The aftermath of the Port Arthur tragedy | Forensic Files

[Music] on the 28th of April 1996 Martin John Bryan became known as the worst single
mass murderer in Australian history 21 years later the Port Arthur massacre still stands as the third most deadliest
shooting by a lone gunman in the world known as a loner with the IQ of an 11 year old a series of events in Martin
Bryant's life would go on to trigger a rampage that would change hundreds of people's lives that day as well as the
lives of everyday Australians who looked on in horror [Music] tasmania is the most southern state of
australia an island to located 240 kilometers 150 miles to the south of the Australian mainland separated by Bass
Strait it is known for its green dense and untouched landscape almost 45% of Tasmania lies in reserves national parks
and World Heritage Sites and the state was the founding place of the first environmental party in the world
mountains lakes rugged cliffs and sweeping bays Tasmania is a lush wilderness with a sense of quiet and
calm a slow and relaxed pace originally named of being demons land the state was
inhabited in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire around 75 thousand
convicts most from Great Britain were sent to Van Diemen's land before transportation ceased in 1853 convicts
were sent to Van Diemen's land with the knowledge that with the treacherous Bass
Strait to the north end of the Wild Southern Ocean to the south there would be no escape to a neighboring land in
1854 the present constitution of Tasmania was passed and at the following year the state of Van Diemen's land
received permission to change its name to Tasmania many of the convicts were imprisoned at a penal colony at Port
Arthur which was abandoned as a prison in 1877 with other sentenced to work for free settlers and small land holders who
had moved to the region Port Arthur's eerie ruins were left to decay in the years that followed the capital city of
Tasmania Hobart sits on the southeast coastline the small town of Port Arthur and the former convict settlement sits
on the Tasman Peninsula 60 kilometres south of Hobart it is one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and an
open-air Museum the Port Arthur historical site welcomes over 250,000 visitors per year Port Arthur was placed
onto the world Heritage Register on the 31st of July 2010 Martin Bryant was born
on the 7th of May 1967 at the Queen Alexandria Hospital in Hobart Tasmania the first born to Maurice and Carlene
Bryant he was later followed by a sister Lindy Carlene remembers a stress-free pregnancy and a quick and easy birth she
had worked up until a few weeks before the birth at the local Chocolate Factory life was calm and pleasant the first she
passed with relative ease they had a seemingly happy and content baby but as Martin developed he started
to reject even his mother's cuddles or any physical affection Carlene started to find it difficult to bond and she
found this harder to deal with as Martin grew older as soon as he could walk Martin was escaping from the house and
running away his escaping got so bad that Carlene resorted to putting him in a harness and a lead on the front
veranda of their home with a pile of toys although people complained to her about this Colleen took comfort in the
fact that she knew Martin was safe Martin was extremely slow to start talking and Carlene didn't feel she was
able to nurture Martin the way she would like she would find him destroying toys
and was confused by his behavior Maurice tried endlessly to help Martin to be a normal kid being as hands-on as he could
by the time Martin turned 3 they knew something wasn't quite right instead of creating a normal routine
primary-school made things even worse he was teased he behaved erratically and began to drive others away with his odd
behavior Martin would often creep up and scare other kids on their way home from school
he was assessed on a number of occasions by psychologists and psychiatrists who noted behavioural problems and learning
difficulties he was noted to be aggressive destructive and very difficult with other children he was
thought to be hyperactive and was placed on medication as he got older Martin was
caught cutting trees down at a neighbor's place and he often stole things from other kids he started to
suffer severe bullying and in turn became violin himself earning him a suspension from the local
new town Primary School in 1977 it was around this time just before entering high school his latest assessment would
no heed started torturing animals by 1980 he was transferred to a special education unit at Newtown High School
where things continued on a downhill spiral during high school he became a recluse he was mostly friendless and had
trouble socializing and relating to his peas one of his only schoolmates Greg ended his friendship the day Martin
stuck the spike of a speaker into the top of Greg's him when Martin turned 14 Maurice gave him an air rifle instead of
it giving him something to do on helped him focus it gave him an appetite for guns that would last the next 15 years
he started hiding along the creek and firing at passers-by or firing out onto the bay Martin would shoot birds out of
trees and shoot them again and again if they hadn't died instantly in early May 1983 the day before his 16th
birthday Martin left school by February the following year his parents had him clinically assessed again this time in
the hope you would receive a pension dr. Eric Cunningham Dax was a well respected
psychiatrist who had helped establish community mental health awareness services in Tasmania as well as a
research unit it wasn't long before he could see that Martin had a problem Martin was not able to concentrate on
what dr. Dax was saying and interrupted him to talk about the age of the house and at the fireplace in the room Martin
also still had troubles with the speech doctor Dax predicted that Martin would be unemployable as he would upset and
annoyed people to the extent he would always be in trouble so he would have to be put on a disability pension his notes
read cannot read or write does a bit of gardening and watches TV only his parents efforts that prevent further
deterioration could be schizophrenic and two parents faced a bleak future with you
Martin never saw a psychiatrist again although he did see a GP for anxiety and sleeping problems he was prescribed
tranquilizers in January 1993 and again later that year in August he took these tablets on three or four occasions per
week despite the findings of doctor Dax Martin did go on to get gardening and handyman work by early 1987 Martin had a
small lawn mowing business which is when he met Helen Harvey Martin was 19 years
old and Helen was then a 54 year old Harris to a substantial share in the tattles Lottery fortune
her grandfather David Harvey had been general manager to George Adams creator of the tarsals gambling Empire Helen
worked an office job with Tasmanian railways for a few years but at the age of 28 she retired to live with her
mother ylva in a neglected Newton mansion on Clare Street she was an eccentric woman some would
call slightly odd but harmless heavyset missing a couple of teeth with a whiff of body odor
she usually wore aging clothes desperate for a wash she had 14 dogs and over 40 cats living at the house Helen employed
Martin to do the lawns and help with some handyman work around the house by the mid 80s Helen and her mother Hoover
were known to be virtual recluses in June 1990 someone reported Helen to the health authorities when the authorities
arrived they found the house in a putrid state and both Helen and her mother in need of urgent hospital treatment pill
ver never came home from hospital she died a few weeks later after being transferred to a nursing home it was
revealed that Hill ver had been moved to downstairs into the kitchen it was here
that she was forced to sleep upright in a chair when she arrived at the hospital
they found she had an undiagnosed broken hip which had gone untreated for almost
two years Helen was ordered to clean up the property and she was no longer allowed
to keep animals there Maurice Bryant took long service life to help Martin with the cleanup of Helens home
soon after Helen asked Martin to move into the Clare Street property with her which he did they started spending a lot
of money together they spent every day shopping and lunching at restaurants around 2:10 within three years Helen had
bought 30 cars it took three months to clean up Clare Street skip be enough to skip in was piled with
rubbish furniture and clothing there had to be thrown away Helen was Martin's only friend they were
inseparable but always denied any form of sexual relationship in 1991 Helen and Martin moved to a 29 hectare 72 acre
farm called Taurus ville in copping the Clare Street property was kept empty neighbors at the new property and
copping recalled that Martin always carried an airgun and often fired it at tourists as they stopped to buy apples
at a stall on the highway late at night he would roam through the surrounding properties firing the gun at dogs when
