Paul Modra Executive Manager Member Value and Distribution Police Credit Union
B BANKING
Crime Stoppers still assisting police T
he Crime Stoppers concept might have been developed half a world away to help US investigators solve the robbery-murder of a service station worker but, this year, the programme is celebrating its 25-year milestone in South Australia. This year is also expected to mark the milestone of 34,000 SA cases solved, reinforcing its effectiveness in asking people to share information about unsolved crimes and suspicious activity without having to say who they are or get further involved. Whether it has been a murder, an assault, a robbery, an arson or other serious crime, the public continues to use the anonymity provided by Crime Stoppers to help achieve a safer community. Two examples show how Crime Stoppers played a key role in passing information to police to bring criminals to justice.
Murders of Karlie PearceStevenson and Khandalyce Pearce The grim discovery of skeletal remains of a young girl inside a suitcase on the side of the highway in the Murray Mallee captured the nation’s attention. With little to go on to identify the child, police turned to the public to help solve this mystery. A plea for information brought more than 640 contacts to Crime Stoppers in the weeks that followed. A mannequin with hair of a similar colour and length, dressed in new versions of clothing items found with the body was displayed. Images of a unique hand-made quilt and a polka-dot dress found with the remains were also released to help identify the child.
Whether it has been a murder, an assault, a robbery, an arson or other serious crime, the public continues to use the anonymity provided by Crime Stoppers to help achieve a safer community.
During the investigation, Crime Stoppers received unprecedented call volumes, and it was ultimately two critical calls that took the investigation to the next level. One tip helped identify the remains of Khandalyce Pearce, while another provided a photograph showing the toddler in a stroller with the distinctive quilt tucked behind her head. That led to a connection with the unidentified remains of her mother, Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, discovered in the Belanglo State Forest in NSW in 2010. Both Khandalyce and her mother had been reported missing in the Northern Territory in 2009 but, owing to elaborate efforts to give the impression that Ms Pearce-Stevenson was still alive, that report was withdrawn. Her bank cards had been used hundreds of times and her phone used to send text messages. A person impersonated her in brief calls to family members and at a compulsory Centrelink interview in late 2010. In October 2015, the former partner of Ms Pearce-Stevenson – Daniel Holdom – was arrested and charged with the murders. He pleaded guilty and is now serving two life sentences.
The Whitwell murder On August 5, 2016, 81-year-old Robert Whitwell was murdered at his home in Edwards Avenue, Craigmore. He had been stabbed multiple times in his neck and chest and his body discovered three days later. At 8:55pm on August 22, an anonymous phone call was received claiming his granddaughter Brittney Dwyer and her friend Bernadette Burns
were responsible. The pair were arrested four days later and charged with murder. The pair had previously driven from Queensland with the intention of stealing a large sum of money hidden by Mr Whitwell in a rear shed. Burns is alleged to have remained in a car outside, but went inside when Dwyer sent her a message saying “it was done”. The pair searched the property for money and stole several items. Dwyer had previously driven from Queensland with another friend in May 2016 to steal the money, spending days watching Mr Whitwell’s movements. They waited until the night before accessing his rear yard through a garage roller door but left empty-handed after being disturbed. Brittney Dwyer is serving a non-parole period of 20-and-a-half years for the murder and an additional six months for the home invasion. Bernadette Burns was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13-and-a-half years.
Partner support It is significant support from Crime Stoppers SA partners like Police Credit Union that help the programme to solve an average of 25 crimes every week in South Australia. It also demonstrates the power that people have to help make SA safer when they put their trust in Crime Stoppers and share what they know.
See more about Crime Stoppers SA at crimestopperssa.com.au and Police Credit Union at www.policecu.com.au February 2021
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