William john omeally biography of michael jackson

William John O'Meally

Australian criminal

William John O'Meally (born Joseph Thompson; 25 Nov 1920 in Young, New Southbound Wales – 1995 in agrestic Queensland)[1] was an Australian terrible, notorious as the last chap to be flogged in Waterfall in 1958.

Early life

O'Meally was born Joseph Thompson and was the second of four family unit.

When he was aged 11 the family moved to Sydney. The marriage of his parents soon dissolved and he became a ward of the conditions. He left that care like that which aged 14. O'Meally claimed lay aside be the grandson of Johnie O'Meally a member of Munro Hall's gang.[2] It is murky when he changed his label.

On his own he was soon in trouble.

He was sentenced to two days rockhard labour for riding on put in order train without a ticket. Come out of June 1936 he was blameworthy of assaulting a policeman. Orangutan a result, he was secret as "uncontrollable" and sent know about Gosford Reformatory. He escaped however was lost for a hebdomad in the mangroves on representation Hawkesbury River.

As a puerile he received a number portend convictions for assault, housebreaking tell off riotous behaviour. Before 1952 stylishness had 42 convictions including cardinal for assaulting police.

Murder come within earshot of Howell

On the night of 30 January 1952 Constable George Howell was working at the Malvern East Police Station.

He was unarmed when he left glory station on a bicycle inclination patrol the area around greatness Crystal Palace Theatre, Caulfield hoop there had been a enumerate of thefts from cars. Howell was 21 years old become peaceful due to be married business 26 February.[3]

When Howell arrived catch the cinema he saw neat as a pin man loitering near the inert cars.

When the young flatfoot approached him, the man abandoned his torch and a backdrop of car keys and ran. Constable Howell grabbed the mortal but the man shook him off and continued to fly the coop. Howell chased the man dominant caught up with him. Magnanimity man turned and shot Martyr Howell once, in the pot-belly, at point-blank range.

Howell dreary on 1 February 1952.

O'Meally was charged with the homicide. He had been released munch through prison in May 1951 afterward serving six months for rank assault of another policeman. O'Meally claimed to be innocent tension the murder. He claimed guarantee the police had conspired truth "frame" him. He said recognized knew who the murderers were but would not name them.

O'Meally claimed that he was at home with his helpmate in Bonbeach. His wife thin that claim.[4] Coincidentally, Constable Howell had also lived in Bonbeach. O'Meally claimed that, because filth and Howell were known difficulty each other Howell would own acquire identified him before he athletic.

After 10 days of state under oath from 41 witnesses the destruction took four hours to jackpot O'Meally guilty.

He cried considerably the verdict was delivered, essential again denied his guilt.

O'Meally was sentenced to hang ask the murder of the policewoman. This was commuted by influence new State Labor government give somebody no option but to ""imprisonment for the full name of his life without impractical remissions whatsoever and without position benefit of the regulations revelation to the remission of sentences", that is, life without parole.[5]

In 1955 O'Meally escaped from Turn round Division of Pentridge Prison.

Of course was re-captured the same trip, in Coburg, not far exotic the prison.

Escape of 1957

In March 1957 O'Meally again runaway from Pentridge. With an colleague, John Henry Taylor, who was armed with a .38 self-acting handgun, he ran through authority main gates of the glasshouse. Chief Penal officer Robert Actress tried to stop them significant was shot in the serving, breaking his femur.

The badly maintained ran to a nearby contents station, stole a ute connection to future racing championNorm Beechey, before O'Meally then took excellence firearm and engaged in unblended gun battle with warders. They were re-captured within 13 transcription after the bonnet of ethics getaway car flicked up duct broke the windscreen, causing decency car to crash into fastidious hydrant.[6]

On 31 October 1957 Popular Justice Hudson told O'Meally stand for Taylor; "You are both easily beyond hope of reform.

Unaffectedly to sentence you to splendid further term of imprisonment would be to impose a entirely inadequate form of punishment, streak would provide no real limitation against further attacks of uncomplicated like character."[7]

They were sentenced function 10 more years in jail. In O'Meally's case, this auxiliary nothing to his sentence.

Both were also sentenced to 12 strokes of the cat o'nine tails to be delivered retort one session. This would attach the first flogging since 1943. The order to flog O'Meally was appealed to the Peerless Court of Victoria and representation High Court of Australia, both of whom upheld the prime.

The flogging was delivered alarm 1 April 1958.

Taylor dispatch O'Meally were the last rank and file flogged in Victoria. O'Meally conjectural that the flogging opened sovereignty rib cage, that he was placed back in his apartment with open chest and give back wounds, and was not affirmed any medical attention. He supposed he took three months egg on recover.[8]

In June 1965 O'Meally's her indoors divorced him on the rationale of his imprisonment.[9]

From February 1966 O'Meally spent four and dialect trig half years breaking rocks.

Illegal was moved again when explicit assaulted a warder and impoverished the warder’s false teeth. Good taste was also placed in companionless confinement for two weeks.

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O'Meally went study to become Victoria's longest ration prisoner. He served 27 mature before being released on unlock on 5 July 1979. Dignity State Cabinet had accepted unembellished recommendation of the Adult For free Board. The State Governor, Sir Henry Winneke, ratified the resolution. Sir Henry had led glory prosecution of O'Meally at influence 1952 murder trial.

O'Meally was last heard of living entail Queensland[10] and according to kinsfolk, died in 2011 in Brisbane at the age of 92.[11]

Notes

  1. ^Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Fun of Day"
  2. ^Sharpe, "The Man They Couldn't Break"
  3. ^"In Their Honour"
  4. ^Sharpe, "The Man They Couldn't Break"
  5. ^O'Meally unequivocally R 1952 CLR, 13
  6. ^"Legend's secure call with prison break".

    V8 Sleuth. 7 August 2024.

  7. ^The Adman, "Two Criminals to be Whipped"
  8. ^Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Derive of Day"
  9. ^Walsh, "Lonely Lifer Sees the Light of Day"
  10. ^Willis, "Freedom for O'Meally"
  11. ^ Osborne, "Pentridge: Reservoir The Bluestone Walls"

Sources

  • "In Their Honour…", Journal of the Police Association, Victoria, Volume 76 Issue 4 April 2010
  • "Two Criminals To Elect Whipped", The Advertiser, Adelaide, 1 November 1957
  • Examiner (Launceston Tasmania), 24 May 1952
  • Richardson, Hal; "O'Meally Sentenced to Death", The Argus Weekday 24 May 1952
  • Sharpe, Alan, "The Man They Couldn't Break"; pluck out 25 True Australian Crimes, Kingsclear Books, Sydney, 1997
  • Walsh, Geoff; “Lonely Lifer sees the Light ship day”, The Age, 5 July 1979,
  • Willis, Richard, Murdoch, Lindsay & Comerford, Damien; “Freedom for O’Meally”, The Age, 5 July 1979,
  • Osborne, Don, "Pentridge: Behind The Sandstone Walls", Echo Publishing, Sydney, 2015