A lottery win leads to a family’s downfall | Forensic Files

today's episode is brought to you by movement watches Christmas is over but Valentine's Day is here so it's time to
find the perfect gift for that special someone and we all know how difficult that can be
so do what I did and to go to movement watches movement watches was founded on the
belief that style shouldn't break the bank they offer high quality minimalist products a revolutionary prices our
friends at movement have put together the perfect gift god to make your life easy whether you're shopping for him or
her want watches or their new fashion-forward bracelets sunglasses or any combination of those in their
limited edition gift box movements in how stylists have curated their trendiest pieces for gift ideas your
special someone will love go to movement calm / case file and check out their interactive gift guide to make your
Valentine's shopping painless and you can get 15% off today with free shipping and free returns just by going to
movement calm / case file that's MV MT calm / case file join the movement [Music]
our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at anytime you need support please contact
your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this
episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with a crime committed against the child it won't be
suitable for all listeners on June 1st 1960 37 year old basil thorn was 450 kilometers from Sydney's Bondi Beach
where he rented a flat with his family he was in the small town of Canada in the northeast of New South Wales basil
worked on the road as a traveling salesman in a partnership with his father and was often away his wife Frida
was at home with their three-year-old daughter Belinda in their eight-year-old son Graham who attended school at Scotts
college in Bellevue Hill just north of Bondi the thorns also had an older daughter Cheryl who was born with a
disability and permanently cared for in an institution it was an ordinary week for the thorns
with basil on the road and Frieda at home looking after the family basil was riding orders in the store in Canada
when a newspaper reporter called looking for him he picked up the receiver and listened as the reporter told him he had
just won the lottery at first basil didn't believe it though when the men on the other end read out a number
of the winning ticket and the name of the syndicate basil went cold all over he felt flutters in his stomach and he
lost the ability to speak he struggled to finish writing up the orders he was making and had to accept the help of a
few people around him basil thorn had just won 100,000 pounds the currency of the time in 1960 in 2018
that would be equivalent to around 2.8 million Australian dollars basil had only bought a three pound lottery ticket
a few times before he'd had small wins five or ten pounds here and there but this time as he looked down at his
winning lottery ticket he tried to grasp just how significantly hand his family's
life was about to change [Music] initial projections for both bill time and funding for the construction of the
Sydney Opera House were grossly underestimated what had originally been thought to take four years to build at a
total cost of around seven million pounds became a 14-year build at over 100 million pounds the New South Wales
state government realized they needed much more money to complete the project and after running several unsuccessful
funding campaigns they set up the Opera House lottery the first lottery ticket was sold in November 1957 and
construction of the Opera House began in March 1959 the Opera House lottery was still running in 1960 when basil and
Freda thorn unexpectedly won the price of tickets at the time was three pounds and the major prize was 100,000 pounds
wins were worthy of front-page news in Sydney and stories were also splashed across newspapers around the country as
Basil's flight came in to Charles Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney he was greeted by three reporters ready to
photograph him for the paper basil was humble and the news had yet to sink in he told the reporters that he wasn't
going to get too excited he spoke about putting the winnings into a fixed bank deposit until he got used to having so
much money he vowed he wouldn't get reckless and said quote I believe in the same charity begins in the home and I
intend to make this my policy basil had a lot to consider and was thinking about others he was in a
business partnership with his father and wasn't prepared to leave him in the lurch and his eldest daughter Cheryl who
was in permanent care also had to be considered basil and fraid I didn't own their house this win meant they could no
afford one but they didn't want to make any rash decisions as reporters watched on 37 year old basil thorn got into a
taxi at the airport and headed for home the following morning the headlines read
100,000 pound win too young to retire and when the results were printed so too were the street addresses of the winners
her family who had just one beak the thorns continued life as normal in the weeks that followed basil continued
working on the road eight-year-old Graham went off to school and Frieda stayed home with three-year-old Belinda
the thorns wind was no secret but for them things remained the same after applying to have a telephone line
put into their flat back in March they finally received a number two months later in May but by mid-june that
still wasn't connected so instead of reporters phoning the thorn household there wasn't unusual for there to be a
lot of knocks on their door on June 14th 1960 just after dinner Frieda was standing in the kitchen when she heard a
knock she had grown used to the amount of people who had been knocking on their door since the wind but it was unusual
to get a visitor that late Frieda was often home alone during the week with basil on the road at this night she was
glad basil was home she answered the door to a man who introduced himself as a private investigator he said he was
looking for a man named Bogner dazzle made his way to the door and after a short discussion the thorns were
confident he had the wrong address they recommended he go and see the lady in the upstairs flat who had lived in the
building for about 20 years but the private investigator was adamant that it was the thorns flat he was looking for
he pulled out a small black notebook and asked if the phone number he had recorded was theirs considering their
phone was still a week away from being connected the thorns thought it was unusual that he had got their new number
correct when they asked how he had gotten their number he said he had ways and means to do so basil and Frieda
assumed the private investigator had just made a mistake and thought nothing more of it after he left
