‘TENNIS CONNECTION IN MR CRUEL CASES?’ by Clinton Bailey

Guest post by researcher Clinton Bailey – published with permission

Cyberspace sleuths often put forward fanciful ideas claiming a possible linkage for the 4-linked victims of Mr Cruel (1987-1991). These include the unlikely notion that maybe all 4 had the same dentist, or relief teacher, or mailman, or gas meter reader, or home handyman, etc.

Most likely connections suggested are geographical, i.e. electricity; railways; churches; cemeteries, etc, near many if not all crime sites.

Recently tennis courts / activity has been put forward as a possibility:

• The 1987 Lower Plenty home invasion victim is said to have lived near “Tennis City” in Lower Plenty. Likewise, murder victim Karmein Chan’s family owned their upmarket Cantonese restaurant, Mings, in (Lower) Eltham close by.

• Kidnap victim Sharon Wills (1988) was released at Bayswater High School, said to have fairly good tennis facilities.

• Karmein Chan (1991) had a tennis court on her family’s property, and was coached at the (now closed) extensive Camberwell Tennis Centre in Bulleen.

• Nicola Lynas, kidnapped in 1990, had lived near (now closed) St Pauls Tennis Club in Surrey Hills, before shifting to the other side of Canterbury, where on Canterbury Rd, is a small cathedral-sized church that Presbyterian officials have recently claimed had once had at least one tennis court.

• PLC, to which Nicola and Karmein were students, have enviable tennis facilities and tennis has always been big at the College.

Whether it is true or not, Mr Cruel is said to have dressed one of his victims in a tennis outfit.

Undeniable, is that both Nicola and Karmein were keen tennis players. Nicola was actually a member of the College tennis team, and for every member there’s sure to be a couple of disappointed students whose families paid out good money on tennis coaching.

Tennis courts and activity are near ubiquitous but the importance and size of some of the tennis facilities warrant closer scrutiny. It could all be a coincidence, of course.

And before anyone nominates the tennis coach at the College the last 2 victims attended, Nicola was actually kidnapped from her home on a Tuesday night on 3 July 1990, during an ordinary school week where virtually all Victorian students were in attendance. This virtually rules out full time school employees.

Lastly, it would be highly speculative to suggest Mr Cruel was a tennis player but a quick look at the graffiti left on the front of the Chan family car in 1991 may not indicate great penmanship but does suggest an offender strong across both sides of their body … something a good tennis player may have.

The thing about a possible tennis connection is that it does not negate other suggested career options, i.e. electricity worker; relief teacher; law enforcement, medical worker, etc.