they barked at him people avoided Martin at all costs despite his attempts to befriend them
Martin usually wore white overalls a red cardigan and a cravat during this time Helen had mentioned that Martin was not
an easy passenger in their car he often grabbed the steering wheel for her as she drove this was why she tended
to drive at a slow pace never wanting to exceed 60 km/h 37 miles even on country
roads Martin had not got his own driver's licence because he feared he would fail twice helen had run off the
road while trying to fend Martin off once running up against an embankment and the other time into a drain - Martin
it was not a death wish but a sudden childlike impulse one he could neither control nor suppress on the 20th of
October 1992 Helen and Martin were travelling in her car when Helen veered to the wrong side of the road hitting
another car head-on killing her instantly Martin was inside the vehicle at the time and was hospitalized for seven
months he had severe neck and back injuries he was briefly investigated by police for any possible role he played
in the accident but he was eventually cleared of suspicion martin was named the sole beneficiary of helens will and
came into possession of assets totaling more than six hundred and fifty thousand
dollars Helen even asked in her will that Martin be buried beside her when he died concerned he wouldn't know how to
control his newfound fortune Carlene Bryant applied for and was granted alongside Maurice a guardianship order
placing Martin's assets under the management of public trustees the order was based on evidence of Martin's
diminished intellectual capacity Martin's long recovery from his injuries meant that he returned home to his
parents for some time maurice looked after the copying farm until it was time to decide what to do with it Martin
spent thousands of dollars on scuba diving gear fishing rods and a small inflatable boat he would go abalone
diving at Port Arthur once or twice a week but he very tired of this hobby and started creating a surfer image he grew
his hair and would cruise surf spots near Hobart but he would only sit on the sand he never went into the water
Martin was reassessed through his pension it was a requirement of social services that he be reviewed in that
review the following note was made Martin's father protects him from any occasion which might upset him as he
continually threatens violence Martin tells me he would like to go around shooting people it would be unsafe to
allow Martin out of his parents control Maurice Bryant was a devoted and patient
father and husband who had dedicated over 20 years to helping Martin through his life during that time Maurice became
depressed and on more than one occasion mentioned a suicide to his wife he visited his doctor twice in six months
asking for help the constant anxiety and encroaching sadness and depression was on top of him
Maryse was prescribed antidepressants the year before Helen's death Maryse had filed a will with the public
trustees office in it he recognized that his son would find two life extremely difficult to manage in the event of his
passing he left the family home in UT on to Carlene or in the event of her death
its division between the two children Martin and windy because Martin would require extra resources Maryse left him
the proceeds of his superannuation fund worth more than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars three weeks later
Helen herself updated her own will naming Martin as the sole trustee Maurice knew there was no chance of
Martin managing the fortune he had inherited without some help he obtained a court order under the Mental Health
Act and had Martin's finances managed independently like he had always done he was making sure Martin's future was
looked after it was decided that the millions of dollars Martin was to receive ares lifetime would be doled out
in a controlled way to ensure it lasted for life after Helen Harvey's death Martin's sense of loss was immense Helen
was the only true friend Martin had ever known his behavior became increasingly antagonistic as he struggled to form new
friendships he started pestering kids as young as nine to join in their games but
he only succeeded in scaring them off in mid of 1993 Maurice put his and Colleen's joint bank accounts solely in
his wife's name and signed all of the bills for household utilities over to her on Friday the 13th of August 1993
Maurice Bryant drove to the copying farm for the weekend Carlene didn't question
the time her husband wanted to spend alone but became anxious when he telephoned about 7:30 that evening he
sounded particularly quiet and withdrawn Carlene said over all the years when any
of us would travel we would always telephone to say we had arrived safely on Friday evening Maurice telephoned and
said very little other than I love you at the time I was surprised as he had not said that before when calling and so
I assumed he had had a future Maryse made another call that night to his daughter Lindy who was in Queensland
he told her he loved her he didn't call Martin the next morning a man came to the front door of the copping farmhouse
to answer an advertisement for a horse float no one answered but pinned to the door was a note in
maurices handwriting caught the police officer Phil pipe was first on the scene and later recruits from the police
academy were called in to assist in the search and rescue of 60 year old Maurice
Bryant a firearm was found to be missing from the house they searched up the hill
in light scrub towards the back of the property and back around to the farm EOS they noticed a man with long blond hair
watching intently from the fence he was staring at the female recruits and kept hanging around it was Martin the son of
the men they were looking for it became unnerving when Martin attempted to ask female officers out on a date while
trying to find his father it took two days to find maurices body they located him in one of the four dams on the
property he was facedown in almost three metres of water his body weighed down with a diving belt
around his neck and across his body there was a strip of anti-anxiety medication in his pocket with 18 of the
30 tablets gone constable Gary Whittle took Martin to formally identify his father a requirement under the coroner's
act he stood there for several moments looking down at his father before nodding to Constable Whittle as Martin
walked away he was seen to be almost two laughing he was completely disconnected
from the death of his father Martin engaged with people on the property with jokes laughing loudly while ignoring the
activity down near the den Martin was briefly suspected of murdering his father due to the emotional detachment
and actual enjoyment of searching for his body but it was determined that Maurice had committed suicide Martin
sold the copying farm and moved to back into Clare Street he lived alone often threatening neighbors that he would
shoot them they trespassed on his property he also kept a strange schedule of sleeping all
day and wandering around outside at night after his father died Martin became even more erratic and displayed
more unusual behavior he started wearing a grey linen suit cravat lizard skin shoes and a Panama hat
while carrying a briefcase during the day telling anyone who would listen that he had a well-paying career he also wore
an electric blue suit with flared trousers and a ruffled shirt two restaurants that he frequented between
1993 into 1996 he started travelling Martin visited Europe six times the US and Southeast Asia
three times as well as New Zealand and Japan he also travelled extensively throughout Australia he complained about
nearly every destination and often came straight home not staying for the trip as he had planned on his first trip to
Singapore he lasted just three days before returning home people tended to avoid him he would later say that the
best part of his international trips was the long plane journey the attraction of
the long plane journey was that he could speak to the people next to him who presumably being strapped to their seats
had no choice but to at least appear friendly he loved at describing some of what he regarded as the more successful
interactions with fellow travelers on one of his trips overseas he met a young woman who he talked to for most of the
long flight back from London when they arrived home the woman heard Martin Fannie's mother to say he had met the
woman he would marry in late 1995 Martin began to feel ignored and that people were against him
he became suicidal and decided he had had enough although he had previously been little more than a social drinker
his alcohol consumption had increased by early 1996 some days he would drink half
a bottle of sambuca and a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream supplemented with wine and sweet alcoholic drinks he later
told a psychologist that during this time he felt as though he would be better off dead after moving back into
the Clair Street mansion Martin had allowed it to become neglected yet again in early 1996 he
placed an ad in The Mercury newspaper in Hobart for a gardeners position at Clair
