Senior Correctional Officer Wattie

MORE BAD DECISIONS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES CORRECTIVE SERVICES COMMISSION

Jason Wattie is a Senior Correctional Officer (SCO).  For those who may not know, a Senior Correctional Officer wears three stripes and is the equivalent to a Sergeant in any other uniformed service such as the Police or Military.  It is my view that a Senior Correctional Officer is a highly respected and sought after rank within the New South Wales Corrective Services.

SCO Jason Wattie was suspended from duty in January 2015 as a result of allegations that he used excessive force against a prisoner at the Amber Laurel Correctional Centre at Emu Plains.  The Centre was designed to hold 56 prisoners who had been refused bail and replaces Police lock-up’s in surrounding districts, yet is manned by Prison Officers rather than Police.

The matter concerning the allegations of excessive use of force, were heard in a court.  It seems to me that the court hearings ended favourably for SPO Wattie, although I have no confirmation of that.  Regardless of the result, the Department in their vindictive, malicious and soul crushing manner chose to dismiss SCO Wattie on 13^th May 2016.  In June 2016, the Public Service Association (PSA), the union representing New South Wales Correctional Officers, appealed to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) for unfair dismissal.  The IRC ordered the Department of Corrective Services to reinstate SCO Wattie on 18^th October 2016.  The Department of Corrective Services in their arrogance refused to reinstate SCO Wattie and appealed to the Full Bench of the IRC.  On 28^th February 2017 the IRC denied the Leave to Appeal, resulting in SCO Wattie being allowed to don his uniform and return to his normal duties.  On 30^th November 2017, the unforgiving and revengeful Department of Corrective Services decided to pursue SCO Wattie to the Supreme Court of Appeal. 

Subsequently, the Department won on this occasion and sacked SCO Wattie.  However on 20^th December 2017, the PSA sought Leave to Appeal in order to appeal the decision that occurred some three weeks earlier.   The PSA was granted a stay in the proceedings and again SCO Wattie was reinstated to duty.  On 28^th February 2018, the final appeal was heard in the Supreme Court.  The decision from that hearing was not handed down until June 2018.  The splendid results were that SCO Jason Wattie won the appeal and his full costs. 

The decision by the Department of Corrective Services Commission to pursue this Officer in such a ruthless and spiteful manner shows a real lack of common sense and demonstrates how they are extremely willing to waste the tax payer’s money.  I do not know the real figure that the Department had to pay to pursue SCO Wattie.  I can only imagine the amount would be several hundreds of thousands of dollars.  That amount of money simply does not make good business sense.  If they were genuinely concerned, they could have spent a few hundred dollars on some re-training if that was considered necessary. 

Being a Correctional Officer is not an easy task.  There is no mention of the actual incident in the article that I have read concerning this matter, however I am aware that prisoners that have newly been arrested and taken to a holding centre such as Amber Laurel Correctional Centre are often under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, may suffer from mental illnesses and can quite often be very violent.   A ‘Use of Force’ by Prison Officers unfortunately is a common event.  It goes with the territory, yet prisoners must be controlled and often have to be restrained.  In those cases the Officers are protected by the Prisons Act to do so.  The Administration being the New South Wales 

Department of Corrective Services Commission, must do all they can to support their Officers instead of ruthlessly pursuing them over matters such as this which has thrown SCO Wattie’s and that of his family, into total chaos.  I have no doubt that he will find it difficult in obtaining promotion within the immediate and near future. 

Had the Commission supported SCO Wattie and others in similar situations, they may find that moral within their Department would rise considerably.

Original article courtesy of PSA Red Tape magazine.

This I believe.

Peter T. Egge

Death of Harry M. Miller

HARRY M. MILLER – JANUARY 1934 – JULY 2018

Sadly, New Zealand born entertainment entrepreneur Harry M. Miller, passed away this last week.  The following is a small extract from my eBook “Australia’s Best Prison Stories” about his life and the time he served within the New South Wales Prisons.

His company brought international acts to the southern hemisphere including artists such as Judy Garland, Louie Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jnr, Ella Fitzgerald, Chubby Checker, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and bands including Herman’s Hermits, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones.  I went to the first Rolling Stones concert when they performed in Australia which was held at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. During our courtship before we were married, I also took my wife Margaret to the Beach Boys concert which was also held at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney.  Both concerts were sensational and were major milestones leading to a hugely successful career for Harry M Miller.

