Australia Claremont Serial Killer, 1996 - 1997, Perth, Western Australia - #3

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Aberline_1979

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Hi everyone,

I wanted to created a thread dedicated to the Claremont Serial Killer who killed (at least) three women in Perth, Western Australia over a period of 18 months from 1996 - 1997. I was motivated to do so after watching a recording of "Crime Investigation Australia" (from 2008) that is available on YouTube for all to watch.

An an Australian myself (albeit on the opposite side of the country) I have heard about the "at large" Claremont Serial Killer a number of times over the years. However, I never really "appreciated" how disturbing these murders were, or how close the police may have come to catching him, until I saw that episode of Crime Investigation Australia.

Now, anyone who wants the full (or close to full) background can simply visit the Wikipedia entry (link below), or watch the Crime Investigation Australia episode (again, link below).

However, this is the story in short...

Sequence of events.

- Friday 26 January (early Friday morning, Australia Day Public Holiday) 1996: Sarah Spiers, 18, disappears from the centre of Claremont (a posh suburb a few kilometres South-West of Perth, Western Australia). Last seen phoning for a taxi after leaving a nightclub very close to the Claremont Hotel (as it is now called). By the time the taxi arrive she was gone. Her body has not been found. She is obviously presumed to have been murdered.

- Sunday (early Sunday morning) 9 June 1996: Jane Rimmer, 23, is murdered. Last seen standing outside the Claremont Hotel (as it is now called). She had declined to share a taxi home with her friends a few minutes earlier. Her body was found in bushland near Woolcoot Road, Wellard, (South of Perth) in August 1996.

-Friday 14 March 1997: Ciara Glennon, a 27-year-old lawyer, is murdered. She leaves the Claremont Hotel earlier than her friends (at around 11PM) to catch a taxi home. Her body is found in bushland (North of Perth) three weeks later.

- Police have never revealed how the two women whose bodies were found were killed " for fear of jeopardizing their enquiries".

- Throughout 1997: thousands of Perth taxi drivers are DNA tested, and there is a huge amount of public awareness of this case due to news coverage. Women in the Perth area become especially careful travelling home at night. Depending on who you listen to, the police being watching several key suspects very VERY closely. This surveillance may or may not still be in operation today.

- 1997 - present: no more murders occur that are attributed to the Claremont Serial Killer.

- 2008: on the Australian TV show "Crime Investigation Australia", during an episode about the Claremont Serial Killer, police release 1996 CCTV footage taken from the Claremont Hotel. It shows the second victim, Jane Rimmer, standing outside the hotel shortly before she disappeared. A "mystery man" is seen to approach her, and she looks at him and smiles noticeably (as if she recognises him). The footage then cuts out as the security camera then switched to a different part of the Hotel. It switches back to outside (where Jane is still standing) a short time later. Jane is now seen standing and looking in the direction where the mystery man was walking. The camera switches away, and then back to the outside of the hotel once more. This time, however, Jane is gone.

- There is no proof at all that they "mystery man" is involved in her disappearance. However, to this day he remains the ONLY person outside the Hotel that night captured on CCTV that the police have been unable to identify. He is also the only person that Jane is seen to interact with (and is likely the last person she would have spoken to).

- The reason the police waited until 2008 to release the CCTV footage featuring the "mystery man" is because the original footage (1990s CCTV footage, shot at night) was of bad quality. NASA were asked to enhance it, but were unable to do so. A production company was able to do some kind of digital enhancement on it, but this apparently was not a great improvement.


Key suspects (source: Crime Investigation Australia, 2008).

Presumably, both these men are still under some level of surveillance to this day...

- Suspect #1: a known "sexual pervert". Kept gun underneath passenger seat of his car. Used to drive 'round Claremont on certain nights of the week. Was familiar with the areas of bush where Ciara Glennon's (third victim) body was found. Could not provide any alibis for the nights the women were murdered.

- Suspect #2: a well-educated Martial Artish from a wealthy English family (who was 34 years old in 1996/1997). Worked closely with Sarah Spiers (first victim) and hat met Jane Rimmer at least once. However, he told "blatant lies" about his familiarity with these women during his police interviews. Could not provide any alibis for the nights the women were murdered. Polygraph test results were "inconclusive".