Street he no longer did the gardening and ironically the job he once did for Helen would soon be filled by someone
who would also become attached to Martin a young woman named Petra answered the ad and she was employed soon after Peter
was no longer doing the gardening but she started going out with Martin and often stayed over at his house on the
15th of April 1996 Peter went to Hobart with Martin to go shopping Martin was looking for a bag so they
went to the sports section of Maya department store Martin purchased the Printz sports bag having first measured
it with a tape measure he had brought from home he told Pedro he was going to use the bag for Tai Chi but in a
conversation with the shop assistant Martin said the bag had to have strong handles as it would be used to carry a
lot of ammunition Martin had been doing some odd jobs here and there at a bed-and-breakfast called seascape near
Port Arthur he was in a bad mood because they had told him a few days earlier that they didn't require services
anymore Martin didn't like the couple he worked for there anyway and that they had argued on numerous occasions about
land Martin believed should have belonged to his father Martin's parents had unsuccessfully tried to buy seascape
before Maurice took his own life and Martin believed the process had really affected his father
Martin patched up his differences with a couple when he started working for them
but when he was laid off he became angry at them again on the 25th of April 1996
Anzac Day Martin travelled to the town of Richmond with Pietra he had just purchased a new camera and wanted to try
it out on that day he spoke to a shopkeeper and asked her how busy it was in Richmond on Sundays he spoke to her
about tourists and made racist comments about Japanese tourists and wasps which is something he spoke about all the time
white anglo-saxon Protestants on Saturday night the 27th of April 1996 Peter and Martin went for dinner at
Carlene Bryan's house Martin and Pedro hadn't left each other's side for weeks Martin drank more alcohol than usual at
dinner he became very talkative and a little aggressive but in a somewhat jokingly
manner after leaving his mother's home they traveled to a local nightclub and then returned to the Clare Street
property where Martin said his alarm clock for 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning this was the first time Petra or anyone who
knew Martin had ever seen or heard of him setting an alarm Petra had never seen Martin rise that early he had no
job into no commitments at 6 a.m. Sunday the 28th of April 1996 Martin woke to the sound of his alarm Peter got up with
him they showered together and sat down to a breakfast of cereal honey on toast and a cup of tea Petra left the house at
8 a.m. and went to visit her parents Martin didn't mention where he was going that day
Martin fixed his surfboard to the roof of his yellow Volvo he didn't possess a driver's license
although this didn't stop him driving he often put the surfboard on his car although he never surfed he wanted
people to think he did he walked back into the house and picked up the Prince sports bag which he had already packed
earlier he put it in the boot of the Volvo along with a few other things at 9:47 a.m. he said his house alarm and
to left his Clair Street home as he pulled out of the driveway he headed towards the southern Tasman Peninsula
just over half an hour later he arrived at the midway point News Agency the store sits along a small strip of shops
and a petrol station on a peak of winding inlets just north of Hobart Airport at 10:30 a.m. Martin went in and
bought a cigarette lighter the owner angelo recognized martin he hadn't seen him for quite a while but
about 18 months prior Martin went into his news agency almost daily on this occasion Martin didn't say hello or even
acknowledge Angelo he overpaid for the lighter leaving the change and to left the store abruptly when Martin crossed
the bridge over to Sorrell he stopped in at the supermarket and dented carrying the large sports bag from his boot the
supermarket owner watched him closely coming in with such a large bag was unusual Martin walked to the counter and
placed the bottle of tomato sauce at the register he pulled out a large amount of
small coins from his pocket paid for the source and went back to his car placing
the bag back into the boot he arrived at the small town of Fawcett a little further southeast around 11:30 a.m. he
stopped at the Shell service station and ordered a coffee from the attendant Gary
Martin tart Gary had been there a few days before and had enjoyed his coffee but please this time though with a
kettle for less time Martin told Gary he was going surfing at roaring Beach Gary noticed the surfboard on the roof
of the Volvo he knew the conditions weren't good for surfing that day but he didn't say anything
Martin counted out a pile of five-and-ten-cent pieces and put them on the counter a few people noticed the
yellow Volvo with the surfboard along the road to Tirana where he stopped for the fourth time that morning this time
he stopped at the petrol station which was also a bakery and purchased $15 worth of petrol Martin then kept driving
south along the peninsula towards the Port Arthur historical site about five kilometers before he got there he turned
into the seascape cottages where he had been fired from his job only a week earlier by the owners David and Nolan
Martin Martin Bryant pulled into the seascape just before 12:00 midday the guesthouse had a busy night their night
before but all the guests had moved on and David and Nolan were inside cleaning and tidying Martin drove up the driveway
back these a Volvo up to the front door got out and left his driver's side door open he went to the boot of his car and
then walked inside around 20 minutes later Martin walked outside seascape and locked the door with a set of keys at
that exact moment Maureen and John Mason pulled up in a car they had spent the morning at Port
Arthur and had noticed the seascape cottages on their way they decided to stop in on their way back to Hobart
Airport they wanted to check out the guest house as a possible place to stay on their next trip that has mania they
pulled up the driveway and got out of their car neither of them took particular notice of the Volvo but saw
it parked close to the guest house Martin appeared from the front of the house they know dude he was casually
dressed with wavy blond hair past these shoulders he appeared highly agitated and to this immediately alarmed marine
and John Martin was making jerking movements with his hands and couldn't stay still John said to him I wonder if
we could have a look at one of the apartments to which Martin replied no my mother and father are out for ten
minutes I can't show you around because I've got my girlfriend inside there couple immediately felt that Martin was
speaking as if something was wrong they didn't think his speech was natural he seemed rude and uneasy murine urged
the John to get out there they left with a very uneasy feeling especially when looking back they saw Martin staring at
them it was 12:35 p.m. after marine and John left Martin got back in his car he drove back out onto the Arthur Highway
and stopped when he saw two people whose vehicle was overheated they chatted briefly they asked Martin if he was
going surfing to which he replied no I'm going to the Isle of the Dead to get rid
of some wasps Martin then suggested that they meet up later at the Port Arthur cafe saying you can shout me a cup of
coffee as Martin approached the Port Arthur tourist site he drove to the southern
side to Palmer's lookout Road he stopped at the Lana's place he had known Roger Lana and his wife since he was a little
boy Martin spoke with Roger and asked him about his health in return Roger asked about Martin's health to which he
replied I don't drink much anymore and I don't smoke I'm down here surfing Martin
also mentioned he was looking for some cattle to buy Roger said he had some cattle to sell but Martin told him he
wasn't interested in looking at them right away he then said to Roger I wouldn't mind buying the Martin's
place seascape Martin asked Roger if his wife was home when Roger said she was Martin asked if he could go up the house
to see her Roger allowed him to but said he would go with him Martin quickly changed his mind Roger
wasn't surprised by this change of mind sometime after the death of Maurice Bryant Martin had come across Rogers
wife in Newton he had made a nuisance of himself and after that encounter he had
rung her on a number of occasions because had become such a nuisance that they reported it to the police so
when Roger offered their accompany Martin to see his wife he expected him to say no Martin's demeanor was cool and
calm as he got back in his car and drove away at 1:10 p.m. almost three and a half hours after he left his home on
Clair Street Martin pulled up towards the toll booth of the Port Arthur historical soil when he approached the
toll Martin paid his $13 entrance fee but he complained and seemed miffed he drove down chedi Road towards the car
park near the Broad Arrow Cafe he came across the site security manager in Kingston who was directing people in the