just short of one month later on Thursday July 7th 1964 EDA woke up and got Graham ready for school basil was on
the road again this time working in Kempsey in country New South Wales Frieda had an arrangement with a friend
of hers Phyllis Smith to take Graham to school each morning Phyllis had two young sons of her own at Scott's college
at 8:30 a.m. dressed in his grey Scots College uniform holding his 16 inch school case with his name on the corner
in gold letters eight-year-old Graham kissed his mother goodbye and walked out of his ground floor flat on Edwards
Street Bondi he walked past the few houses on Edward Street before he turned under Wellington Street the road was
busy at that time of day with workers hurrying in and out of Bondi each morning Phyllis Smith picked Graham up
in her Holden station wagon on the corner of Wellington and O'Brien streets at the front of a corner store the
distance Graham had the walk from home to the corner store was only about 270 meters he liked to get there a little
early so he could pop in and buy some potato chips and have a chat the shopkeeper enjoyed Graham's visits each
morning and said the following the lad comes in every morning and gets a packet of chips saying I'll have the same today
mister he normally comes in about quarter past eight or perhaps later he'd been doing it every morning for the past
couple of months as regular as clockwork sometimes he has a yarn with me and if he wants to know anything he asked me
straight up he's pretty old in the head for his age after speaking to the shop paper Graham would go outside sit on top
of his school case and wait for Phyllis Smith to collect him but on that day July 7th Graham never made it to the
corner store when Phyllis Smith arrived there was no sign of him she waited a few minutes
then pulled over a little up the road and sent her son to the corner store to look for him when her son came back
without him Phyllis turned her car around and drove to the thorns house assuming he was running late when she
knocked on the door she expected Graham to come rushing out but instead a confused freighter answered and said
Graham had already left Phyllis went back to the corner store again in this town she walked inside and
spoke to the shopkeeper when the shopkeeper told her Graham had never arrived for his usual visit that morning
she assumed he had gone off to school without her she couldn't understand why he'd never done that before but she
thought it could be the only explanation Phyllis got back into her car and drove
to Scotts College the headmaster helped her look for Graham but he wasn't a school leader Phyllis drove straight
back to the thorns house when Frida thorn heard that Graham was not at the school she picked up the phone which had
just been connected and called the police at 9:30 a.m. sergeant Larry O'Shea of Bondi police
arrived at the flat free to describe Graham to the sergeant at 8 and a half he was tall for his age he had fair hair
which would darker and more Brown as it was well oiled it was parted on the left
and swept a neatly back he had gaps between his teeth and was always smiling he was friendly chatty and was afraid I
didn't believe he would wander off on his own accord he would talk to anybody but he wouldn't walk off with a stranger
he was wearing his grace got to college uniform shorts a light blue shirt with the gray pullover long socks black shoes
and a navy blue cap fraida then explained to the sergeant what had happened that morning and as
she did so the phone rang is that you mrs. thorn the male caller then asked to speak to her husband basil Frieda said
basil wasn't home and asked the call of what he wanted him for he replied I have
your son sergeant O'Shea was standing next to Frieda so she passed him the phone hello the sergeant said the male
voice with a clear foreign accent said I have your boy I want 25,000 parents before five o'clock this afternoon I'm
not fooling if I don't get the money before five o'clock I'll feed the boy to the Sharks 25,000 parents in 1960 is
close to 750,000 Australian dollars today the kidnapper said he would phone back at 5:00 p.m. with further
instructions there was only when O'Shea hung up the phone that Frieda told him about their
recent lottery win she said they'd been inundated with letters from people asking for money there were requests
from individuals and some from charities but at no stage had they ever felt threatened until now knowledge of the
Thorne's lottery win caused serious alarm and the initial police operation kicked in from that moment without any
hesitation it would become the biggest search in New South Wales police history and marked a new territory for Australia
the first known child kidnapping for ransom in the country as basil thorn arrived home to Sydney Airport he heard
his name called over the loudspeaker he was called to the inquiry desk when he approached he was told there was a
police matter and they wanted to see him immediately it was then that basil was taught about Graham's disappearance but
it wasn't until he walked through the front door of his home that he heard about the rent
officers stayed at the thorns flight all day in case the kidnapper caught back and as they waited the search operation
grew to unprecedented levels police conducted a door knock of all houses and flats in the area they were baffled that
no one had seen or heard anything unusual for someone to entice a child into a car within such a short space of
time on a busy road the kidnapping must have been well planned and perfectly executed police believed that may have
been committed by more than one person possibly a group of people they also felt a woman may have been involved the
theory being that a woman intercepted Graham telling him that she was going to take him to school instead of Phyllis
Smith with the accent of the men who called that morning in the knowledge that kidnappings were not commonplace in
Australia police believed early on that the offender may have been someone who had only recently arrived in the country
as they waited anxiously for 5:00 p.m. to roll around dazzle and Freda confirmed without hesitation
that they would pay the ransom demand and even more if they had to they just wanted Graham home but 5:00 p.m. came
and went with no phone call well I had the kidnapper not called back rocky said he would police were able to ascertain
that the initial call made to the thorns that morning by the kidnapper was made from an unlisted number
while checks continued on that unlisted number senior members of the police were
preparing to expand the search and go public with an appeal at 8:00 p.m. the family's doctor arrived at the flat to
treat Freda who by then was in need of sedation as she was in severe shock at 9:47 p.m.
