John Newman (8/12/46 - 5/9/94) was a member of the NSW State Parliament for the seat of Cabramatta. He was the second politician to assassinated in Australia. Now ex-detective Tim Priest tells the real story behind the murder.
The year was 1994. On a dark Spring night in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows and shot dead the fiery politician and anti-crime crusader, John Newman, in the driveway of his home. The shots echoed around the world as the murder became the first political assassination in Australia's history.
Within hours of the murder, the New South Wales Police Force launched one of the biggest and most intensive homicide investigations that the nation had seen. A prime suspect emerged with links to the notorious 5T street gang.
It would take seven years, a Coronial Inquest, three Supreme Court trials and a Judicial Inquiry before the murderer, Vietnamese-born politician, Phuong Canh Ngo, would finally spend the rest of his life behind bars for this unprecedented crime.
Former Cabramatta Detective Tim Priest takes the reader on a journey behind the scenes, from the initial conspiracy to the murder scene, the police investigation and finally the Inquiry that confirmed Ngo's conviction and ordered him to remain behind bars in a maximum security prison for the rest of his life.
The book also delves into the violent and unpredictable nature of Asian gangs and the menace they pose to Australian society, and the likelihood that they are again on the rise.