car park as well as directing buses down to the bus base in the lower car park near the water's edge Martin approached
him in his Volvo and said he wanted to park down with the buses at the water Ian directed him away saying it was
reserved for buses and camp events he suggested Martin park in the area under the oak trees he noticed a large sports
bag on the backseat of Martin's car Martin became argumentative saying he wanted to get on the 130 ferry he then
sped off towards the information center the ferry is a short tour included with the ticket to Port Arthur from the ferry
you can see the old penal colony graveyard sitting on an island referred to as the Isle of the Dead but Martin
didn't make it to the ferry Ian watched as he drove down to the bus carpark parking his Volvo a few spaces
down from a row of buses Martin sat in his car for about thirty seconds before getting you
he muttering ant in the boot for a couple of minutes before walking to the backseat and picking up the large sports
bag which he put over his shoulder he then walked towards the broad arrow cafe Ian let it go and got back on with his
job it was 1:25 p.m. Broad Arrow Cafe was a large colonial style building which also
housed the neighboring gift shop and faced the main part of the historical ruins of Port Arthur there was a large
veranda area at the front with outdoor tables and umbrellas tourists were spread across the vast site visiting the
different parts of the old penal colony in the center facing the cafe the prison
sat behind a huge manicured lawn people were strolling the grounds of the majestic Church still with most of its
walls intact as well as the jetty the guard tower the watchman's quarters and the governor's
residence lunch was in full swing in the Broad Arrow cafe there were upwards of 60 customers they were sitting down to
eat or waiting to be served others were browsing the adjoining souvenir and gift
shop just on 1:30 p.m. Martin walked in the front door he ordered his food and bought two juices he walked out another
door to sit on the tables on the veranda as he did so he requested a woman who is
entering with a party of ten to hold the door for him someone commented on the enormous size of his meal to which he
replied he was hungry because he had been surfing all day he sat down on the edge of the second-to-last table on the
veranda he put down his tray and place the large and heavy sports bag on the ground by his side he mentioned too
loudly that there was a lot of wasps about and complained about the parking he also mentioned that there weren't
many Japanese tourists out that day people ignored him Martin ate his food quickly when he
finished he suddenly stood up almost knocking his tray on the ground he reached down and picked up his sports
back he placed it over his shoulder picked up his tray and walked back inside the cafe
he went through the main doorway of his time and again asked someone to hold the
door open for him Martin walked into the inside dining area he pasts groups of diners and placed his
bag on an unoccupied table in the northwestern corner of the cafe he unzipped his bag and took out an ar-15
semiautomatic rifle fitted with a thirty shot magazine within approximately four
seconds Martin fired five shots three people had been killed a couple and another woman
sitting amongst the large group with an actor Martin it happened so quickly she did not have a chance to drop to the
ground in hiding shots continued to fire in immediate succession Martin targeted people
directly but it stray bullets also hit others Martin turned and commenced firing the weapon at people further down
the cafe in the western corner a man jumped the counter in heat while observing the carnage another man
sitting alone instinctively stood up shouting no no not here he was immediately shot by now people outside
the cafe were approaching to see what was going on as they approached they saw someone slump against the window on the
inside he was the seventh victim victims eight and nine fell seconds later with the shrapnel injuring a number of other
people people leapt on top of others to shelter friends family and also the shelter complete strangers human
instinct took over and no one had time to think Martin continued walking through the cafe shooting at people the
shots were heard from as far as the ruins on the other side of the soil some thought a reenactment was taking place
an innocent reenactment of the history of Port Arthur but it wasn't long before most people realized this was no
reenactment and the lives were in danger few people had an opportunity to react let alone escape
inside the gift shop people were carrying and hiding as best they could the exit door to the veranda was locked
and unable to be opened as Martin move towards the gift shop I mean he was still sitting in a table and likely in a
state of shock stood up he would later describe his reaction as confused he thought he may have been able to make it
to the safety of the nearby fireplace but as he moved Martin shot him twice seriously wringing him but he survived
two gift shop workers were shot dead at the counter while others hid behind displays and some behind a curtain
Martin then shot and killed a man and woman before turning his back and re-entering the cafe once again he
appeared to have been distracted by some noise and movement in the cafe many people pretended they were dead as they
lay underneath tables and on the floor ballistics experts would later conclude that the shooting may have only been
going for 30 seconds at this point a man heard a break in the gunfire and said he's gone so he started to move this
happened as Martin was re-entering the cafe as the man stood up he was shot twice and killed he was heard shouting
no before being shot once again Martin returned to the gift shop and walked over to where a group of five people
were huddled together near the locked exit door he shot and killed three of them
in less than two minutes Martin had left 29 spent shells on the floor of the cafe
and a gift shop 20 people were dead in - 12 were injured cafe staffer in from the
serving area into the kitchen area kitchen staff were told what was happening and four of them managed to
escape out the back three of them hiding behind trees and shrubs on the fourth rent towards the information center to
warn others and to get help people sitting on buses watched this Martin exited the cafe he stood on the balcony
and fired his gun towards the ruins on the other side of the bay he also fired near the sports ground and the buses and
towards the Visitor Information Center people were running in scattering everywhere the Martin was near firing
indiscriminately and no particular target he walked towards the front of the buses whilst the number of people
were moving quickly between them headed towards the water's edge one of the bus drivers was moving along the outer side
of the bus when he was shot and killed as Martin moved towards a group sheltering behind a bus he shot at them
killing one woman injuring another and also injuring the woman from the kitchen who had run to warn them she
would later undergo six operations Martin turned around and fired at another group fleeing towards the jetty
injuring two more people he then walked to the boot of his Volvo and changed weapons he took out of the boot a
semi-automatic 308 self-loading rifle a military style weapon Martin fired it across the water towards
the ruins and then back towards the cafe he walked to the driver's door of his Volvo and for some reason sat
momentarily behind the steering wheel before getting up and walking back towards the buses again
Martin fired out over the field towards the ruins at the back of the soil a woman saw some gravel fly up from the
pathway a foot or two in front of her she was one of the ones who thought this was still a reenactment she marveled at
how ingenious it was that a small explosive device could be implanted in the path making such a realistic effect
at this moment Martin walked up the to people's children behind a tree he's shot at them but missed hitting the tree
instead walking back towards the buses again Martin saw a woman he had shot and wounded earlier she was lying injured on
the ground with one shot he killed her shots were fired into the windows of the first bus but luckily no one was on
board Martin then walked onto the bus next to this one two women sat motionless next
to each other as Martin boarded he shot and killed one of them a man who had gone to the aid of his dying wife was
shot but managed to get up and run for shelter onto the bus next to the one Martin was on Martin saw him into the
bus and calmly walked on after him the men attempted to hide behind some seats but when he looked up there was a rifle
pointed any before he pulled the trigger Martin said no one gets away from me the man ducked instinctively and the
bullet missed his head and struck him in the neck he felt immediately paralyzed but miraculously regained movement in
his legs and was able to walk off the bus about ten minutes later he made it back to his wife only for her to die in