He strengthened his prominence by collaborating many concerts and theatrical promotions, possibly the most successful being the Australian stage productions of Hair, that ran from 1969 to 1972, during which he was acclaimed for having discovered the 16 year old American singer Marcia Hines, a show I saw twice, also Jesus Christ Superstar from 1972 to 1976 and The Rocky Horror Show from 1974.To this day Miller accredits Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar as his greatest accomplishments. His long list of rock stars included the very famous Joe Cocker and Dusty Springfield, and he acted as an agent and manager for news worthy celebrities of which Lindy Chamberlain was possibly the most prominent, however his client base has included Judy Moran, the wife of the slain Melbourne underworld figure Lewis Moran, Gai Waterhouse, Maggie Tabberer, Deborah Hutton, Alan Jones and Stuart Diver, the only survivor of the 1997 Thredbo landslide.

In 1971 Miller established himself as the largest breeder of Simmental cattle in the Southern Hemisphere, a project that he loved and held his attention up until 1989.   At one stage he became a director of the Australian icon airline Qantas. Harry M Miller received the highest accolade when he was appointed the organiser of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations for Australia in 1977.

My father once told me, “It’s only those people that don’t do anything that don’t make mistakes”. Harry M Miller was most certainly a “doer”. He was a highly innovative man who became part of Australian entertainment history, having been described as audacious, self-confident, a broker and not afraid to go past the accepted boundaries.  

On 28^th August 1979 he created Computicket, the first ever computerized ticket service for main events in Australia however just six months after its inception, due to the lack of cash flow, the company went into receivership on 12^th February 1997.  It was the collapse of Computicket that set law enforcement into a frenzy.  Some call it the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”.  Harry M Miller was a dynamo of entertainment, promotion and management and an example of innovative, entrepreneurial distinction within this country, yet for some reason we must do all we can to seize the tall poppy and cut it down. 

To read more about Harry M. Miller’s life, his time spent within the New South Wales Prisons, and to read the hand written note he sent my brother Phillip following his release from Cessnock Corrective Centre, read my eBook “Australia’s Best Prison Stories”, available through this website or Amazon.

Peter T. Egge

Police, priorities and what they DON'T do that really matters.

POLICE PRIORITIES AND WHAT THEY DON’T DO THAT REALLY MATTERS

These days Police will not be first responders to home burglar alarms.  They refuse to attend minor car accidents.  They will not take finger prints or DNA from a simple car theft or a home break and enter unless additional crimes have been committed. 

In the 1980’s, Detective Sergeant Graham Rosetta and his team of detectives at Blacktown Police Station in Sydney’s western suburbs, became the lap dog of the then Superintendent of Internal Investigation Unit within the Department of Corrective Services, Ronald George Woodham. 

Together they set their priorities on setting up a number of innocent Prison Officers at Parklea Prison.  Among them were Michael Kay, (you can read about his case in my eBook “Australia’s Best Prison Stories”), and of course myself, (you can read about my case in my bestselling eBook “It’s all in the Fall”).

What D.S. Rosetta failed to do was look for two extremely dangerous and wanted men who were roaming the streets committing atrocities on the people within his own Policing district. 

John Travis was wanted in three states, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales for violent, sexual offenses.  Michael Murphy had escaped from Silverwater Prison on 27^th December 1985.  He was serving a sentence of 24 and a half years imprisonment.  Both men had families living within the Blacktown Police district.  They had been on many occasions living and associating with their families in D.S. Rosetta’s precinct.

It seems to me both these violent criminals were not in any way whatsoever on D.S. Rosetta’s radar.  I believe it is fair to say, he was asleep at the desk in relation to these wanted men.  I can find no records of Blacktown Detectives taking any pro active steps to re-capture Michael Murphy or arrest John Travis. 

On 2^nd February 1986, some 37 days following Michael Murphy’s escape from Silverwater Prison, he in company with John Travis, Michael Murdoch and Michael Murphy’s two brothers, Leslie and Gary Murphy, abducted, humiliated, brutalised, raped and brutally murdered Anita Lorraine Cobby.  Michael Murphy and John Travis were the two ring leaders and major influences over the other three perpetrators of these heinous crimes. 

Anita Cobby’s body was not found until 4^th February 1986, some two days after her murder by a hapless farmer who had leased the paddock from the Water Board.  D.S. Rosetta was one of the first responding investigators to attend the scene, one that I might suggest would not have existed had he pursued Michael Murphy and John Travis prior to this horrific murder taking place.  