during a moment of silence in the flat the phone started to ring an officer answered the phone and pretended to be
basil his job was to stall the caller for long enough so the call could be traced the kidnapper started to give his
instructions the money was to be placed into two separate paper bags but before he went on to state where the money
should be dropped he hung up after Frieda was sedated by the doctor a friend came to take their younger
daughter basil refused to sleep and set up all night waiting maybe the kidnapper
would call back police continued questioning neighbors late into the night they showed photos of Graham to all
those living in the neighborhood television stations showed Graham's pitcher and asked the public to look out
for him at 3:00 a.m. the thorns light was still glowing detectives who had been on duty for 17 hours didn't want to
rest until Graham was found but they were forced to take a short break by that time over 400 courts had been
phoned in with possible leads and tips by the next morning Friday July 8th they'd received a no further word from
the kidnapper and despite the enormous amount of calls from the public none got them any closer to finding
Graham Bondi police station was set up as the search headquarters detectives from the scientific Bureau and all of
the major squads from the Criminal Investigation Branch joined to the manhunt all the police stations in New
South Wales were alerted the search for both Graham and his kidnapper or kidnappers was unlike anything ever
carried out in the country before some would refer to it as the greatest manhunt ever in Australia police stood
by at the thorns flat 24 hours a day hoping for further contact from the kidnapper part of the puzzle they had to
work out was how the kidnapper had gotten the thorns phone number their phone line was only recently connected
so the number wasn't even listed yet police arranged for basil thorn to speak at a press conference at Bondi police
station with a barrage of microphones television lights and cameras in his face he took a deep breath and relayed a
message for the kidnapper to whoever is holding my son I am ready to pay you the
money you were demanding for his safe return I will pay you in cash at any place and at any time you specify you
may contact me at my home you will not be betrayed if the person who has him is a father and has children of his own all
I can say is for God's sake send him back to me in one piece basil then broke down some of the
reporters became visibly upset themselves and had to leave the room the police commissioner : Delaney and
the New South Wales premier Bob Heffron then made an appeal for Graham's safe return Delaney requested that Basil's
plate be printed in the Sydney papers in three foreign languages German Italian and Greek languages that were widely
spoken in Australia at the time the Lanie's idea was to distribute the appeal as far as possible and didn't
have anything to do with the accent of the kidnapper the premier Bob Heffron called the kidnapping and appalling
happening and that it was every citizens duty to help the police quote somehow we
have never thought that kidnapping a child and holding him to ransom could occur in this country but it has
emergency planes were installed at airports shipping docks and major roads three separate phone lines were set up
to handle the influx of calls being made regarding the case one at Bondi police station one at the radio
telecommunications center in Redfern and one at the emergency switchboard the case was televised on every news
bulletin around the country the shocked Australian public wanted to help in any way they could police received hundreds
of offers of assistance and thousands of suggestions on where to look by the end
of the second day the search for Graham thorne had officially become the biggest
manhunt in Australia's history but the suggestions that were being phoned in from the public on where to look for
Graham were leaving nowhere so police decided they just had to search everywhere they had to scour every road
every Park in every waterway they asked members of the public to search their yards and talk to their children through
men power they hoped they would find him one tip came in regarding the night of Graham's disappearance on the night of
Thursday July 7th a dark-colored car with no front number plate reported the bait Dodge was seen by the
owners of a petrol station in pennant hills 32 kilometers northwest of where Graham live at around 10:00 p.m. the car
approached with two men a woman and a young boy on board the men were around 30 years old and 20 years old and the
woman was around 50 each were described as being of Italian or Maltese descent but the young boy he fit Graeme's
description the group asked for their tank to be filled as well as a 13 gallon drum when the car drove off in a
northerly direction the owners of the petrol station called the police the next morning the morning after Graham's
kidnapping Friday July 8 an off-duty police officer spotted a car matching the description two men and a woman were
seen on board looking suspicious the off-duty officer chased the car at high speed and roads were closed off to try
and stop it but eventually the vehicle was lost in heavy traffic after running the number
plate they discovered the car was using plates issued to a different vehicle all
police units were placed on high alert to keep a lookout for him later that day just over 24 hours after Graham
disappeared 75 year-old Joseph Henry Bell was walking around in Park Lane north of Sydney Harbor he was just off a
major Road in Bantry Bay 22 kilometers north of where Graham disappeared and directly east of the petrol station
where the two men and the woman were spotted with a young boy Joseph was collecting bottles in dense bush right
near a creek in the area just south of French's Forest around noon just 10 meters from the road
he came across a small school case it was wide open and empty printed in gold letters on the corner of the lid was the
name G thorne Joseph hid the school case in a hollow under a rock he knew the young boy was missing there
was barely a person who didn't know by then but he didn't call the police instead he went back to his house and
waited until around 6 p.m. when his son-in-law visited Joseph's son-in-law called the police immediately when he
