SOURCES:

Underbelly 1
True Crime Stories
By Andrew Rule and John Silvester
Published by Sly Ink (1998)

Underbelly 4
More True Crime Stories
By Andrew Rule and John Silvester
Published by Sly Ink (2000)

Findings of lengthy probe sparked officer outrage
By Adrian Tame
Sunday Herald-Sun
November 18, 2001

Victoria Police Corruption
By Raymond Hoser
First published by Kotabi Publications (1999)

 

 
Brian Francis Murphy

Brian Murphy joined the police force in 1954.

He was charged in 1971 with manslaughter following the death of a man in police custody.

In March 1971, Neil Collingburn died two days after an incident at Russell Street police station.

Murphy and another officer were acquitted.

In an ABC-TV special, screened in 1998, notorious Painter and Docker, Billy 'The Texan' Longley (left), stated that among his friends were a number of senior Victorian police, including Brian Murphy.

Murphy's evidence had helped convict Longley of a murder.

He spent thirteen years in Pentridge for killing union rival Pat Shannon at Druids Hotel in South Melbourne in October 1973.

Murphy and Longley subsequently formed a rather unlikely friendship and business partnership.

The pair became friendly after Longley’s release from gaol in 1988, and then offered their services as industrial mediators.

Murphy aka 'the skull', was another officer named by Barry Beach QC during his 1975-76 inquiry into corruption in the Victorian police force.

Beach recommend a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice was bought against him.

On November 11, 1991, a court was told that detectives framed a Melbourne brothel owner with two bombings to protect the business interests of another brothel owner.

The County Court heard senior consorting squad detectives Brian Murphy and Paul Higgins planted explosives at a home and a brothel office in 1978.

Each headed a three-man police team, the court was told. Det-Sgt Paul Higgins pleaded not guilty to five counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and a count of conspiracy to pervert justice.

On August 9, five detectives led by Higgins and Murphy went to the Collingwood home of brothel owner James Robert Slater about noon, the Prosecutor Mr Robert Redlich, QC. said.

The court heard Higgins and other police received regular bribes and free sex to protect "brothel king" Geoffrey Lamb from the law.

The prosecutor, Robert Redlich claimed Higgins was the ringleader of a police protection racket between 1978 and 1983.

Mr Lamb testified that Higgins told him he had the whole consorting squad and most of the vice squad under his control.

Mr Redlich said Higgins and Det-Sgt Murphy had planted explosives at the home and office of Mr Slater about a week after two other bombings.

One bomb had been at the home of Joey Hamilton, in Station St, Carlton, on August 1, and the second at a Richmond brothel called Gaslight two days later.

On August 9, five detectives led by Higgins and Murphy went to the Collingwood home of Mr Slater about noon, Mr Redlich said.

Brian Murphy and Paul John Strang of the Metropolitan Crime Squad were the two policemen rumoured to have been involved in Chuck Bennett's murder at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday 12 November, 1979.

Murphy had no business being at the court and happened to be passing by when he saw what he thought was a demonstration.

The coroner found that the officers were in no way involved in the shooting.

In 1987, Brian Murphy left the police force to form Industrial Mediation Services (Australia) with Bill Longley.

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