his arms an American tourist video this encounter when Martin saw in filming his
shot at him but missed striking a nearby car instead survivors described Martin's
demeanor as calm unrushed and is not showing any signs of emotion the first call was made to triple-zero at 1:32
p.m. wendy scre who was working as a tour guide placed the call from the information center within minutes
numerous other calls were made giving more details about what was happening at Port Arthur with 24 dead and 18 injured
behind him Martin Bryant walked back to his car he calmly opened at the driver's
door and got in he started the engine and began beeping the horn and waving firing at his window over the site
towards the ruins he drove along jetty Road towards the toll booth a red Commodore and a gold BMW had entered
through the toll booth entrance and were driving down the road to the a park that were warned by an elderly
man on the way not to go any further as someone was firing shots the driver of the Commodore reversed the small way
before doing in Utah the gold BMW performed a similar maneuver and had come to block the entrance so the red
commodore pulled over under the two occupants got out and started running they were picked up by another couple
and driven to the Port Arthur service station just north of the entrance the golden BMW had a local woman and three
visiting friends inside they stopped at the toll booth and all watched down the road as the yellow Volvo approached them
as Martin was driving up the hill he saw a young mother and her two daughters walking up the road
Martin opened his door and slowed down stopping next to them the mother moved towards the car she and another lady
with her thought it was someone offering them help to escape but someone else recognized Martin as the gunman and
yelled out it's him Martin casually climbed out of his car and pointed his gun with his hand on her shoulder he
instantly shot and killed the mother and one of her daughters the second daughter
attempted to run away the side of the road was lined with trees and she ran to hide behind one in the hopes Martin
wouldn't see her but he had been behind her the whole time with two shots she too lost her life
Martin fired at some people hiding in a bush but missed others further up the road began running
they told drivers of cars coming down the road to go back and many ran on foot down a dirt side road and hit him the
bush as casually as he had exited the car he again got back in and drove towards the toll booth which was manned
by the same person he had paid his 13 dollar entrance fee to earlier Martin pulled up just past the toll booth
approximately level with or slightly behind the gold BMW as Martin shot the toll booth attendant the gold BMW still
with four occupants inside tried to exit onto the main road the woman in the front passenger side of the BMW was
motioning to another vehicle approaching to go back at the same time Martin walked to the rear is a Volvo and
removed the 308 self-loading rifle he shot a repast enger' in the BMW the female driver of the BMW got out and
walked towards Martin she too was fatally shot Martin turned his attention to the two remaining occupants of the
BMW shooting them and dragging them from the car on lookers watched in horror as
he went back to his Volvo and transferred ammunition a set of handcuffs the ar-15 and one container of
petrol into the BMW Martin drove out the exit of Port Arthur leaving behind his yellow Volvo with the surfboard still
attached to the roof racks inside the Volvo he left behind a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun that was fitted
with a magazine containing nine cartridges a gun he would later state he was scared to shoot Martin also left
behind two magazines for the 308 rifle one empty and one containing 17 boyfriend's a magazine for the colt
ar-15 rifle containing 12 live rounds and a cardboard box containing 439 308 caliber cartridges there was a 25 litre
gasoline container containing 20 litres of petrol and a second a 10 liter drum containing 7 litres of petrol plus three
packets of little Lucifer fire starters as Martin drove off another car approached along the road and he shot at
it spraying the driver with glass a second bullet hit the driver's door as the men escaped speeding off down the
road Martin drove towards a nearby service station and with a screeching halt he cut off a white Toyota Corolla
witnesses including the men who had just been shot at watch this Martin waving a
gun around and yelling tried to pull the female passenger from the car as she screamed the male driver got out to
approach Martin who pointed his gun directly at him and forced him into the boot of the BMW the man was pleading
with Martin not to shoot the young woman too scared to move sat trapped in her Corolla trying to crawl over to the
driver's seat in a scrambling panic with just a few slow and steady steps Martin calmly walked to the front of the
car and shot it through the windscreen killing her instantly it was at this point the service station
attendant had everyone inside lie down as he locked the main doors he grabbed his rifle but by the time he could
retrieve some ammunition Martin was back in the BMW and gone a kilometre down the road Martin shot at a
red Ford Falcon driving towards him smashing the windscreen he then made a sharp turn leading back down the road
towards the seascape cottage Martin saw a four-wheel-drive approaching and he pulled over and got out of his car the
female driver of the four-wheel drive and the passenger her boyfriend saw Martin carrying a gun their first
thought was that he was shooting rabbits but then both watched in horror as he lifted his gun and pointed it at them
the woman felt the wind of the first round as it passed her cheek and shattered the driver's window next to
her head Martin then corrected his aim in the second round hit her in the arm the
third round of bullets hit the bonnet and immediately stopped the engine while of a bullet smash the windows
luckily the car was heading down a hill and they were able to roll down and around a corner a further two cars were
shot at and people injured Martin then hurried back to the BMW and sped off down the driveway at the seascape
cottage towards their guest house it was 2 p.m. Martin stopped on the seascape property
beside a tall edge he dragged his hostage from the boot and forced him inside unlocking the front door with the
keys he had stolen earlier he handcuffed his new hostage to a stair rail he then
walked back outside collected his ammunition and then set the BMW a line using the container of petrol after
receiving the first triple-zero call at 1:32 p.m. officers Paul Highland and Garry Whittle were dispatched the call
was that a lone gunman was wreaking terror at the Port Arthur historical site it was not initially clear what was
happening but there were possibly deaths and definitely injuries Highland and wibble were there only two police
officers stationed in the peninsula area that afternoon at the time they got the call there were
30 kilometres of 19 miles away responding to a call out to saltwater river someone had reported white powder
found in jars which would later turn out to be washing piata it would take them over 20 minutes at high speed to get to
the Port Arthur area a conference was scheduled to be held in the north of the state in the days following and police
resources were not on hand in the area as they would normally be Highland and Whittle were told to stay on the lookout
for a yellow Volvo the officers drove in different police vehicles and headed off
on two different routes giving them a better chance of seeing the car it is not common police practice for officers
to separate especially when a man with a gun is on the loose but we've no other backup close by the officers knew it was
necessary constable we'd all took the most the rep route to Port Arthur with constable Highland taking the longer
route via Tirana in an attempt to cut off any escape by the gunman radio broadcasts kept updating his new calls
were made to triple zero constable Highland to stop that the shot at four-wheel drive on the road near the
seascape cottage constable Whittle headed towards the Port Arthur general store then they teamed back up and set
off for the seascape cottage the officers arrived after 2:00 p.m. they saw a BMW on fire with black heavy smoke
billowing from the vehicle the back half had not yet caught a lot it was obvious
the fire had not long started constable Highland had decided to drive further north up the road to stop any traffic
from coming down as he did so he caught a brief glimpse of a figure running past
one of the cottages towards the entrance of the main residence constable Highland
stopped his vehicle across the roadway about four hundred meters north of seascape and remained in this position
for some time constable Whittle meanwhile had positioned his vehicle at an angle
across the highway outside the seascape entrance to block northbound traffic after hearing a loud explosion coming
from the direction of the burning BMW constable Whittle took cover at the rear of his police vehicle about 2:10 p.m.
