Sallie-Anne Huckstepp
Encyclopedia
Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was an Australia
n prostitute and heroin addict
who became a writer and whistleblower
.
in Sydney. She left school at the age of seventeen and married Bryan Huckstepp. After travelling to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
, her husband asked her to work as a prostitute to help support his heroin addiction. They later returned to Sydney where Huckstepp continued prostitution, eventually developing a heroin habit of her own.
In 1981, Huckstepp met and began a relationship with Warren Lanfranchi. Lanfranchi was a heroin dealer and standover man who worked with Neddy Smith
. In June 1981, Lanfranchi allegedly robbed a Sydney heroin dealer and later fired shots at a young policeman. In Neddy: the Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith claims that Lanfranchi asked him to negotiate a payment with then-Detective-Sergeant Roger Rogerson
in order to escape being charged with the shooting. Smith claims that Rogerson had instructed him to drive Lanfranchi to a meeting with him and to disarm him in the car. Rogerson took eighteen police officers with him to the meeting. He claims that he was attempting to arrest Lanfranchi on suspicion of five bank robberies. At the meeting in Dangar Place, Chippendale
, Rogerson shot and killed Lanfranchi. During the inquest into Lanfranchi's death, Rogerson claimed self-defence. He was supported at the inquest by Smith and other police officers who were called as witnesses. The inquest found that on the balance of probabilities, Rogerson had been trying to arrest Lanfranchi, but refused to find he had acted in self-defence. The matter went to the Supreme Court and was the subject of investigations by the New South Wales Ombudsman and Internal Affairs. No action was brought against Rogerson and he was exonerated and commended for bravery.
On 15 July 1981, Huckstepp, accompanied by her father, Jack Krivoshow, and a legal aid solicitor, went to the New South Wales Police Headquarters in College Street, Darlinghurst
where she met with Detective Inspector Ralph and Detective Reith of the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. She made the following statement which would eventually help lead to the Independent Commission Against Corruption
and the Wood Royal Commission
:
Huckstepp also went to the media and gave extensive interviews, claiming that Rogerson had murdered Lanfranchi and stolen $10,000 Lanfranchi was carrying to bribe Rogerson. She also claimed that Neddy Smith had lied to the inquest and was involved in a conspiracy with Rogerson. Rogerson maintained his innocence. In Neddy: The Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith wrote that Lanfranchi was "attempting to bribe Rogerson. I was the person that took Warren to this fatal meeting. There was an inquest and both sides threw plenty of shit at one another. I was right in the middle of it all. I could do nothing to bring Warren back to life, so I did the best thing I could. I know Warren’s family suffered deeply, but I cannot do anything about it." He goes on to claim that as a result of his testimony at the inquest, Rogerson and other corrupt police officers gave him a "green light" to commit crime without fear of prosecution.
Huckstepp continued lobbying the media. A documentary about her life was made and she began writing articles for a monthly magazine. However, she continued using heroin and in 1985 her then-partner David Kelleher was arrested on charges of importing heroin worth more than $2 million. With Kelleher remanded into custody, Huckstepp began a relationship with a federal police officer, Constable Peter Parker Smith. Huckstepp visited Kelleher regularly in prison, telling him she was attempting to get information from Constable Smith which could be useful in his trial. In Catch and Kill Your Own, Neddy Smith claims that Huckstepp was trying to help Kelleher by making tape recordings of her conversations with Constable Smith.
apartment. She rushed out, telling her flatmate, Gwen Beecroft, she'd be back shortly. The following morning a man walking his dog found her body in Busby Pond, a lake in Centennial Park, New South Wales
.
Huckstepp's murder resulted in one of the longest running inquests of its kind in Australia. It began in 1987 and lasted until 1991, though it only sat for a total of nineteen days in that time. It was alleged at the inquest that Huckstepp had gone to meet an unknown drug dealer to obtain a fresh supply of heroin and was then lured to Busby's Pond, a remote area of the park. She was then strangled and drowned. Peter Smith, the federal policeman she was having an affair with, testified that she had told him she was frightened that Neddy Smith and Roger Rogerson or David Kelleher (who was in prison at the time) may try to murder her. He later told the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that Huckstepp's death was a "traumatic event for (him)." The coroner found that there was insufficient evidence to recommend charges and made a finding that Huckstepp had been murdered by a person or persons unknown.