- "Wildcard" suspect: UK murderer (and possible serial killer) Mark Dixie. Killed a woman in the UK (Sally Anne Bowman), in 2005, in similar circumstances to the Claremont murders. He lived in Claremont at the time of the murders, in fact they started shortly after he arrived and was hired as a chef. Moved out of the area (was fired) in 1997 and the murders ceased. He has been DNA tested by Western Australian Police, but the test results were presumably negative (or at least inconclusive).

Sources of information.

Crime Investigation Australia: The Claremont Murders (Part 1 of 4):
[video=youtube;s3k9HkSscvE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3k9HkSscvE[/video]

Crime Investigation Australia: The Claremont Murders (Part 2 of 4):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HhATWg9EP0

Crime Investigation Australia: The Claremont Murders (Part 3 of 4):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjaB7U4CTb4

Crime Investigation Australia: The Claremont Murders (Part 4 of 4):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jusunn-TbL8

CCTV footage, featured on Criminal Investigation Australia, of "mystery man" suspect approaching Jane Rimmer (victim number 2):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbbg-FVij4c

Claremont serial murders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.thestarfish.com.au/the-claremont-killings-16-years-on/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...t-past-Sally-Annes-killer--struck-before.html

Claremont Serial Killer: Media, Timelines, Photos *NO-DISCUSSION*

Thread #1 Thread #2
 
I can't help but post this here; there is a pedestrian overbridge at the Claremont Railway Station and if you were to stand on it, you would have a perfect eye view of where Jane was standing. Could this have been where the abductor was standing prior to making his move ? The northern access to this overbridge is very close to Davies Road. There was also a public carpark where he may have parked his vehicle, out of view.
 

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Watched the Con Bayens / Paul Ferguson interviews again and spotted something on one of the pin up boards. Could this be a partial shot of a prepared identikit?
 

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Is this the MM talking with Jane and another person ? Man's haircut seems to be the same as MM

Man appears to be holding and using a 'brick' mobile phone

This miniscule piece of footage was deleted from a 2nd copy released by WA police.
 

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Watched the Con Bayens / Paul Ferguson interviews again and spotted something on one of the pin up boards. Could this be a partial shot of a prepared identikit?
If only we could see the whole face. Also good point about the pedestrian bridge. Could he have chosen all victims from up there? I think he is very good at reading body language, looking for someone single and approachable. Jane did look lonely and like she wanted someone to come talk to her.
 
Is this the MM talking with Jane and another girl ?

Man appears to be hold a 'brick' mobile phone

My eyes went straight to your attached image before reading the text of your post - and my first thought was that he looked similar to MM. Is that footage available online somewhere? I've never seen that grab or any of it before.
 
If only we could see the whole face. Also good point about the pedestrian bridge. Could he have chosen all victims from up there? I think he is very good at reading body language, looking for someone single and approachable. Jane did look lonely and like she wanted someone to come talk to her.

Yes it would be good to see the whole face. I think he could only see Jane and Ciara from the bridge; and keep in mind that when Ciara arrived in Claremont with her friends, they parked their vehicle on Gugeri St opposite the Conti - you can see this carpark in the railway station photo I posted today. Sarah was in St Quentin so could not be viewed from the bridge. The experts say psychopaths are excellent readers of body language, personalty and know which person to hone in on; absolutely chilling.

Jane looked very lonely and extremely vulnerable.
 
I agree, I think they may have all gone with him maybe with the intention of... canoodling, people do it all the time, even with strangers they've just met.
 
My eyes went straight to your attached image before reading the text of your post - and my first thought was that he looked similar to MM. Is that footage available online somewhere? I've never seen that grab or any of it before.

It is on the youtube video, it just flashes on screen for a millisecond. when I watch this CIA documentary, I pause/play each frame in that (any part re Jane at Claremont) particular section of the video and that is how I picked it up. You blink you miss it. I think this is why there was such a balls up when the video was released in 2008 because at the time the news services were reporting the incorrect video was released to the media prior to being televised.
 
I agree, I think they may have all gone with him maybe with the intention of... canoodling, people do it all the time, even with strangers they've just met.

I have a feeling he might have invited the girls to go onto somewhere else, like the a party or the casino or somewhere. With Sarah I always keep in mind that she was at Claremont the night before the 26th as well and went back to South Perth with the guy that didn't appear to have treated her too well. I've seen a news item somewhere about a photographer that believed he witnessed her on the ground floor of the flat complex she lived at; which supported the evidence of the taxi driver.
 