heard the story police sped to the location and retrieved the case confirming it was Graeme's even though
they were concerned over the delay from when the case was found to when they were called it was the first solid clue
they had in the 34 hours since Graham's kidnapping police sealed off a five kilometre strip of bush where the case
was found and hundreds of official and unofficial volunteer searchers began combing the area in a
shoulder-to-shoulder search for more clues when darkness fell they set up lights and concentrated on small areas
of grassland determined to not let the darkness store their search as time went on and nothing further was found police
began to consider that the school case was dumped as a false lead possibly thrown from a car as it drove by the
school case had been emptied and had no fingerprints on it but food wrappings were found under a rock which police
felt could have been from Graham's lunch detectives believed that there were less
than 24 hours behind the kidnapper or kidnappers and today focused on catching up their time in desperate hope of
saving Graham as the weekend began the manhunt strengthened and an enormous perimeter
was set for the continued search the zone extended over 80 kilometers north to Gosford 95 kilometers south to
Wollongong and the west into the Blue Mountains police believed the kidnapper or kidnappers were hiding out somewhere
within that zone all police life was cancelled and every officer in New South Wales who was on leave was asked to come
back to work no one looked kindly upon the kidnapping of a child so even hardened criminals who had a long
history of run-ins with the law were coming forward with offers to help police in the search the state borders
were patrolled as a precaution and any car leaving New South Wales and entering Victoria or Queensland was checked after
Graeme's school case was found the acting chief of the Criminal Investigation Branch Inspector Windsor
made a public plea on radio and television Inspector Windsor quote every moment you hold him makes your own
position worse taking me out into the street leave him there and telling to approach the first person he sees then
go your own way what you have done is dreadfully serious but you can make it much worse than it is by keeping the boy
so far you have made yourself liable to a turn with imprisonment but not a long one if the boy is not harmed if you
heard him your position becomes a terrible one indeed publishers from The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper Hoff at
a ten thousand pound reward in the state government added to that with five thousand parents basil thorn was
thankful for the reward and said he wouldn't hesitate for a moment to add to it if his son was returned the five
thousand pound reward offered by the government was five times more than any reward offered previously for the
apprehension of a criminal it was also the quickest reward ever offered following a crime the government added a
free pardon to any accomplice that came forward with information leading to an arrest
and grain being found in 1960 kidnapping for ransom was sent by Australians as something that only happened overseas it
was just about unheard of here Graham the Lord was the first-ever child kidnapped for ransom and there had only
been one kidnapping for ransom of an adult in Sydney and that had occurred almost 30 years prior in 1932 in that
particular case the plan was foiled when one of the kidnappers was arrested and the victim was freed unharmed
coincidentally had happened only a few hundred metres from where Graham thorne disappeared from as it was so rare there
was no special law in New South Wales which covered kidnapping for ransom unlike the United States which already
labeled kidnapping a federal offense where perpetrators faced the death penalty the fact that Raley didn't have
a problem with the crime meant there was no reason for a law to cover the most relevant law was abduction the unlawful
possession of a person this had a maximum sentence of 10 years when the victim was a child under the age of 12
New South Wales premier Bob Heron wasn't happy with this and stated that kidnapping should rank alongside murder
and that he would be suggesting changes to the law but even if new laws and punishments came into effect as the
premier was proposing Graham's case wouldn't be covered by them unless they were applied retrospectively which had
never been done before 5,000 posters with Graham's picture were printed and distributed across all
metropolitan police stations they were also displayed outside town halls supermarkets and businesses the number
of people searching for Graham and grew even further the general secretary of the New South Wales Scouts Association
urged every single member of the State Scouts and Cubs to join the search all 38,000 of them he believed they could
use their scouting skills to help police search isolated and far reaching spots 200 army soldiers from the number 2
battalion of the Royal Australian regiment also joined the search by now police had managed to trace the origin
of the two phone calls made to the thorns from the kidnapper the first one on the morning of the kidnapping was
made from a phone box on the northern side of the spit bridge around 30 minutes north of Graham's home
the second call almost 12 hours later was made from a phone box at Seaforth an area just a few minutes away from where
the first phone call was made detectives combed through all the people connected
to the thorns they heard of all the people they had come into contact with in the recent months since their big win
while questioning Freda she told detectives about the visitor she and basil had to their door a few weeks
before the kidnapping the private investigator who was searching for a man named Bogner when she described the
encounter police became alarmed when they heard this apparent private investigator had known the thorns phone
number as had the kidnapper despite the fact that was newly connected and wasn't
yet listed Freda described to the private investigator as 35 to 40 years old with dark brown or black slightly
wavy hair thick dark eyebrows well spoken with a foreign appearance in addition a neighbor came forward stating
