Arthur Stanley "Neddy" Smith (27 November 1944 – 8 September 2021) was an Australian

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

who was convicted of

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

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

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

. Smith served a

life sentence 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 ...

since 1989 and was imprisoned in

Lithgow Correctional Centre Lithgow Correctional Centre is a prison near Lithgow, Australia, operated by Corrective Services NSW, an agency of the New South Wales state government. The prison houses sentenced male inmates with a maximum security classification. History ...

after he was moved from

Long Bay Correctional Centre The Long Bay Correctional Complex, commonly called Long Bay, is a correctional facility comprising a heritage-listed maximum and minimum security prison for males and females and a hospital to treat prisoners, psychiatric cases and remandees, loc ...

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 ...

, where he spent 14 years. Smith's partner in crime, Graham "Abo" Henry, claimed in ''ABO — A Treacherous Life: The Graham Henry Story'' that the gang of criminals led by Smith committed crimes worth A$25 million in the 1980s.

Early life

Smith was born illegitimately pm 27 November 1944 at Royal North Shore Hospital during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to an Australian mother and an American sailor whom he never knew. He was brought up in the Redfern area of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with his half-siblings, and was sometimes cared for by his grandmother. He was sent to boys' homes at

Mittagong Mittagong () is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town acts as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. Mittagong is situated at an elevation of . The town ...

and Tamworth for roughly three years after becoming involved in burglaries and other offences.

Criminal career

Smith spent much of the rest of his life in prison, serving sentences from 1963 to 1965, 1968 to 1975, 1978 to 1980, and 1989 until his death. Smith was a self-confessed

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

dealer Dealer may refer to: Film and TV * ''Dealers'' (film), a 1989 British film * ''Dealers'' (TV series), a reality television series where five art and antique dealers bid on items * ''The Dealer'' (film), filmed in 2008 and released in 2010 * ...

, and

armed robber 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 ...

, who gained notoriety for his violent temper. Standing tall and weighing in his prime, Smith exploited his size when involved in countless street fights and bar brawls.

Journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

John Dale has commented that "there is no doubting Neddy Smith's physical size and menacing aura"."Visiting Ned in Long Bay" at newmatilda.com
. Retrieved on 18 January 2008. In ''Neddy: The Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith'', he claimed to have beaten up former British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

champion Bunny Johnson after a row outside a Sydney nightclub. However, he denied committing the rape for which he was imprisoned in 1968 and the numerous murders of which he was accused. Smith gained further notoriety when he became a

whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

and star witness for the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the

Wood Royal Commission The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service, also known as the Wood Royal Commission, was a royal commission held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Ro ...

. He obtained immunity for all crimes he had committed, except murder, in exchange for testifying against former

New South Wales Police The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

detective

Roger Rogerson Roger Caleb Rogerson (born 3 January 1941) is a former detective sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force, and a convicted murderer. During Rogerson's career, he was one of the most decorated officers in the police force, having received at l ...

and other allegedly-corrupt police officers. During ICAC proceedings, Smith testified that he had committed eight armed robberies and had made a large amount of money from dealing heroin. He alleged that members of New South Wales Police had given him a "green light" to commit crimes and had aided him in various robberies and other crimes. He also claimed to have paid corrupt police officers large sums of money to escape criminal charges himself and to assist his friends in avoiding criminal charges. In his autobiography '' The Damage Done'',

Warren Fellows Warren Fellows (born 13 September 1953) is an Australian former drug courier who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Thailand in 1978 for his role in a heroin trafficking operation that took place from Perth to Bangkok. In his best-selling ...

claimed he had witnessed Smith make

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a deat ...

s against two police officers, who attempted to take him in for questioning on his daughter's tenth birthday. Fellows also alleges that he was working for Smith when he was arrested in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

for attempting to smuggle of heroin back to Australia. Fellows was travelling in the company of Smith's brother-in-law,

Paul Hayward Paul Cecil Hayward (11 January 1954 – 9 May 1992) was a professional rugby league footballer who played for the Newtown Jets between 1973 and 1978. Sporting career Paul Hayward played 73 first grade games for the Newtown Jets during his 6 s ...

, who was also charged with trafficking. Though Smith was charged with eight murders, he was convicted only of the murder of

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

owner Harvey Jones and the murder-in-company of a tow-truck driver named Ronnie Flavell during an incident of

road rage Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by motorists. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats or dangerous driving methods targeted at other drivers, pedestrians or cyclists in an effort to intimid ...

on 30 October 1987. At a Perth coronial inquest in August 2017, it was alleged that Smith was contracted to murder brothel-keeper

Shirley Finn Shirley June Finn, née Shewring (2 November 1941 – 22 or 23 June 1975), was an Australian brothel keeper, nightclub operator and socialite who was shot dead at about midnight on 22–23 June 1975 in Perth, Western Australia. Her body, dress ...

in June 1975.Taylor, Grant; Hampton, Shannon.
Sydney hit man Arthur ‘Neddy’ Smith ‘was paid $5000 to kill Shirley Finn’
. ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', 30 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017

Popular culture

''Blue Murder'' TV miniseries

Smith's claimed exploits and those of allegedly-corrupt New South Wales police officers are depicted in the miniseries '' Blue Murder'', based on Smith's book, ''Neddy'', and produced by Australia's public broadcaster, ABC TV. First aired in most of Australia in 1995, the show was banned in New South Wales until 2001 because of the ICAC hearings, the Wood Royal Commission and outstanding

contempt of court Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the cour ...

charges. Australian actor Tony Martin played Smith, and

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...

played Rogerson. In ''Blue Murder'', Smith is shown murdering whistleblower

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

Sallie-Anne Huckstepp Sallie-Anne Huckstepp (nee Krivoshow, 12 December 1954 – 6 February 1986) was an Australian writer, sex worker and whistleblower, who was the victim of a homicide. She came to attention in 1981 for speaking out about police corruption in ...

. Smith was recorded in his

prison cell A prison cell (also known as a jail cell) is a small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is held. Cells greatly vary by their furnishings, hygienic services, and cleanliness, both across countries and based on the level of punishm ...

confessing to that crime and later made the same confession to his publisher. However, he has otherwise consistently denied involvement in the murder and has maintained that he knew that he was being secretly recorded in his cell and made the statement to gain publicity for his book. He was subsequently charged with Huckstepp's murder, but was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

. In his second book, ''Catch and Kill Your Own'', Smith implies ignorance, but told writer John Dale that he knew who committed her murder and would release the information once the killer was dead.

Later life

Diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in 1981, Smith served 14 years in

, New South Wales, and was a regular patient at the prison hospital. In 2003, he was moved to

. In 2008, ''

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 his Parkinson's medication had ceased being effective and that Smith's health had deteriorated, leaving him unable to maintain balance and using a wheelchair. Smith continued to refuse to assist police with ongoing investigations of unsolved murders, which were not covered by the immunity granted to him in exchange for his testimony against allegedly-corrupt police officers at the ICAC and the

hearings. In April 2017, Smith attempted to escape custody while being treated for heart problems at the

Prince of Wales Hospital Prince of Wales Hospital is a large of Tertiary referral hospital and large of teaching hospital from Faculty of Medicine in Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong.. Named after Charles, Prince of Wales (now ...

, in

Randwick, New South Wales Randwick is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwi ...

. He allegedly snuck past two prison guards, only to be caught by nurses in the corridor. Smith died on 8 September 2021 in the Long Bay prison hospital, aged 76.

Early life

Criminal career

Popular culture

''Blue Murder'' TV miniseries

Later life

References

Further reading