Yes it would be good to see the whole face. I think he could only see Jane and Ciara from the bridge; and keep in mind that when Ciara arrived in Claremont with her friends, they parked their vehicle on Gugeri St opposite the Conti - you can see this carpark in the railway station photo I posted today. Sarah was in St Quentin so could not be viewed from the bridge. The experts say psychopaths are excellent readers of body language, personalty and know which person to hone in on; absolutely chilling.

Jane looked very lonely and extremely vulnerable.

i think jane looked like an absolutely normal girl, when the nights ending and you haven't Found anyone special, its a little disappointing. And I find it interesting that all girls were single, and(correct me if I am wrong)lived without their parents. In perth not many people have moved out of home by 18 or 23 years, so I think he spoke with them and knew each of them would not be missed until probably Monday morning when they don't show for work.
 
If only we could see the whole face. Also good point about the pedestrian bridge. Could he have chosen all victims from up there? I think he is very good at reading body language, looking for someone single and approachable. Jane did look lonely and like she wanted someone to come talk to her.
I doubt he would have spotted SS from there but he could have been in the upper level of the Coles carpark directly across for CBV or the rooftop car park of Times Square shopping centre (Avion Way).
 
I have a feeling he might have invited the girls to go onto somewhere else, like the a party or the casino or somewhere. With Sarah I always keep in mind that she was at Claremont the night before the 26th as well and went back to South Perth with the guy that didn't appear to have treated her too well. I've seen a news item somewhere about a photographer that believed he witnessed her on the ground floor of the flat complex she lived at; which supported the evidence of the taxi driver.
absolutely. Hey sorry I'm sure this has probably been discussed but I've forgotten, did police ever talk to the guy Sarah was with the night before? Also why do you say he didn't treat her very well? Thanks.
 
Papertrail

Very observant find on the possible composite and the video clip of JR talking to another man. I thought the hullabaloo about the release of the video was odd, this would help explain what really happened.

Can anyone read the time stamp on the video?
 
I can't help but post this here; there is a pedestrian overbridge at the Claremont Railway Station and if you were to stand on it, you would have a perfect eye view of where Jane was standing. Could this have been where the abductor was standing prior to making his move ? The northern access to this overbridge is very close to Davies Road. There was also a public carpark where he may have parked his vehicle, out of view.

The CSK could have stood on the Railway Station overbridge, but how does this fit in with the luring the girls away? Or are you referring to two separate theories?
 
I have a feeling he might have invited the girls to go onto somewhere else, like the a party or the casino or somewhere. With Sarah I always keep in mind that she was at Claremont the night before the 26th as well and went back to South Perth with the guy that didn't appear to have treated her too well. I've seen a news item somewhere about a photographer that believed he witnessed her on the ground floor of the flat complex she lived at; which supported the evidence of the taxi driver.

When did the photographer believe he witnessed Sarah on the ground floor of her flat complex? The night/early morning she went missing (a.m. hours of Jan 27)? Or the previous evening?

The SR reports I've seen refer to the 25th (although I may have read he originally said he didn't know what night he was remembering).
 
absolutely. Hey sorry I'm sure this has probably been discussed but I've forgotten, did police ever talk to the guy Sarah was with the night before? Also why do you say he didn't treat her very well? Thanks.

It may have been discussed, but it's been deleted if it was. I have heard offhand references to this.

Edit to add: I'm not talking about the SR taxi stranger who supposedly hurried Sarah out of the taxi, so if that's who y'all are discussing, then I guess you can ignore this comment.
 
Not that it makes any difference but the location that Bayens stumbled across plastic-lined boot man was;

Brigatti Garden
Cnr Broome St/Wright St
Highgate
 
It may have been discussed, but it's been deleted if it was. I have heard offhand references to this.

Edit to add: I'm not talking about the SR taxi stranger who supposedly hurried Sarah out of the taxi, so if that's who y'all are discussing, then I guess you can ignore this comment.

I'm not sure either.
 
Watched the Con Bayens / Paul Ferguson interviews again and spotted something on one of the pin up boards. Could this be a partial shot of a prepared identikit?

Do you by any chance have a link to the interviews?

Also, in the above image the lights at Stirling/Barnfield/Gugeri is marked as a danger zone. Could this sugesst this was the location of the "stop sign" abduction attempt (even though it's not a stop sign)?
 
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