Detective Inspector Ian “Speedy” Kennedy from the Homicide Squad based at Police Headquarters in Sydney was called to the scene and to take charge of a task force to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. 

I have no doubt members of the task force, including Detectives Kennedy, Rosetta and Raue spent many hours in their endeavours to resolve this case in order to bring it to a quick conclusion, however it took the task force 19 days before they made their first arrest when D.S. Rosetta, along with members of the TRG entered a home at Wentworthville where they found John Travis and Michael Murdoch in bed together in what could only be described as a compromising position and they were both taken into custody at that point.  At the same time a second team led by D.I. Kennedy raided the family home of John Travis where they located Leslie Murphy and took him into custody.  It was not until 26^th February 1986, 24 days following Anita Cobby’s murder, that Detectives Kennedy, Rosetta and Raue, along with more than 50 TRG Officers surrounded a home in Tari Place Glenfield where they arrested Michael and Gary Murphy.

There is a great deal more to this story involving the incompetence and lack of proper investigative procedures that were carried out by these Blacktown Detectives. You can read all about this case in my new book to be released in the coming months, titled “Officers, Criminals and Amazing Prison Stories”.

Needless to say, D.S. Rosetta and his cohorts received special commendations for their detective work in bringing this case to a conclusion.  I believe they should have been reprimanded for their lack of diligence in carrying out their duties in protecting the people within their Police precinct by pursuing the two major influences in the Anita Cobby murder, being the dangerous escapee Michael Murphy and the equally dangerous John Travis, wanted in three states, who were both living and associating with their families close by Blacktown Police Station, right under D.S. Rosetta’s nose.  This horrific murder should never have occurred. 

Michael Murphy, John Travis, Michael Murdoch, Leslie and Gary Murphy were all sentenced to life imprisonment with the recommendation, “NEVER TO BE RELEASED”. 

Watch out for my next eBook “Officers, Criminals and Amazing Prison Stories” due out within the next few months. 

This I believe.

Peter T. Egge

Anita Lorraine Cobby's final resting place

CRIME PREVENTION

In my latest addition of the PSA Red Tape, the union’s publication for Prison Officers and other New South Wales public servants, I came across this photo and an article on the weapons found in the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre.  For the juvenile prisoners who were engaged in the making of, or involvment in the use of these weapons or contraband items, it is too late to rehabilitate them.

I do not want the Government wasting the public purse on ‘feel good’ programs that simply do not work.

Photo courtesy of Red Tape

Below is the first draft of a segment I have prepared for my next eBook, due out in coming months, “Officers, Criminals and Amazing Prison Stories”.

Nothing is guaranteed to prevent your child from becoming a convicted criminal and committing violent and heinous crimes on society which may result in long prison terms and entering the revolving door of the criminal justice system that seems to never stop.  I have witnessed many decent, law abiding families visiting prisons to support their criminal children.  Hereditary and genetics do not equal destiny.  Here are my theories on how to reduce the odds of becoming a convicted criminal for members of your family.

For married couples

Lead by example.  The male must work at a regular fulltime job and continue with his education for most of his adult working life.  He must provide a home and money to fully support his family in every way possible.  The size of his family should be in keeping with his income and not his religion.  He must provide leadership within his family and yes, I agree it’s a very old but sound concept.

The female may work to help her husband achieve his goals, yet she must either be present in the home before school starts and be at home when the children arrive home from school or have another trusted mature adult fill in that role. All school age children must never be left unattended before and after school for the sake of convenience or economics.  Teach your children to believe in God.  A person, who does not believe in god and has criminal intent, has nothing to lose or fear.  I am well aware this may sound sexist to the modern mum, however let me assure you the traditional roll of parents, seem to me to be the most stabilising in a child’s sound upbringing.

Education is paramount.   There are large numbers of prisoners who cannot read, write or do simple arithmetic.   All children must attend school every day, you must communicate regularly with your children’s school teachers and listen and ask for positive criticism. Remember your child is not the perfect child you may want to believe he or she is.   We can all improve somewhere within our educational and behavioural abilities.   Keep an eye on their homework and attendance and watch for variances in grades between subjects, or declines within a subject that may indicate the presence of other factors outside of learning ability such as bullying, non attendance, depression or poor teaching.   There have been long term studies carried out over many decades that have clearly indicated your child has a 70% higher chance of becoming a violent criminal if their literacy and numeracy ability are below normal levels for their age and grade.   Alarmingly, some studies show literacy and numeracy deficiencies need to be identified and rectified before the age of eight or the child’s third year in school. 