Martin received a call from a reporter from the ABC television station who was randomly ringing local businesses trying
to receive information about what was occurring Martin answered the phone and told her
his name was Jamie the reporter asked him if he knew what was happening to which he replied lots of fun Martin then
told her that if she found him again he would shoot his hostage at through our 8:00 p.m. and again at 3:25 p.m. the
girlfriend of Constable Highland received two telephone calls Harland was by now hiding in a ditch outside
seascape the calls were from Martin Bryant who was again calling himself Jamie Martin asked Highlands girlfriend
if she knew where her husband was and if she knew whether or not her husband was
ok when she didn't answer Martin said that he knew where her husband was and used constable violins
name Martin knew exactly who the officers waiting outside were remember constable Whittle was the officer who
was with Martin when he identified his father's body sergeant Andrew Fogarty from the Special Operations group
arrived shortly afterwards together with constable Pat Palin from the traffic operations group constable Pat Allen
reversed his police vehicle from the direction of Port Arthur towards a constable whittles vehicle as he did so
constable Whittle heard three very loud shots from the direction of seascape bullets passed over constable Allen's
vehicle hitting bush or shrubbery to his right constable Whittle was then joined by
constable Allen and they both also took cover in a ditch off the side of the road during their time in the ditch a
large number of shots were fired in their general direction from several different weapons every time they moved
Martin would fire them as well as his own firearms Martin now had access to a considerable number of firearms owned by
members of the Martin family inside seascape specialist teams were put into place
assistant commissioner Lupo Prince initiated the SAC pave national anti-terrorist plan that had been
endorsed the previous year November 1995 a Police major incident room was set up
at police headquarters with Lupo Prince being the commander a police forward command post was set up at Tirana where
superintendent Bennett was the forward commander the hostage situation required police negotiators and by 2:25 p.m. a
team was formed under sergeant Terry McCarthy at 3:30 p.m. the first negotiators phone call is placed to the
landline inside seascape cottages Martin entered and continued to refer to himself as Jamie by 4:30 p.m. the phone
company had established the secure telephone line permitting a member of the negotiation team to communicate
directly by telephone with Bryant from that time until about 9:30 p.m. the police hostage negotiator made contact
with Martin on several separate occasions during these calls Martin maintained the hostages were
alive claiming them something to eat and given them during the phone calls Martin
made comments about things he knew from the hostage taking in the boot of his car leading investigators to assume he
had some dialogue with the hostage Martin demanded to be provided with a helicopter to take him to Hobart Airport
where he then wanted to be flown to Adelaide he threatened to kill his hostages if these demands were not met
he said that when the helicopter arrived intended to take one hostage with him and release the others around the 9:00
p.m. police special operations group members arrived from Victoria to assist the Tasmanian Special Operations Group
as shots were still being fired they couldn't approach the house or open fire themselves for fear of hurting one
of the three hostages they didn't know for sure if they was still alive but they had to assume they were the Special
Operations Group were able to get officers Whittle and Allen out of their ditch under the cover of darkness
wearing riot shields and bullet resistant jackets at 11:35 p.m. a request was made for the coroner to
attempt police felt the outcome was looking brave during the seascape siege Martin could see the movements of the
Special Operations Group officers he continually demanded their retreat each time they began to approach the house he
appeared to have excellent awareness of the events around him a man was spotted on the roof of an adjacent building at
one point which is assumed had to be Martin later in the night the cordless phone Martin was using began to run low
on batteries police tried unsuccessfully to get him to return the phone to the charger but it went dead and there were
no further communications the siege continued throughout the night and apart from a lull between the hours of 4:00
a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on the 29th of April Martin continued to discharge firearms in various directions from the upper
floor of the residence several different weapons were used and in excess of 150 shots were fired at no stage did any of
the Special Operations Group police returned fire because of the risk to the hostages an 8 a.m. on the 29th of April
18 hours after Martin arrived at seascape cottage the house was set ablaze the upstairs portion of the house
was on fire and there were flames coming partly down the lower level the fire was
spreading slowly but Martin was still firing shots so police couldn't approach thirty minutes after the fire started
Martin Bryant walked out of a cottage his clothes on fire he taunted police to come and get him he was tackled to the
ground and the fire was extinguished he was escorted by heavily armed Special Operations officers to a nearby
imbalance and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital survivors of the shooting were being treated in the same hospital
Marvin was quickly ushered into a section segregated from survivors after putting out the fire which had destroyed
much of the large main cottage three bodies were discovered in the rubble David and Nolan Martin were found all
been killed before the rampage at Port Arthur started the third body was the hostage Martin had taken on the highway
it is still unknown exactly when he died but he was the 35th person Martin Bryant
killed that day the two to three ar-15 semiautomatic rifle that Martin had used to murder most of his victims was
recovered from the wreckage of the seascape cottage the other rifle was discovered on the balcony roof of the
small cottage to the south of the burnt-out main residence in the days that followed police conducted an
extensive search of Martin's house in Clair Street Newton in the hallway of the residents lying open were two
plastic gun cases they also found two gun cleaning kits a third canvas gun case and the two-to-three caliber
automatic self-loading rifle also recovered from Martins house was a large quantity of 38 caliber and two to three
caliber ammunition in an upstairs bedroom and in one of the lower front rooms secreted in the bottom of two
separate pianos were two leather ammunition belts containing two 308 caliber cartridges and thirty two to
three caliber cartridges together with several boxes of ammunition and two magazines
in total 1491 308 caliber into 246 two to three caliber live rounds of ammunition were seized from Martin
Bryan's home on the evening of Monday the 29th of April detective Inspector John Warren unsuccessfully attempted to
interview Martin in his room at the Royal Hobart Hospital at that time Martin was sedated Detective Inspector
warrant returned the following morning Martin's response to the allegations was that he didn't know anything and had
been a long way from Port Arthur surfing he said I've been unjustly accused Martin the declined to participate in a
video recorded interview an Inspector warrant then formally arrested him for the murder of one of the victims Cape
Elizabeth Scott on Monday the 6th of May 1996 the Port Arthur task force was established under the overall command of
Superintendent Jack Johnston with detective inspectors Warren and Payne maintaining control of the ongoing
investigation on the 4th of July 1996 after obtaining the permission of Martin's then defense lawyer mr. Gunson
inspectors Warren and Payne conducted an interview with Martin at Risdon prison he remembers 28 survivors and identified
issues I said the days everyone's talking about during the course of this interview
Martin admitted ownership of the colt ar-15 rifle he further admitted to kidnapping a male
person and ordering him at gunpoint into the boot of the BMW and then driving the
BMW to seascape however at all times throughout the interview Martin denied that he had ever entered the Port Arthur
Historic Site on the 28th of April and denied shooting anyone his account of the kidnapping on the highway and the
stealing of the BMW were contradictory to witness accounts police paramedics and forensic experts would later break
down when they were asked to describe the scene inside the cafe witnesses to the shooting found it difficult to find
the words to describe what happened the Port Arthur massacre excluding the time at seascape had lasted about 30 minutes
in total 35 were dead 23 injured many seriously injured nothing could prepare surgeons and nurses at Hobart Hospital