that she had seen him in matching that description sitting on a park bench outside the thorns small block of flats
for three mornings before Graham was kidnapped a council worker then came forward and described the same men
sitting on the same bench but for three mornings the week before the kidnapping each time the man was seen between 7:15
a.m. into 9 a.m. with a newspaper stretched out in front of his face police were sure this man claiming to be
a private investigator was involved in Graham's kidnapping they just had to find him
thanks for listening to today's episode we'll be back soon today's episode is also brought to you
by zip recruiter a fresh new year has begun and if you're setting new goals for your business
it's extremely difficult to reach them without the right people on your team and zip recruiter has transformed how
you go about finding them zip recruiter post your job to over 100 of the web's leading job boards with just one click
then zip recruiter actively looks for the most qualified candidates and invites them to apply they even review
every application to identify the top candidates so you never miss a great match no wonder 80% of employers who
post on zip recruiter get a quality candidate through the site in just one day zip recruiter the smartest way to hire
find out why zip recruiter has been used by businesses of all sizes and industries to find the most qualified
job candidates with immediate results and right now listeners of case file can post jobs on zip recruiter for free
that's right free just go to zip recruiter comm slash case file that's Z recruiter com slash case file one more
time to try it for free go to zip recruiter comm slash case file the area where Graham's School case was
found was continuously searched and patrolled over the weekend Saturday July 9th and Sunday July 10th on that Sunday
afternoon one mile north of where the case was found and on the opposite side of the road another discovery was made
despite the fact that the area had been crawling with police and searchers continuously since the school case
discovery on Friday it appeared that the kidnapper or an accomplice had come into
the cordoned off search zone implanted some of Graham's clothing the reason the police knew what was planted after is
because when the discovery was made on Sunday afternoon the items were bone dry and rain had fallen on Saturday night in
Sunday morning the items they found were a Scotts college school waste cap a torn page of
an exercise book with Graham's handwritten schoolwork a maths textbook an empty plastic lunch bag a pure apple
wrapped in plastic wrap with the peel still cord around it just like Frieda would do for Graham and there was also a
plastic raincoat draped over a small kerosene drum the thorns felt immense relief at the news of the items being
found they were sure this meant that Graham would soon be returned home alive an electrician named Cecil and his wife
were the next witnesses to come forward they lived on Francis Street one street from Graham's
and do they had information about a car they had seen the morning grain was kidnapped on the morning of Thursday
July 7th they were both driving down their street towards Wellington Street when they saw a blue Ford Customline
parked at the intersection of Francis and the Wellington streets this corner was along the exact stretch of
Wellington Street where Graham disappeared Cecil and his wife noticed the car because it was parked
unnecessarily close to the street corner and its front was up on the curb blocking the footpath anyone walking
along the footpath would have to go around it it's rear end was hanging out on the
road so much so that Cecil had to swerve to the right to miss it as they passed they saw him en exit the driver's side
of the Ford in an overcoat and debris on felt hat they described the man as 35 to 40 years
of age five foot ten with a stocky or thick set build he had all his skin and dark hair Cecil's wife said she was sure
she'd seen the same men hanging around a few days earlier the description matched
the men who had been sitting outside the thorns flat in the days leading up to the kidnapping and had matched the men
who knocked on the thorns door claiming to be a private investigator on July 19th 12 days after Graeme was kidnapped
police were still trying to identify the private investigator but they were no closer to any answers the search didn't
slow down though and authorities remained dedicated to bringing Graham home safely on August 16th 1960 almost
six weeks after Graham thorn walked out of his home and around the corner never to be seen again three children were
playing in a coffeehouse built on a vacant block of land near their home in Seaforth Seaforth was the location where
the kidnappers second phone call was made to the thorns the vacant land was a place they played all the time
as did all the local kids a few metres from the cubby they noticed the rolled-up rug they assumed it was just
rubbish that had been dumped which wasn't unusual at all one of the boys mentioned to the rug to
his father when he got home and the father thought he had better go and inspector he took a neighbor with him
and with the neighbors torch they searched the low scrub as the flashlight bounced across the grass they lit up the
unmistakable pattern of a Czech woollen rug as the neighbor kept the flashlight on the bundle the boy's father untied
two knots of rope keeping the rug together as he pulled back a fold he saw what he thought was hair and then as he
pulled it open he saw a small body inside the rug was the partially decomposed the body of a young boy the
scarf wrapped around his neck and rope around his feet and wrists he was lying in thick undergrowth amongst rocks about
thirty meters from Grandview Grove in Seaforth the location where the second phone call was made to the thorns the
night Graeme disappeared what had started as the largest manhunt in New South Wales history was now said to
become one of the most intensive murder investigations the state had ever seen a
[Music] post-mortem examination was carried out during which it was found the grams coat
was fully buttoned up and his school necktie was exactly as Frieda had tied it that morning the two handkerchiefs he
carried in his trouser pockets were unused and still folded his body was in an advanced state of decomposition there