Prior to the inquest, Neddy Smith was interviewed four times by four separate teams of detectives. He claims that he was at home with his wife the night Huckstepp was murdered. However, he was secretly recorded confessing to a cellmate at Long Bay Correctional Centre
. He was recorded saying he had attacked Huckstepp from behind, punched her, grabbed her by the throat, lifted her off the ground and then strangled her for about six minutes. Smith then claimed he dragged her into the pond and stood on her back to keep her head submerged for a few more minutes. He was also recorded saying that "strangling somebody is the hardest thing in the world...(but) the most satisfying thing I ever did in my life." Smith later dismissed his confession as lies, saying he knew he was being taped and wanted the publicity for his new book, Catch and Kill Your Own. He is also alleged to have confessed to his publisher. Smith was subsequently charged in September 1996 with Huckstepp's murder and was committed to stand trial, but was acquitted
in 1999. In an interview with writer John Dale, Smith claimed that Huckstepp was murdered because she kept "bugging Roger, ringing him up and leaving messages that he was a dog...The reason they didn't bury her or dispose of the body was Roger wanted her left floating in the pond as a message. The bloke who killed her has never been arrested and is not in jail."
Huckstepp is survived by a daughter, Sascha Huckstepp, who was born in 1973 and is an actress and successful casting agent in Sydney. Sascha had a minor role as a nurse in the Australian mini-series Blue Murder
which featured a character (played by Loene Carmen
) based on her mother. In 1991 and 1992 she appeared as Jade Williams in the British soap opera
Families
. Huckstepp was also the half-sister of Australian screenwriter and actor Matt Kay.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n prostitute and heroin addict
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
who became a writer and whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
.
Life
Huckstepp was born Sallie-Anne Krivoshow and attended Dover Heights High SchoolRose Bay Secondary College
Rose Bay Secondary College is a co-educational public high school located in the Sydney suburb of Dover Heights, in New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney. She left school at the age of seventeen and married Bryan Huckstepp. After travelling to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
, her husband asked her to work as a prostitute to help support his heroin addiction. They later returned to Sydney where Huckstepp continued prostitution, eventually developing a heroin habit of her own.
In 1981, Huckstepp met and began a relationship with Warren Lanfranchi. Lanfranchi was a heroin dealer and standover man who worked with Neddy Smith
Neddy Smith
Arthur Stanley "Neddy" Smith is an Australian criminal who has been convicted of rape, armed robbery and murder.Smith has been serving a life sentence since 1989 and is presently imprisoned in Long Bay Correctional Centre after being moved from Lithgow Correctional Centre in New South Wales,...
. In June 1981, Lanfranchi allegedly robbed a Sydney heroin dealer and later fired shots at a young policeman. In Neddy: the Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith claims that Lanfranchi asked him to negotiate a payment with then-Detective-Sergeant Roger Rogerson
Roger Rogerson
Roger Caleb Rogerson is a controversial former detective-sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force. Rogerson was convicted of perverting the course of justice and lying to the 1999 Police Integrity Commission...
in order to escape being charged with the shooting. Smith claims that Rogerson had instructed him to drive Lanfranchi to a meeting with him and to disarm him in the car. Rogerson took eighteen police officers with him to the meeting. He claims that he was attempting to arrest Lanfranchi on suspicion of five bank robberies. At the meeting in Dangar Place, Chippendale
Chippendale, New South Wales
Chippendale is a small inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Chippendale is located on the southern edge of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Rogerson shot and killed Lanfranchi. During the inquest into Lanfranchi's death, Rogerson claimed self-defence. He was supported at the inquest by Smith and other police officers who were called as witnesses. The inquest found that on the balance of probabilities, Rogerson had been trying to arrest Lanfranchi, but refused to find he had acted in self-defence. The matter went to the Supreme Court and was the subject of investigations by the New South Wales Ombudsman and Internal Affairs. No action was brought against Rogerson and he was exonerated and commended for bravery.
On 15 July 1981, Huckstepp, accompanied by her father, Jack Krivoshow, and a legal aid solicitor, went to the New South Wales Police Headquarters in College Street, Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
where she met with Detective Inspector Ralph and Detective Reith of the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. She made the following statement which would eventually help lead to the Independent Commission Against Corruption
New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption
The Independent Commission Against Corruption is an independent agency of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for investigating corrupt practices by state and local officials in the state of New South Wales...
and the Wood Royal Commission
Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service
The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service was held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Roland Wood...
:
- "I will tell you everything...I have the following criminal record: I have 31 convictions for prostitution. I have a conspiracy to defraud conviction which occurred shortly after I left Harry Bailey's tender care at "Chelmsford". I then had two further marijuana convictions. A heroin conviction when I was loaded up by Detectives Peter and Tomich at the Lido bar. I have a further "use" charge in which Detectives Peter George and Jungblut were involved. In both the latter offences significant sums of money were paid to the police to effect the outcome...While operating as a prostitute I made regular payments to members of the Vice Squad over ten years. I have been involved in a number of transactions which I referred to in my statement which have involved substantial payment to members of the Drug Squad and other detectives relating to drug matters. I believe that the New South Wales Drug Squad and the Armed Hold-Up Squad are both totally corrupt and that they feed on the very activities which they are supposed to stop."