Team sport!   There have been a number of studies completed that have proven that children who participate in or compete in team or group sporting events on a regular basis, have a 75% to 85% better chance of not committing crime and therefore do not enter the criminal justice system.  There are a multitude of group or team sports from which to choose covering most children’s interests and abilities, especially when they have a friend whom you approve of playing a particular sport.  

Choosing friends.  It is very helpful to assist your children to know how to choose a friend.  My mother always instilled in me good old fashion values and would often say, “If you can’t bring a friend home to meet your mum because you know she would not approve, then that boy should not be your friend”, and naturally she was correct.  I have found that advice has been helpful throughout my entire life and I still live by those values today.  

Respect. Teach your children to respect others, their property and their right to own it unhindered, the Police, authority in general, the law, their teachers, their grandparents, parents, siblings, and relatives.   Teach your children to show respect to all those with whom they come in contact, including property.  In general terms that respect will be returned two fold but not always, and if it’s not reciprocated, teach your children that if they are shown disrespect in return, it is not their fault and show neither animosity nor retaliation.

Manners.  Once again I am quoting my mother in her wisdom who always taught me, “Manners maketh the man”. It was a great adage that seems to be lacking in many of the prisoners I have dealt with.   The simple things like “please” and “thank you” go a long way in showing respect, for example standing for those older than themselves or infirmed when on public transport or where it is appropriate, giving their full attention and showing interest when being spoken to rather than not lift their eyes up from their mobile phones, using appropriate language and refraining from swearing in mixed company.  This is a good place to start. 

Cruelty and Fires.   Cruelty to animals and a fascination with lighting fires at an early age seems to be a common factor among violent criminals. It is certainly an indicator and one that all parents need to watch for and take appropriate action.  I would also advise seeking professional help.  Any form of cruelty to animals is a textbook gauge that the child has an inadequate personality and seeks pleasure in exerting power over the defenseless.  
 

Environmental Factors. These are the main key to crime prevention.   I am not politically correct, nor do I have to be, so intentionally I will say it like it is. Stand on your own two feet.  Living in Government housing with three generations on Government welfare support in large families with low education, is a recipe designed to lay the foundations for your child or children to spend a considerable amount of time in prison.   Life can be hard and finding honest dollars to house, feed, clothe and educate your children can be extremely difficult, but you must find a way, it is your responsibility.    In the 1970s it was called the “GOYA” effect ,“Get Off Your Arse” and make sure the environment in which you raise your children, is the best possible within your budget for your children’s sake. 

Ross Homel AO, in his chapter 20, p324 of the text book, “An Introduction to Crime and Criminology”, by multiple authors 17 in all, indicates risk factors for juvenile crime which include,

·        Childhood antisocial behaviour

·         Low self-control (impulsiveness, hyperactivity, a poor ability to plan ahead)

·         Low levels of parental supervision

·         Harsh and inconsistent discipline

·         Child maltreatment (abuse and neglect)

·         Offending by parents and siblings

·         Parental conflict

·         Large family size

·         Weak parental and school attachment.

     What I am saying in this chapter is nothing new. These theories have been known for more than fifty years.  Governments have never wanted to spend money on the prison system nor do I want them wasting the copious amounts that they do presently spend.  
      

I would like to see Governments divert money from the prison system into identifying children under the age of eight, who are at risk with low literacy and numeracy ability, who have poor behaviour and put every effort and resource into correcting that child’s learning ability. In a paper released by the American “Economic Opportunity Institute” EOI titled “The Link between Early Childhood Education and Crime and Violence Reduction”, they state high quality early learning and care is one of the most powerful weapons against crime, while poor early childhood education multiplies the risk that children will grow up to be a threat to every American family. 

They further state under the heading “Prevention Results in Cost Savings”, Investments in early childhood education lead to large economic savings.  The Child-Parent Centre program has served 100,000 Chicago children and predict they will prevent an estimated 13,000 violent juvenile crimes.  It is saving taxpayers, victims, and participants over $7 for every $1 invested, without counting pain and suffering caused from crimes.  A study released by Vanderbilt University estimates that the potential benefits in saving a high-risk youth from becoming a typical career criminal are between $1 million and $1.3 million.