for what was to come or what they would see gunshot wounds had left gaping holes
where bullets had gone straight through whole parts of bodies were missing blood
loss had been enormous coincidentally on that Sunday morning 25 specialists doctors based all over Australia from
the Royal Australian College of Surgeons had attended a training course in Hobart
and their last lecture was on terrorist attacks and gunshot wounds they stayed on to help take care of the wounded
victims in an effort to explain what had happened police escorted hundreds of reporters on to the Port Arthur site as
well as close by after seascape yellow paint markings over the carpark and cafe area signified whether dead and injured
had fallen after this more than 700 reporters from 17 nations attended there was a media frenzy a quote from reporter
Colin James in an article for the Adelaide Advertiser nothing could get anyone ready for the
grief and anguish of those who lost somebody or the sense of sadness hanging in the crisp Tasmanian air like a heavy
cloud Australians have found it impossible to grasp but as such a wanton slaughter could happen in a place of
such breadth taking beauty and serenity like Tasmania Martin Bryant lay in bed in the Royal Hobart Hospital
he was separated from his survivors some of whom were still fighting for their lives six days after the massacre
Tasmanian police officer Phil pike who was the first officer on the scene in the search for Maurice Bryant years
earlier described the guarding Martin the following is taken from no te and wrote during that time I commenced my
shift at 6:00 a.m. with two other members from the prosecution section and another from the radio room Bryant was
asleep in the end Ward with all external door secured hospital security assisted
by police staffed the locked entry doors untrained for this type of situation they were very nervous the prison
officers sat at the entrance to Bryant's room a large room with normally four beds now only house is alleged killer as
Brian had been formally charged and detained he was in the custody of the Justice Department not Tasmania police
looking around the corner my first view was of a huddled figure under brown sheets he's had a massive burnt hair in
the darkness I couldn't tell if he was asleep or awake and watching us the room smell of burnt skin which I could
thankfully only faintly detect due to having a limited sense of smell our briefing said Bryant previously had made
threats towards the nursing staff making shooting motions with his hands the lights of the room came on as the relief
shift for the prison staff arrived pulling back the sheets to check his handcuffs his severely burned body was
covered with the knitted bandage commonly used for burn victims looking at Bryant's lying in the bed I wondered
how I could protect him if anyone forced their way into the ward to harm him we had received unvalidated reports of
people flying from the mainland to try and kill him suspects had allegedly made a
reconnaissance of the area - making application for security positions at the hospital I made up my mind to
protect the prison officers and nursing stuff but not Bryant if anyone came through the door with firearms
having perhaps this decision wouldn't have been sound judgment but with 26 hours sleep over five days I was
sleep-deprived like many others I saw his behavior change from being completely childlike to that of an evil
killer many times over the day with one incident in particular involving me as I
chatted with one of the prison officers who lived in my hometown I was aware Bryant was watching me intently looking
towards him Bryant slowly closed his eyes as if he was falling asleep when I looked away he fixed me with a stare I
described as pure evil this was the killer the person I knew was capable of having carried out those murders it was
at this point there was no doubt in my mind he had committed this crime after going through the past few days and
remembering his victims I pulled my stool towards him as he opened his eyes and again fixed me with that evil stare
I tapped my fingers on the outside of my holster saying if you get out of those handcuffs Martin this is for you as I
fight back unlike your other victims after this engagement he no longer held any eye contact with me I heard Bryant
described his love of action movies especially those with Steven Seagal which linked in with my observations
inside his house on the morning of 29 April when asked about certain people I heard Bryant say I hated the Martins I
did it because they were the worst people in my life as I now know the owners of seascape were killed first in
the chain of events on April 28 bend each changing was hard as the badly injured Bryant was in pain after one
session of nursing staff changing the bandages Bryant said in his childlike voice thank you for looking after me in
treating me so kindly the nurse fled the room in tears personally struggling to show compassion to this spree killer his
voice was often regressed to quiet and childlike when he wanted something it was always please could I have
something to eat please I need to go to the toilet Bryant was always childlike with the
ability to instantly switch into the killer with a look of pure evil knowing him before having worked at the
scene observed inside his house and now at the hospital it is my belief Bryant saw himself as an action hero of some
nature for me there remains no logic in the madness and evil which took place at
Port Arthur prior to facing court Martin was examined by court-appointed psychiatrist
Ian sail who diagnosed Bryant with Asperger's syndrome psychiatrist Paul Mullen hired at the request of Martin's
legal counsel also examined him he found that Martin was socially and intellectually impaired but did not
display signs of schizophrenia or a mood disorder Mullen disagreed with sales analysis of Bryant Sale believes that
Bryant showed a combination of conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
whereas Mullen concluded though mr. Bryant was clearly a distressed and disturbed young man he was not mentally
ill a psychiatric report was conducted by Martin's defense intended to clarify to the court why an insanity plea was
not considered appropriate and to at least outlined some of the factors which contributed to the actions of Martin it
was conducted in hospital on the 4th of May 1996 and lasted three and a half hours the report stated Martin was
anxious but gradually relaxed as the interview progressed he was receiving medication for pain but this did not
produce any disorientation or obvious disorganization in his state of mind he initially denied memories of the
offences but subsequently gave a fuller account he presented initially as a normal man coherent but with limited
vocabulary it was only when they attempted to test his comprehension skills and numeracy that the extent of
his intellectual limitation became clear Martin's intelligence was tested on a number of occasions the extensive the
testing revealed a full scale IQ of 66 making him intellectually in the lowest 1 to 2 percent of the population
although a measure of intelligence is of practicable significance than functional
capacities and it was clear that Martin had functioning capabilities he functioned in the community lived
independently albeit with the assistance and financial constraints provided by a
guardian he managed if not only to function in his everyday in routine environment but also managed to cope
with trips interstate and overseas he was described as having a fascination with weapons with his money came access
to weapons with enormous potential for destruction the court would hear that while interviewed Martin would refer to
the massacre as the accident he claimed to have no memory of the shootings or the events leading up to it he would
state he only remembered driving the BMW at a higher speed but he would go on to
recall some of the events in a later interview he confirmed that he had been planning the massacre at Port Arthur for
a few weeks prior including the attack on the Martins Martin Brian stated in one of his interviews it was set in my
mind it was just set that Sunday I wasn't worried about losing my property or never seeing my girlfriend again it
was just in my mind to go down and kill the Martins and kill a lot of people Martin Bryant was judged fit to stand
trial and his trial was scheduled to begin on the 7th of November 1996 he initially pleaded not guilty but was
persuaded by his court-appointed lawyer John Avery and at the prosecution to plead guilty to all charges
sidenote martin's lawyer John Avery was later jailed for four years he stole over half a million dollars from clients
and his law firm Martin's sentencing hearing the court heard he behaved deceptively to those close to him
regarding his possession and use of firearms he hid the firearms and ammunition around his house had a view
from others the court heard his acts of preparation included buying a sports bag
to conceal one of his weapons he also talked with him handcuffs rope and a hunting knife three semi-automatic
weapons and a significant quantity of ammunition he followed through a series of actions which culminated in a hostage
