Great Bookie Robbery. In April 1976, a team led by Ray “The General” Chuck raided the Victoria Club, stealing over $1.4 million from bookmakers. The feared standover brothers Les and Brian Kane wanted a share, and Chuck decided to act first. The General and two of his men stormed into Les Kane's Wantirna home in October 1978, shooting him with a machine gun and then placing the body in his own car. It's said that a fourth member of the team, Rod Collins, who would become Melbourne's most prolific hitman, helped to bundle the body into the car. Neither Kane nor his pink Ford was ever seen again. Committing the hit in front of Kane's wife and two children was a major breach of etiquette.The ambush was never going to go unpunished, and on November 12, 1979, Chuck was shot dead inside the Magistrates' Court complex while facing armed robbery charges. The killer was Brian Kane, and the murder had been sanctioned. Kane had already planned his escape route and had been allowed into the empty court the day before for a reconnaissance. But, as we know in these circles, what goes around comes around, and three years and two weeks later, Kane was shot dead at the Quarry Hotel. The primary suspects were Rod Collins and escaped convict Russell Cox.At 200 centimeters and 130 kilograms, Sydney gangster Percy Charles Neville was a giant of the Sydney underworld, but when he arrived in Melbourne seeking a share of the illegal gambling protection money, he was quickly brought down to size. To achieve this, he would have to eliminate the competition, Melbourne gangsters Freddie Harrison and Normie Bradshaw. It was April 1951 when the armed Neville first attempted to shake down a baccarat school in Elizabeth Street, resulting in the owner making a covert call to Bradshaw.Harrison was driving with Bradshaw in the back, carrying a rifle, when they drove the wrong way up Flinders Lane after spotting their large target. The two Melbourne crooks always dressed like Hollywood gangsters, and legend has it that when Bradshaw exited the vehicle, he removed his pocket handkerchief, placed it on the ground, and dropped to one knee to aim. Killing may be a dirty business, but that doesn't mean one needs to dirty one's pressed trousers.The big man fell with two bullets in the back. In 1961, a light plane piloted by Bradshaw crashed into Port Phillip Bay, killing all four on board. There were rumors that the carburetor had been sabotaged, starving the single engine of fuel. On February 6, 1958, Freddie “The Frog” Harrison pulled up at South Wharf in his 1953 Ford Customline to collect his pay and return a borrowed trailer. As he uncoupled the trailer, a gunman pulled out a shotgun and said “this is yours, Fred”, before shooting his target in the head. There were 30 men near the car, yet even those splashed with blood told police they didn’t see anything.A dozen witnesses claimed they were in the toilet at the time. It was a two-man toilet. The exasperated coroner threatened to have the toilet reconstructed in the court and invite all the reluctant witnesses to demonstrate how they fit. The killer was the feared dockworker John Eric Twist, who spent his retirement years enjoying the sea air at San Remo. A teenager named Charlie Wootton was caught at the docks carrying a box of shotgun shells with a couple missing. Wootton went on to run the underworld's favorite illegal casino, Red Aces, in St Kilda. He still adheres to a motto: “To have a gun and not need it is far better than to need a gun and not have one.” Logic in that line of work.Judy Moran was a successful shoplifter who believed she was a crime matriarch, which is why she thought she could hire a hit team to kill her brother-in-law and get away with it. Moran was no stranger to murder. She lost two husbands, Les Cole (1981) and Lewis Moran (2004), and two sons – Mark (2000) and Jason (2003) – to underworld murders
Melbourne Underworld Hitmen Gangland Killings Organized Crime Revenge Murder Ray 'The General' Chuck Rod Collins Great Bookie Robbery Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim
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