Chris O’Connor
In May 2023, former Spectrum detective Chris O’Connor spoke with Gary Jubelin on his ‘I Catch Killers’ podcast, revealing fresh insights into the Mr Cruel case.
Operation Challenge
O’Connor was among the investigators who responded to the 1990 abduction of Nicola Lynas on July 10, 1990, in Canterbury. He established a taskforce of two sergeants, six officers, and a criminal analyst, investigate the case.
According to O’Connor, the taskforce linked the 1990 abduction to prior incidents including the abduction of Sharon Wills in December 1988 and an assault on a primary school girl in 1987. O’Connor obtained the investigation materials from the first two incidents, though he apparently found them underwhelming. He noted that investigative practices have evolved significantly since then, particularly the focus on DNA evidence. Jubelin pointed out that he only became aware of DNA’s significance in the early 1990s, seeming to confirm the view that Mr Cruel, who actively erased DNA traces as early as 1987, was ahead of his time in his understanding of forensic techniques.
According to O’Connor, the similar facts the taskforce used to link the 1990 abduction to the 1987 and 1988 incidents included surveillance evidence, a forced entry, similar language used by the offender, binding victims, and the public drop-off location. O’Connor was convinced that the second and third incidents were connected, but he was “never convinced” about the first case.
A ransom note?
An intriguing revelation then came when O’Connor claimed that a “ransom note was left” in the Lynas case demanding $25,000 for Nicola’s return. This detail has not surfaced in mainstream media before. It is unclear if O’Connor meant a verbal ransom demand, or if he publicly revealed important holdback information for the first time.
Was Karmein Chan abducted by a copycat?
The next abduction linked by the taskforce was the April 1991 case of Karmein Chan. O’Connor acknowledged the challenge of linking this case, as he has previously, due to the absence of a survivor to debrief.
I believe the fourth one is not related for my own reasons
Chris O’Connor
O’Connor went on to say he personally believes the “fourth one is not related for my own reasons”. He didn’t explain what these reasons were, however he didn’t think it was a copycat, given the limited public release of information by the taskforce.
Operation Spectrum investigation
O’Connor described some of the avenues of inquiry including scrutinizing teachers, parents, transport personnel, and contractors linked to Presbyterian Ladies College, attended by victims three and four. While they “ruffled quite a few feathers” ultimately they found nothing.
He then discussed the efforts made to identify the location where Mr Cruel took his victims. Apparently, Sharon had initially remarked about the sound of loud planes passing while she was held captive. Victim 3 also confirmed this detail. She was even more specific, telling detectives that she tried to remember the frequency of the passing planes. Armed with this information, Chris met with air traffic controllers at Melbourne Airport.
The air traffic controllers expressed confidence in identifying the flight path. They deduced that, based on the plane types heard by Nicola, it could only be Melbourne Airport. Furthermore, only one flight path was used on both occasions. This flight path, Runway 27, traversed the northeastern suburbs before making a right turn just before reaching the airport.
Additionally, the detectives had insights into the house’s decor and layout from the descriptions provided by the two girls. Nicola mentioned that she exited the car from the passenger’s side and walked straight into the house, suggesting that the driveway was on the right. She then ascended two or three stairs before stepping onto carpeted flooring. This information about the carpet was previously undisclosed.
As is widely known, the Spectrum task force searched approximately 30,000 houses in the area. O’Connor mentioned that they interacted with the “usual suspects” and mapped their houses based on the flight path leads. Detectives consulted real estate institutes and builders in an attempt to ascertain the house’s type. Regrettably, they never located the house and couldn’t definitively determine whether it was a unit, apartment, or a house.
The Spectrum task force concluded its work without apprehending Mr Cruel. However, O’Connor asserts that they successfully resolved 7 or 8 abduction and rape cases.
Taskforce Apollo
Nearly two decades later, O’Connor joined Taskforce Apollo, consisting of eight members, and investigated one suspect but ruled him out. The individual in question was nominated by a former partner to the police in 2011. He had connections to an unsolved killing and was a violent sex offender. He appeared to talk about Karmein Chan during sexual encounters and exhibited nervousness when news stories about her surfaced. He resided in the Eastern suburbs and had access to both a gun and a house near the airport. However, the Moonee Ponds house he had access to did not match the victims’ description.
Despite eliminating their primary suspect, there remained around 20 abduction rapes that could have been related. In the process of scrutinizing these cases, Apollo apprehended one of the offenders involved in a 25-year-old rape that was possibly linked. However, it turned out that this individual, Steven Greenwood, wasn’t connected to the Mr Cruel case. Greenwood had initially been interviewed by Spectrum detectives in 1993 regarding a violent rape in Kew in 1984. He was eventually convicted in 2014 based on DNA evidence after Taskforce Apollo reopened the investigation.
When asked by Jubelin about potential suspects, O’Connor explained that they had a list of hundreds of individuals capable of committing the crime. They narrowed down this list to a group with the highest capabilities. This group likely referred to a shortlist known as the Sierra Seven, including Brian Elkner, who was Spectrum chief David Sprague’s prime suspect. However, O’Connor informed Jubelin that in his view, they didn’t have any genuine suspects. While some individuals were thoroughly investigated, they were eventually eliminated.
O’Connor described Mr Cruel as a “confident and prepared” offender who was “competent in surveillance and criminal activities”. He pointed to the offender’s meticulous planning and surveillance, and his willingness to walk captives hundreds of metres along the street to waiting cars – in broad daylight in the case of Sharon Wills. O’Connor, an expert in sexual offenses, posits that the offender wouldn’t have stopped willingly, as sexual crimes are rooted in fantasies that are impossible to fully fulfill.
Colin McLaren
On February 6, 2023, another Sierra detective, Colin McLaren, also spoke with Gary Jubelin on his ‘I Catch Killers’ podcast.
McLaren offered a different view to O’Connor’s, suggesting that the Chan abduction was the work of the same offender due to the “similar facts all over it.”
However, McLaren concurred with O’Connor’s view that Mr Cruel had extensively surveilled the Lynas family and that Nicola was an incredibly reliable witness with a remarkable ability to remember details.
McLaren lamented that while Sierra was the best task force he had worked with, they were unable to apprehend Mr Cruel. Nevertheless, he highlighted their achievement of incarcerating 200 pedophiles and getting so-called “child pornography” banned in Victoria.
McLaren explained how he compiled a dossier of child abuse through the Mr Cruel investigation but faced difficulties with uninterested politicians. In a crucial meeting with an apathetic police minister, he suddenly showed them a video containing the most graphic material. The shocked politicians said “Stop, let’s do it now” and the bill passed within a fortnight..
The passage of these laws was a monumental accomplishment that McLaren can rightfully take pride in.