was a patch of abrasions on the right side of his neck those are wound to the back left side of his head with an
underlying fracture of the back of his skull in some bruising of the scalp the nature of this injury indicated the use
of considerable force there were scattered surface hemorrhages in the upper part of his air passages at the
top of the lungs and just below the larynx this was indicative of asphyxia the cause of death was determined to be
either asphyxia blunt force trauma or a combination of both they were able to determine the créme
had been killed within a 24-hour period of being kidnapped and his body dumped at the vacant block of land shortly
after this was established by scientific analysis considered pioneering firts torn grams shoes were examined by the
School of Agriculture at the University of Sydney for clients of fungi were found growing abundantly on both of his
shoes the fungi had reached the stage of growth where per a Theseus Bors had developed scientists discovered one
specific type of fungi that would have taken a minimum period of three weeks for the development of the paratha under
the conditions they were in it was further discovered that the paratha had begun to break away and this indicated a
further period of another three weeks after their development these fungi would not grow if the shoes were being
used and would not develop unless covered in a humid atmosphere Locke rolled up in a rug the presence of fly
larvae also helped determine the period of time Graham's body was likely to have
being at the location around six weeks the exact amount of time Graham had been missing for
his pioneering scientific analysis opened doors between criminal investigators and scientific experts to
work together in future investigations detectives turned their attention to the rug Graham was found in they were able
to establish that the rug was produced by textile mill in South Australia and the blue and gray Czech design was a
stall manufactured sometime between June 6th 1955 into January 19th 1956 3000 units of the rug were produced and it
was believed that half of those were sold in New South Wales retail stores the task of finding the owner seemed
impossible unless a member of the public recognized it and could suggest who the
owner might be the chief of the Criminal Investigation Branch said quote even at
the risk of getting many false Clues we will welcome any information about similar rugs
if anyone recalls having seen a similar rug in somebody's possession the information could be very important to
police following this announcement magazines agreed to print coloured images of the pattern on the road a
scientific examination revealed foreign hairs on both sides of the rug the hairs
were a mix of both animal and human animal hairs were also found attached to the back of Graham's coat they were
thought to be from a small dog more human hairs were found on the scarf around Graham's neck also present inside
the rug were various types of foliage no species could be found in the vacant block where Graham's body was dumped but
there were two specific species present which didn't exist at that location these fragments of two different shrubs
were found on Graham's scarf coat and appearance some of the soil which had gathered in Graham's clothing was also
tested it showed minut fragments of a pink colored lime stock mortar it was determined that the distribution of the
mortar on the clothing and scarf meant the Graham must have been lying on his back near and likely under a brick
building when the scarf was tied around his neck because of the pink color of the mortar
and the presence of fragments of garden tropes police felt the location where the scarf was tied around Graham's neck
was likely a residential dwelling 500 people attended Graham's funeral at st. Mark's Church in darling point there had
been no public notice made but still the street surrounding st. Mark's were packed with people by the time the
service began the him abide with me was played at the service Reverend Clive Goodwin a close friend of the thorns
began with the following words we are gathered here this morning because a horrible crime previously unknown in
Australian history has cut short the life of an innocent boy it has caused untold suffering in his family circle as
well the community for nearly seven weeks they have watched waited and prayed that Graham would be returned to
his family circle unharmed the desire of the nation is that the person responsible for the crown should receive
the justice that the case demands men women and children wept openly 150 Scots college pupils attended dressed smartly
in their uniforms and as the muffled peal of the church bells rang out the Scots Coley's children formed a guard of
honour around Graham's coffin as it was carried from the church a small silver plaque on it was engraved with Graham
Frederic Thorne aged 8 [Music] Graeme's funeral coincided with an announcement from the premier that the
highest priority would be given to new legislation providing drastic penalties for kidnapping he confirmed that would
most certainly come before the next session of Parliament detectives combed through the owners of all 1955 blue Ford
Customline vehicles the car that was seen up on the curb blocking the footpath in the area of graem's
kidnapping as they were going through the records one owner came up who'd lived in the suburb of Clontarf this was
of interest as it was in close proximity to Seaforth where the second call from the kidnapper was made to the thorns and
where Graham's body was found when detectives saw the owner's name Stephen Bradley
they thought it unlikely he would be a foreign origin but they were interviewing all loners so they had to
tick the box they arranged to meet up with him and have a quick chat on August 24th 1962 they came face-to-face with
was a heavyset man 42 years of age with an olive complexion dark wavy hair and an accent he matched the description of
the men that were looking for Stephen Bradley came across as friendly and seemed helpful he told the officers
that on July 7th the day of graem's kidnapping he had been home in Clontarf all morning it actually moved house that
day and was that home until the removalists arrived he had put his wife and children into a taxi at 10:00 a.m.