It is my view that the EOI study applies equally in Australia. It is preposterous that Governments continue to “sit on their hands at the point of destruction of the very society for which they are charged to govern and protect”.  The governments need to reintroduce the “GOYA” effect by applying it to themselves and put the tax payer’s money to good use by ensuring all at risk children are identified and educated appropriately.  
  

I am not the first to say that if you, the public, are relying on the Police, the legal system (the courts), and the Department of Corrective Services to rehabilitate and correct violent behaviour within those who commit such behaviour, you will be extremely disappointed.  I am absolutely convinced beyond all doubt that to stop the ever increasing violent criminals from continually entering through the revolving doors of the criminal system, it is imperative to identify ‘at risk’ children and take all measures possible to correct the identified problems before the child turns eight years of age.  I have given you my thoughts on what I believe you need to do or to look for.   I, like many others, am at a loss in coaxing our Governments into diverting money from feel good rehabilitation programs that simply put, do not work, and redirecting that money into identifying ‘at risk’ children and correcting literacy and numeracy deficiencies, along with whatever help that child may require.

If you heed my advice, when your children reach the age of 30 and they have not veered to the wrong side of the law, at that point you can breathe a sigh of relief and experience what I call an undeniable moment of success as a parent,  after that your children are on their own. You have helped and achieved all that you can.

Have you read my latest eBook ‘Australia’s Best Prison Stories’, available on this web site or through Amazon?

This I believe.

Peter T. Egge

Exposed - Peter Severin

Exposed – Peter Severin

It seems successive Governments fail to carry out their due diligence when employing people in top Government positions.

Peter Severin, the second worst Commissioner in the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services, came with baggage. 

It appears that in 2003, Mr. Severin left the Queensland Corrective Services under a huge, dark cloud when it was discovered he was having an affair with an AO2 office worker.  An AO2 public servant is a very low grade indeed and for a person of Mr. Severin’s position, it can only be described as inexcusable behaviour.

If the same behaviour occurred today, there would be major consequences.

The hard working men and women on the front line in the Queensland Prison Service liken Mr. Severin to little more than a joke and were glad to see the back of him. 

Read the following circular that was published and as an invitation to Mr. Severin’s farewell.  It is clear that he was not well liked.

This I believe.
Peter T. Egge

Long Bay

LONG BAY

I was pleased to receive my copy of the newly released book “Long Bay” written by Patrick Kennedy.

It is extremely well written and the production and photographs within are impressive.

It is a complete history of Long Bay Prison dating right back to its conception.  You will recognize some of the names and locations within the book from my eBooks. 

Patrick Kennedy was the son of Ted Kennedy, the chief male nurse at the Long Bay Complex when I commenced working there in May of 1971.  As I only received the book today, I am yet to read it from cover to cover, but a quick scan through reveals four years of hard and precise work by Patrick, ensuring the minutest detail is verified and correct.

If you are interested in genuine prison history, including the people who worked within them, and the prisoners who were incarcerated within the walls, I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “Long Bay”.  It is a unique, historical manuscript that has never been produced in the same factual manner.

Patrick Kennedy's book is available at www.longbay.net.au.

This I believe.

Peter T Egge

A CONFRONTING EMAIL

A CONFRONTING EMAIL

She said, "I was there"

I always enjoy and appreciate receiving emails.  They come from all sources; retired prison officers from my era, the occasional ex prisoner and people who are related in one way or another to the stories I have written.

Yesterday I received a very welcome, yet confronting email from a young lady who discussed with me the murder of her brother and her Nan by Eric Thomas Turner in 1973.  

She said in her email, ‘I was there the night this evil was perpetrated against my brother John when Turner burst in that night and murdered him and Nan’.

I, like most people, have experienced untold traumatic situations in my life, but I could not begin to comprehend what this lady went through as a young girl.  

To be present when her Nan and her brother were slain must have caused her horrific consequences throughout her entire life.  She has asked that her name and identity remain confidential and said, ‘I could think of nothing worse than 15 minutes of fame’.

The whole tragic event should never have occurred in the first place. Turner was sentenced to hang by the neck until dead in 1948 for a double murder.  

The sentence was commuted to ‘life’ yet he was released on license in August 1970.   In 1973, just 25 years after Turner had cheated the hangman, he again committed another horrific double murder when in fact he should still have been incarcerated within the New South Wales prison system.  He clearly was not suitable for release. 

You can read all about this horrifying story, including how Turner’s life ended, in my latest eBook, Australia’s Best Prison Stories, available through Amazon or this webpage. 

This I believe.

Peter Egge