Lindsey Robert Rose (né Lehman; born 2 May 1955) is an Australian

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

from

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, currently serving five sentences of

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 ...

without the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

for the murder of five people between 1984 and 1994.

Early life

Lindsey Robert Rose was born Lindsey Robert Lehman on 2 May 1955 at North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was raised by his mother, who had separated from Rose's father before Rose was born. He became Lindsey Rose after his mother remarried. Rose grew up in Sydney's Western Suburbs and completed an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner before joining the New South Wales Ambulance Service in 1976. He was notably one of the first responders at the

Granville Train Disaster The Granville rail/train disaster occurred on Tuesday 18 January 1977 at Granville, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto ...

in 1977. Rose left the ambulance service and became a licensed

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

in 1979. His criminal career commenced soon thereafter.

Criminal career

Cavanagh/Lee murders

On 20 January 1984 Rose shot and killed Edward John "Bill" Cavanagh and Cavanagh's girlfriend, Carmelita Lee, at their home in Sydney's Hoxton Park. Rose later told investigators that he'd murdered Cavanagh as revenge for the alleged beating of one of Rose's friends a few years earlier. He murdered Lee so as to not leave a witness. Cavanagh ran a trucking business and it was alleged that he was involved with the Calabrian mafia, including the notorious drug lord,

Robert Trimbole Bruno Robert Trimbole (19 March 1931 – 12 May 1987) was an Australian businessman, drug baron and organised crime boss whose alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the Griffith, New South Wales, area, which according to popular loose fic ...

Holford murder

On 19 January 1987 Rose broke into the West Ryde home of wealthy businessman, William "Bill" Graf, intending to commit a burglary. He was surprised on the premises by Graf's de facto, Reynette Holford. Rose stabbed Holford multiple times with a screwdriver and a vegetable knife. He then tied her up, made his escape and Holford died from her injuries.

Pang/Ozonal murders

On 14 February 1994 Rose shot and killed Fatma Ozonal and then shot and stabbed Kerrie Pang to death at Pang's massage parlour, "Kerrie's Oasis" in

Gladesville Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde a ...

. Ronald Waters was offered payment of $500 to assist Rose by knocking on the door and gaining access to the premises, as Pang would have recognised Rose, he did not know how things were going to turn out. Ronald Waters never received this payment. The murder of Pang had been arranged by her de facto partner Mark Lewis. Lewis was later found guilty of both murders and sentenced to

(without the possibility of

) for the murder of Pang plus 18 years for the murder of Ozonal. Waters pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the murders and was sentenced to 18 months periodic detention. Evidence at Lewis's trial indicated that the motive for Pang's murder was difficulties in Lewis and Pang's relationship and Lewis's dissatisfaction with Pang's line of work as well as Rose's reported hatred of Pang. Ozonal was not part of the murder plan and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Escape and capture

Rose was not a suspect for any of the five murders until 1996 when a corrupt police officer, an associate of Rose, told NSW police detectives that Rose had boasted of committing at least two murders. After being questioned, Rose evaded police surveillance on 4 July 1996 and drove from Sydney to Adelaide, South Australia. In Adelaide he obtained employment using his birth name, Lindsey Lehman, but was not located until 40 weeks later when a member of the public identified Rose after his mugshot was broadcast on television news programs on 9 April 1997. Rose was arrested the next morning, arriving for work, by members of the South Australian Police STAR Force.

Guilty plea and sentencing

On 18 June 1998 Rose pleaded guilty to the five murders in the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He was represented by the well-known barrister, Stuart Littlemore QC. On 3 September 1998. Rose was sentenced to five consecutive terms of

without the possibility of

Other crimes

In December 1998, Rose was sentenced for other crimes to which he had confessed: conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, robbery, kidnapping, robbery whilst armed, malicious wounding, larceny and supplying a prohibited drug. The additional prison terms summed to forty years, to be served concurrently (the longest being eight years). Notably, on New Year's Day in 1983, Rose and criminal associates had hijacked a semi-trailer containing cigarettes valued at $600,000 and held two truck drivers hostage for several hours.

Prison life

Rose was one of the first six inmates of Goulburn Gaol's High Risk Management Unit upon its creation in 2001. On 19 November 2005

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

reported that Rose was unhappy with the fact that a number of inmates had converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. On 23 September 2007

reported that Rose had written a letter to prison management indicating he would help to stop inmates converting to

. On 7 October 2007

reported that Rose was one of several inmates who had smuggled out "letters of complaint" against a range of conditions at the jail. It said that education was "virtually non existent in the HRMU'' igh Risk Management Unit'...Many inmates do not complete courses as they are thwarted by perfunctory teachers or ridiculous decisions ...Example: An inmate in another part of the prison is caught with contraband on a computer, the department of corrective services ban all computers, effectively putting inmates back to the Stone Age."

Media

* In August 2017, Hachette Australia published ''The Fatalist'', author Campbell McConachie's criminal biography of Rose. McConachie had met Rose (unaware he was a criminal) at his local pub when McConachie was 19, and later spent many hours at the Goulburn Super Max prison gaining first hand insight into his subject. *In October 2017, Rose's daughter was featured in the '' Australian Story'' profile "Atoning for his sins: My father the multiple murderer". * The double murder was featured on Series 3 of the television series ''

Forensic Investigators ''Forensic Investigators: Australia's True Crimes'' is an Australian television show hosted by Lisa McCune which aired on the Seven Network. It aired for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. Focusing on actual Australian crimes, each episode unf ...

'' (2006).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Lindsay Robert 1955 births 1984 crimes in Australia 1984 murders in Australia 1994 in Australia 1994 murders in Australia 20th-century Australian criminals Australian people convicted of murder Australian prisoners sentenced to multiple life sentences Australian serial killers Contract killers Living people Male serial killers Place of birth missing (living people) People convicted of murder by New South Wales Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New South Wales