and he had only gone out when he made a solo trip to the shops he said his Ford Customline never left
the garage when the removalists were interviewed they said they didn't arrive to the house until 11 a.m. that morning
and too they were there until 3:00 they didn't go into the garage at all because
Stephen Bradley had already moved everything out of there thirty-four-year-old Stephen Leslie
Bradley was born Istvan Baron J in Budapest Hungary in 1926 when Bradley arrived in Melbourne in 1950 he had been
divorced from his first wife for two years he worked several jobs and in 1952 he married again to Eva Laszlo together
they had a child in 1955 in a car accident that many claimed was suspicious Eva died
Bradley received a substantial inheritance after her death in 1957 Bradley had fraud charges placed against
him but they were later dropped in 1958 he married for the third time his new wife Magda was divorced herself and had
two children they blended their family and began raising their three children together
Magda owned a guesthouse in Kitumba but in 1959 the guest house burnt down luckily for them that was substantially
insured in 1960 they were living in Sydney on the profits of insurance claims according to New South Wales senior
crown prosecutor mark Tedeschi who authored the book kidnapped the crime has shocked the nation with three
children at home the Bradley's fun soon dwindled Tedeschi said in an interview about his book
quote he was an unlikely kidnapper he had three kids and was a happy family man and it's hard to summarize his
personality he had a deep inner need to impress and be recognised as a man of consequence he had a sense of
entitlement and he was a wheeler and dealer who was not afraid to cross the line of the law he was also in dire
financial straits the day after police spoke to Bradley August 25th 1960 he's wife Magda Bradley booked a ticket for
herself and one son on a ship to London four days later Steven Bradley booked the same passage
to London with their other two children one month later September 26th Stephen and Magda Bradley together with their
three children boarded the ship the Himalaya from Sydney every piece of furniture they owned had been sold and
they severed all ties with Australia they didn't inform anyone where they were going
nor did they inform their real estate agent that they were not continuing with her lease the gas and electricity
companies weren't aware they had left either their children attended to different schools and the Headmaster's
were told differing stories to one Bradley said the family was moving to Victoria into the other he said they
were relocating to Queensland despite booking passage to London Steven Bradley never made it when the ship docked in
Colombo Sri Lanka he disembarked and didn't get back on board but his wife and children continued on to London it
was starting to look like Bradley was hiding but all of this was unbeknownst to police at the time
during the time Bradley was fleeing the country detectives were still building their case in October 1960 the thorns
were asked to go to Bondi police station and take a look at some photographs detectives wanted to know if they
recognized anyone in a photo lineup they had prepared in one of the batches of photos buzzers eyes flicks torments face
he recognized although he wasn't aware of his name dazzle knew him as the private investigator who had knocked on
his door a few weeks before Graham's kidnapping when basil left the room Freda was taken in separately
she picked the exact same photograph it was Stephen Bradley the following Monday
October 17th Sydney's central court sat for a hearing as police sought to establish a prima
facie case against Steven Bradley for Graham Thorne's murder by now they were aware he and his family had skipped the
country and they wanted an extradition order to bring Bradley back from Sri Lanka in order to stand trial
police scientific expert Detective Constable William Buchanan told the court that he had found a woolen
material similar to a rug Castle after searching through rubbish at the house formerly occupied by Stephen Bradley
there was a match to the rug that Graham's body was found in on the first day 21 witnesses gave evidence and
police expected to call a further 40 witnesses over the following days the courtroom was full and hundreds stood
outside waiting for an update at the close of the hearing the judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence for
Steven Bradley to face a charge of murder but he made it clear that the evidence would have to be taken to the
court in Colombo Sri Lanka if Sri Lankan authorities agreed there was sufficient evidence against Bradley
they could approve extradition to Australian detectives boarded a plane for Colombo weighed down with cases of
evidence against Bradley Bradley was easily located placed under arrest and given legal counsel as the
Australian detectives prepared to attend the Sri Lankan Court to present their case Bradley was visibly upset at his
arrest and to proclaim his innocence but it was of no use the extradition was granted within days Bradley was on a
plane back to Sydney upon his arrival to Sydney Bradley provided an oral statement as well as a written
explanation of what happened on the morning of July 7th 1960 he was no longer claiming here is innocent his
statement read I read in the newspaper that mr. thorn won the first prize in the Opera House lottery I decided that I
would kidnap his son I knew the address from the newspaper and I've got their number from the telephone exchange I
went to the house to see them and I asked for someone but I cannot remember what name mrs. thorn said she didn't
know anyone by that name and she told me to inquire in the flat upstairs I went upstairs and I saw the
woman there I have done this because I thought that the thorns would check up I went out and watched the thorn boy
leaving the house and I saw him for about three mornings I've seen where he went and one morning I followed him to
the school at Bellevue Hill one or two mornings I've seen a woman pick him up and take him to school on the day we
moved from Clontarf I went out to Edward Street I parked the car in the street I
don't know the name of the street but it's off Wellington Street I've got out from the car and waited on the corner
until the boy walked down to the car I've told the boy that I am to taking to the school he said why where is the lady
I said she's sick and cannot come today then the boy got in the car and I drove him around for a while and over the
Harbour Bridge I went to a public phone box near the speed bridge and I rang the
thorns I talked to mrs. thorn and to a man who said he was the boy's father I've asked for 25,000 pounds from the
boy's mother and father I told them that if I don't get the money I feed him to the Sharks and I had told them I ring
later I took the boy in the car home to Clontarf and I put the car in my garage I told the boy to get out of the car to
come and see another boy when he got out of the car I've put a scarf over his mouth and put him in the boot of the car
and slammed the boot I went in my house and the furniture removals came a few minutes later when it was nearly dark I
went to the car and found the boy was dead that night I tied the boy up with string and put him in my rug
the trial began on March 20th 1961 on the first day all eyes were on basil and Freda thorn as Stephen Bradley was
