Keith George Faure (born June, 1951), from

Norlane, Victoria Norlane is a northern suburb of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. Norlane is bordered in the south by Cowies Creek, in the north by Cox Road, in the west by Thompson Road and in the east by Station Street. It is about 7 km from the Geelong ...

, is an Australian career criminal, convicted of multiple murders and manslaughters. He is currently serving

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years for his role in two murders related to the

Melbourne gangland killings The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders of 36 underworld figures in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between January 1998 and August 2010. The murders were retributive killings involving underworld groups. The deaths caused a power vacu ...

. Faure's criminal history includes further convictions for

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

and

breaking and entering Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

. Faure and

Chopper Read Chopper may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Chopper'' (comics), a horror comic book mini-series * ''Chopper'' (film), a 2000 Australian film by and about Mark "Chopper" Read * Chopper (''Judge Dredd''), a character in British comics anth ...

continued a lengthy prison war while imprisoned in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Pentridge Prison HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison that was first established in 1851 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison officially closed on 1 May 1997. Pentridge was often referred to as the "Bluestone College", " ...

during the 1970s and 1980s and Faure features prominently in Read's first few books. Faure was also the basis for the character of Keithy George in the film '' Chopper'',Mokbel ordered hit on Lewis Moran
News.com.au, 4 May 2006 who is stabbed to death in the film's opening scenes. Faure, portrayed by actor David Field, was reported to be unhappy with his portrayal and used his anger at his depiction in the film as a defence in a minor traffic offence.Let's make a deal
The Age, 4 May 2006 In the drama series ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * ...

'' Faure is played by

Kym Gyngell Kym Gyngell (born 15 April 1952), sometimes also credited as Kim Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as ...

although as with several other characters his name is not mentioned in the series due to a court order.

Criminal family

Faure's grandfather, Norman Leslie Bruhn, was reported to be a Sydney-based gangster who operated during the 1920s. He was shot and killed in 1927 during a hit ordered by

John "Snowy" Cutmore John Daniel 'Snowy' Cutmore (29 August 1895 – 27 October 1927), was a notorious and brutal Australian criminal, well-known in the criminal underworld of both Melbourne and Sydney during the inter-war years until his violent death in 1927. Cutm ...

, who died with

Squizzy Taylor Joseph Theodore Leslie "Squizzy" Taylor (29 June 1888 – 27 October 1927) was an Australian gangster from Melbourne. He appeared repeatedly and sometimes prominently in Melbourne news media because of suspicions, formal accusations and some co ...

in a Melbourne shoot-out four months later. His brother, Leslie Faure, was serving a 14-year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, killed in 1997.. Faure's youngest brother, Noel Faure, was convicted of manslaughter for the 1990 killing of Frank Truscott of Rye, Victoria. Faure has been sent to trial for murder on five occasions and received two murder convictions.

Criminal history

1976 Clifton Hill ANZ Bank robbery

On 4 June 1976, Faure and two accomplices set out to rob the Clifton Hill branch of the

ANZ Bank ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ...

. Faure was convicted of shooting Senior Constable Michael Pratt in the back during the robbery. Pratt was later awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

award for bravery, however he was forced to retire from the police force due to injuries sustained in the shooting by Faure. Faure was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for his role in the robbery and shooting of Pratt..

Manslaughter of Shane Rowland

Faure was found guilty of the manslaughter of Shane Dennis Rowland, shot dead on 1 May 1976 at a house in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Manslaughter of Alan Sopulak

Faure was found guilty of the manslaughter of prisoner Alan Sopulak in 1976 at Pentridge prison. Sopulak died after he was stabbed nine times in the back with a sharpened

butter knife In common usage, a butter knife may refer to any non-serrated table knife designed with a dull edge and rounded point; formal cutlery patterns make a distinction between such a place knife (or table knife) and a butter knife. In this usage, a bu ...

Melbourne gangland killings

Murder of Lewis Caine

The body of Melbourne underworld figure, Lewis Caine (also known as Sean Vincent.), was found dumped in a residential street in Brunswick on 8 May 2004. On 3 November 2005, Faure and

Evangelos Goussis Evangelos "Ange" Goussis (born 14 September 1967) is an Australian former boxer and kickboxer from Geelong, Victoria, and is a multiple murderer, guilty of the murders of two victims of the Melbourne gangland killings. Early life Goussis was ...

were convicted for the murder of Lewis Caine, the first murder convictions related to the Melbourne underworld wars.

Murder of Lewis Moran

On 31 March 2004

Lewis Moran Lewis Moran (7 July 1941 – 31 March 2004) was an Australian organized crime figure and patriarch of the infamous Moran family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Notable for his involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings, Moran was shot de ...

and associate Herbert Wrout were shot while drinking at the Brunswick Club in Sydney Road, Brunswick. Faure was reportedly paid A$150,000 by

Tony Mokbel Antonios Sajih Mokbel (Arabic: طوني مقبل) (born 11 August 1965) is an Australian criminal who has been convicted of a number of offences, most prominently commercial drug trafficking. He has spent most of his life in Melbourne, Australia ...

for the murder of Moran, of which $140,000 was collected. On 5 December 2005, during the

committal hearing In law, a committal procedure is the process by which a defendant is charged with a serious offence under the criminal justice systems of all common law jurisdictions except the United States. The committal procedure, sometimes known as a prelim ...

for the murder of

, Faure

fainted Syncope, commonly known as fainting, or passing out, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from ...

in the dock and was attended to by paramedics after suffering a suspected

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. Faure pleaded guilty to the murder of Moran. On 3 May 2006, Faure was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment for the murder of Lewis Caine and life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 19 years for the murder of Lewis Moran. Faure also gave evidence against others in both of these murders in a deal with the prosecution in return for a reduced sentence.

Summary of criminal convictions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faure, Keith 1951 births Australian organised crime figures Australian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Australian bank robbers Australian escapees Contract killers Living people Melbourne gangland killings People from Geelong Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Victoria (Australia) Escapees from Victoria (Australia) detention Australian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Victoria (Australia) Criminals from Melbourne People convicted of robbery Australian people convicted of manslaughter