and siege which had an air of pre-planning he clearly intended to embark upon violence and murderous conduct it was
found with the money he had inherited he researched and purchased the colt ar-15
semiautomatic weapon for $5,000 he also legally purchased these other firearms just months prior to the massacre Martin
visited the Port Arthur Historic Site on a number of occasions these visits to Port Arthur suggest the shooting was
premeditated on the 13th of March 96 weeks before the Port Arthur shooting a 43 year-old suspected pedophile Thomas
Hamilton living in the Scottish town of Dunblane opened fire at the Dunblane primary school killing 16 children and
one teacher before committing suicide media coverage of this event is presumed to have been the trigger for Martin
Bryant to act apart from a stack of old newspapers gun magazines were the only literature found inside Martin's house
the local newsagent said he would often browse through the latest issues of gun magazines inquiries with local gun shop
owners revealed Martin asked the gunsmith to check and service several high-powered semi-automatic weapons
prior to the shooting why he wanted the weapons serviced is now horrifyingly clear but exactly what
made him snap is not at sentencing psychiatrist Paul Mullen who was appointed by Martins defense said the
following Martin Bryant currently does not have the science and the symptoms of a mental illness he is however by virtue
of his personality and intellectual limitations both of reduced coping ability and of increased psychological
vulnerability firstly it is abundantly clear that at the time of the commission of these crimes and at the present day
the accused is not criminally insane secondly although it has been thought in his early years that perhaps he suffers
schizophrenia it can conclusively be claimed that there is no evidence to support the notion that this man has a
schizophrenic illness thirdly it appears that the accused that does not fit into
any neat pigeonhole of particular mental illness fourthly he clearly is intellectually disabled and without the
support of his father and Miss Harvey and with the access to funds he regrettably found himself able with
ferocious consequence to carry out this mass destruction finally your honor it would be quite apparent the accused
revels in the notoriety is achieved but in a simple way he accepts the enormity of his actions and as a result has
instructed me to comment on penalty Martin Bryant was sentenced by Supreme Court Judge William Cox to 35 life
sentences for the murders plus 1000 and 35 years for other crimes committed Judge Cox ordered that Martin should
remain in prison for the rest of his life the coroner deemed an inquest unnecessary on the basis that the
primary facts of the various deaths are already known this was supported by the Attorney General Martin Bryant was the
first killer in Australia to be sentenced without the possibility of parole for the first eight months of his
imprisonment he was held in a purpose-built special suicide prevention cell in almost complete solitary
confinement he then remained in protective custody for his own safety as other inmates whispered plans to kill
him on the 13th of November 2006 Bryant was moved into Hobart's Wilford lobe Center
a secure mental health unit run by the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services the 35 bed unit for inmates
with serious mental illness is staffed with doctors nurses and other support workers inmates are not locked down and
can come and go from their selves exterior security at the facility is provided by a three wall perimeter
patrolled by private contract guards Martin attempted suicide on the 25th of March 2007 by slashing his wrists with a
razor blade two days later he cut his throat with another razor blade he would attempt to suicide eight times in total
Martin is now housed in the maximum-security wisdom prison near Hobart the Port Arthur massacre prompted
a severe crackdown on firearms in Australia due to the weapons used - during the massacre and the fact that
Martin Bryant was able to purchase them easily and legally the Australian government established two new yours
that heavily restricted the availability of firearms legal ownership and use of self-loading rifles self-loading
shotguns and pump-action shotguns were either banned or heavily restricted the australian government introduced the
National Firearms agreement legislation that outlawed automatic and semi-automatic rifles as well as
pump-action shotguns the nationwide gun buyback scheme and gun amnesty saw more than 640,000 weapons turned into
authorities Prime Minister John Howard faced political and public resistance to the laws after just three months as the
country's leader howard wore a bulletproof vest as he addressed the hostile 3,000 strong crowd opposed to
the gun reforms howard told NBC News years later the laws had widespread public support but faced fierce
opposition from some rural supporters because they believed that they were unfairly paying a price for the misdeeds
of others Howard persisted with introducing the laws and went on to win that election
and lead Australia for more than a decade he considers the gun reforms as a key part of his legacy
gun-related homicides decreased 7.5 percent per year following the reforms while firearm related suicides also fell
although there have been calls to revisit the laws most Australians haven't looked back and still support
the laws to this day howard told NBC America on the 20-year anniversary of the massacre that he acknowledges major
cultural and historical differences which make it difficult to draw comparisons between the gun cultures in
the US and Australia a number of conspiracy theories have arisen after the Port Arthur massacre
many have cited Australian politicians making predictions that only a massacre involving dozens of fatalities would
spark massive gun control legislation I'm not getting into them in detail there are websites out there if you're
that way inclined but quickly one of the main points brought up is the accuracy of Martin's shooting in the Broad Arrow
cafe in the gift shop 32 people shot with 29 bullets in under 90 seconds and most of those killed suffered head shots
they also claimed the shooter was firing from his hip which makes accuracy even more difficult and they claimed the
shooter was right-handed Martin Bryant is left-handed the 35 people murdered by Martin Bryant were David Martin 72 Nolan
Martin 69 mo Yin 48 su Ling Chun 32 Kate Scott 21 Anthony Nightingale 48 Kevin sharp 68 Raymond sharp 67 Walter Bennett
66 Andrew Mills 49 Tony Kirsten 51 Sarah Layton 15 Mervyn Howard 55 Mary Howard 57 Elizabeth Howard 26 Nicole Burgess 17
Dennis lever 53 Gwen mender 67 jason winter 29 Ronald Jerry 71 Peter Nash 32 Pauline masters 49 Royce Thompson 59
Winifred appling 58 Jeanette Quinn 50 elder Gaylord 48 Robert salesman 58 Helene salesman 50 Russell Pollard 72
Mary Rose Nixon 60 Zoey Hall 28 Glenn piers 35 Nanette me cake 36 Madeleine me cake 3
Alana me cake 6 Walton me cake lost his wife and two young daughters on the road
leading up to the toll booth he said I truly believe the power of love and creation will always triumph over the
power of destruction and revenge he has gone on to set up a foundation for the protection of children against violence
called AMF the Alannah and Madeline Foundation [Music] you

Case 45: Port Arthur

On April 28th, 1996, Martin John Bryant became known as the worst single mass-murderer in Australian History. 21 years later, the Port Arthur Massacre still stands as the 3rd deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in the world.

Known as a loner with the IQ of an 11-year-old, a series of events in Martin Bryant’s life would go on to trigger a rampage that would change hundreds of people’s lives that day, as well as the lives of everyday Australians who looked on in horror.

CREDITS

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

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-45-port-arthur

Brief Summary

The episode covers the Port Arthur massacre, Martin Bryant's troubled life, and the resulting gun control reforms in Australia.

Key points

The Port Arthur Massacre. In 1996, Martin Bryant committed the worst mass shooting in Australian history, changing lives forever.
A Troubled Childhood. Martin's early years were marked by behavioral issues and isolation, foreshadowing his later actions.
The Death of Maurice Bryant. Martin's father's suicide led to a significant shift in his behavior and mental state.
Inheriting a Fortune. After Helen's death, Martin inherited a substantial fortune, complicating his already troubled life.
Martin's Agitated Encounter. Martin's strange behavior raises alarms during a visit to Seascape.
The Port Arthur Massacre Begins. In a shocking turn, Martin opens fire in the Broad Arrow Cafe.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Martin started torturing animals.

A pivotal moment in Martin's troubling behavior.

5:30WatchNov 19, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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