brought into the dot dressed neatly in a blue suit white shirt and a green tie he
sat quietly with his hands folded in front of him as he faced the judge justice Clancy the prosecution argued
that Bradley was not revealing the full story and the death of Graham was intentional they presented Graham's
shoes which had scuffs and marks along the top indicating he had been dragged during a 4-hour address to the jury
Bradley's defense stated that his confession had been fullest and for that reason the confession was false and was
being withdrawn he was now pleading not guilty he claimed he had nothing to do with the kidnapping or murder of Graham
thorne the prosecution presented the evidence of the rug pestle retrieved from the rubbish of the property where
Steven Bradley lived an analysis showed that it matched the color and yarn of a tassel missing from the rug the Graham
thorn was found wrapped in a roll of film was also found at the previous home of the Bradley's and when this film was
developed it showed a photograph of Magda Bradley with the same style and design of the
rug in question when all of the evidence was presented the judge gave his final instructions to the jury during which he
said a man is guilty of murder not only when he intended to take a life and took
a life but also if he killed someone while acting with reckless indifference to life
after deliberating for three hours and 22 minutes the jury returned with their verdict Bradley stood resting both his
hands on the rail in front of him solemnly as the judge announced that the jury had found him guilty the crowd
yelled clucked cheering and whistling in celebration as they were camped by the guards and
silence was restored Freda thorn could be heard weeping as Basile comforted her Magda Bradley although in court earlier
that day was not present to hear the verdict against her husband the judge then asked Bradley if he had anything to
say to which he replied yes I have a few things to say I never had an opportunity
before this trial to say anything one thing I would like to say is I knew before I came to this court I would be
convicted of a crime which I did not commit why I was almost convinced because of a certain human emotion you
call prejudice prejudice is the same although dissimilar as jealousy it is a human emotion a very dangerous one
extremely so because it affects your mind to such an extent that you're not able to judge things as the full facts I
think one of the main factors was the publicity in the newspapers everyone read it actually Your Honor instructed
the jury they had to forget about it it's impossible it's impossible anyway I'm not saying the jury are not
good citizens they tried to do their best they have been influenced by these very powerful emotions as a matter of
fact the jury has decided on a verdict and naturally it's your duty to pass sentence according to the law that's all
I have to say when Bradley finished speaking the crowd began yelling and screaming at him when silence was once
again restored the judge spoke Steven Lesley Bradley the sentence of the court is that you were sentenced to penal
servitude for life with his head down Bradley returned to the dock before officers took him down to the cells
below the court as he walked a group of women screaming surged forward in attack
but they were restrained by police outside the court there was a crowd of around 400 men women and children
families had come in droves to show their support for the thorns and to hurl abuse in the hope that Stephen Bradley
would hear it when the verdict was made public the crowd cheered and hugged one another Steven Bradley launched an
appeal against his conviction but it was denied never again did newspapers print
the addresses of lottery winners without their consent following the kidnapping for ransom of
Graham thorne the law was amended to reflect harsher punishments the law now states that those responsible for
detaining any person with intent to entice payment by way of ransom are liable to a maximum sentence of 25 years
magda bradley divorced Stephen Bradley in 1965 and moved back to Europe Stephen Bradley was incarcerated at Long
Bay Jail in Goulburn New South Wales where he gained prison employment as a hospital orderly in October 1968 while
playing in the jail tennis competition Bradley suffered a coronary occlusion and died the thorns moved away from
Bondi Basile Thorne died in December 1978 Freda Thorne died in 2012 at the age of 86 she was laid to rest alongside
Graham the him that was played at Graham's funeral abide with me was originally written as a poem in 1847 by
Henry Francis like abide with me fast Falls the Eventide the darkness deepens Lord with me abide when other helpers
fail and comforts flee help of the helpless o abide with me Swift towards clothes herbs out life's little day
Earth's joys grow dim its glories pass away change and decay in all around I see both thou who changes to not abide
with me not a brief glance are back a passing word but as they are dwelling with thy disciples Lord familiar
condescending patient free come not to Sajha but abide with me come not in terrors as the King of Kings but kind
and good with healing in thy wings teas for all woes a heart for every play come friend of sinners and did the
sabaidee with me now in my head in early youth did smile and though rebellious and perverse meanwhile dal has to not
left me oft as I left thee on to the clothes o Lord abide with me I need thy presence
every passing hour what but thy grace can foil the tempers power who like thyself my God and stay
can be through cloud and sunshine o abide with me I fear no foe with they at hand to bless
ills have no way and tears no bitterness where is death sting where grave thy victory by triumphs tool if they'll
abide with me hold out like Ross before my closing eyes shine through the gloom and point
me to the skies heavens morning breaks and Earth's vain shadows flee in life in death Oh Lord
abide with me [Music] you

Case 75: Graeme Thorne

Bazil Thorne picked up the phone and listened as the reporter told him he had just won the lottery.

At first, Bazil didn’t believe it – but when the man on the other end read out the number of the winning ticket and the name of the syndicate, Bazil went cold all over…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anna Priestland Additional research – Bonnie Lavelle Robinson Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-75-graeme-thorne

Brief Summary

The episode recounts the kidnapping and murder of Graham Thorne, leading to significant legal changes in Australia.

Key points

Basil Thorn Wins the Lottery. Basil Thorn wins £100,000, a life-changing moment for his family.
The Kidnapping Begins. Graham Thorn goes missing, leading to a massive manhunt.
Police on High Alert. Police units were placed on high alert to search for Graham's kidnapper.
Discovery of Graham's Clothing. Graham's clothing was found, raising hopes for his return.
Graham's Funeral. Thousands attended Graham's funeral, mourning the loss of an innocent boy.
Stephen Bradley's Confession. Bradley admits to kidnapping Graham Thorne, revealing chilling details of the crime.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I believe in the same charity begins in the home.

Basil Thorn reflects on his lottery win and family responsibilities.

5:21WatchNov 20, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from Casefile

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.