Huckstepp also went to the media and gave extensive interviews, claiming that Rogerson had murdered Lanfranchi and stolen $10,000 Lanfranchi was carrying to bribe Rogerson. She also claimed that Neddy Smith had lied to the inquest and was involved in a conspiracy with Rogerson. Rogerson maintained his innocence. In Neddy: The Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith wrote that Lanfranchi was "attempting to bribe Rogerson. I was the person that took Warren to this fatal meeting. There was an inquest and both sides threw plenty of shit at one another. I was right in the middle of it all. I could do nothing to bring Warren back to life, so I did the best thing I could. I know Warren’s family suffered deeply, but I cannot do anything about it." He goes on to claim that as a result of his testimony at the inquest, Rogerson and other corrupt police officers gave him a "green light" to commit crime without fear of prosecution.
Huckstepp continued lobbying the media. A documentary about her life was made and she began writing articles for a monthly magazine. However, she continued using heroin and in 1985 her then-partner David Kelleher was arrested on charges of importing heroin worth more than $2 million. With Kelleher remanded into custody, Huckstepp began a relationship with a federal police officer, Constable Peter Parker Smith. Huckstepp visited Kelleher regularly in prison, telling him she was attempting to get information from Constable Smith which could be useful in his trial. In Catch and Kill Your Own, Neddy Smith claims that Huckstepp was trying to help Kelleher by making tape recordings of her conversations with Constable Smith.
Death and Inquest
On the evening of 6 February 1986, Huckstepp received a phone call in her EdgecliffEdgecliff, New South Wales
Edgecliff is a small suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Edgecliff is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. The postcode is 2027.Edgecliff is surrounded by...
apartment. She rushed out, telling her flatmate, Gwen Beecroft, she'd be back shortly. The following morning a man walking his dog found her body in Busby Pond, a lake in Centennial Park, New South Wales
Centennial Park, New South Wales
Centennial Park is a large public, urban park that occupies 220 hectares in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Centennial Park is located 4 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Randwick...
.
Huckstepp's murder resulted in one of the longest running inquests of its kind in Australia. It began in 1987 and lasted until 1991, though it only sat for a total of nineteen days in that time. It was alleged at the inquest that Huckstepp had gone to meet an unknown drug dealer to obtain a fresh supply of heroin and was then lured to Busby's Pond, a remote area of the park. She was then strangled and drowned. Peter Smith, the federal policeman she was having an affair with, testified that she had told him she was frightened that Neddy Smith and Roger Rogerson or David Kelleher (who was in prison at the time) may try to murder her. He later told the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that Huckstepp's death was a "traumatic event for (him)." The coroner found that there was insufficient evidence to recommend charges and made a finding that Huckstepp had been murdered by a person or persons unknown.
Prior to the inquest, Neddy Smith was interviewed four times by four separate teams of detectives. He claims that he was at home with his wife the night Huckstepp was murdered. However, he was secretly recorded confessing to a cellmate at Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Long Bay comprises six institutions, four maximum security and two minimum security.-History:...
. He was recorded saying he had attacked Huckstepp from behind, punched her, grabbed her by the throat, lifted her off the ground and then strangled her for about six minutes. Smith then claimed he dragged her into the pond and stood on her back to keep her head submerged for a few more minutes. He was also recorded saying that "strangling somebody is the hardest thing in the world...(but) the most satisfying thing I ever did in my life." Smith later dismissed his confession as lies, saying he knew he was being taped and wanted the publicity for his new book, Catch and Kill Your Own. He is also alleged to have confessed to his publisher. Smith was subsequently charged in September 1996 with Huckstepp's murder and was committed to stand trial, but was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
in 1999. In an interview with writer John Dale, Smith claimed that Huckstepp was murdered because she kept "bugging Roger, ringing him up and leaving messages that he was a dog...The reason they didn't bury her or dispose of the body was Roger wanted her left floating in the pond as a message. The bloke who killed her has never been arrested and is not in jail."
Huckstepp is survived by a daughter, Sascha Huckstepp, who was born in 1973 and is an actress and successful casting agent in Sydney. Sascha had a minor role as a nurse in the Australian mini-series Blue Murder
Blue Murder (mini-series)
Blue Murder is a two-part Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1995, and is based on true events. Given its confronting content, the DVD release was classified MA 15+...
which featured a character (played by Loene Carmen
Loene Carmen
Loene Carmen is an Australian singer/songwriter and actress.-Background:Carmen's father is rock/jazz/blues pianist Peter Head...
) based on her mother. In 1991 and 1992 she appeared as Jade Williams in the British soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Families
Families (TV series)
Families was a daytime soap opera produced by Granada Television and created by Kay Mellor. It followed two families; the Thompsons, based in Cheshire, England , and the Stevens, living in Sydney, Australia....
. Huckstepp was also the half-sister of Australian screenwriter and actor Matt Kay.