2007 Melbourne CBD shootings
Encyclopedia
Christopher Hudson was a full member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
, having defected from rival group The Finks
in 2006. Shortly afterward, he was involved in a brawl between both clubs at a kickboxing
tournament on the Gold Coast
and was shot in the chin. In the days before the killing of Brendan Keilar, Hudson had fired at police in Campbellfield
after a night of heavy drinking with Collingwood
footballer Alan Didak
. On 28 June, Didak was interviewed by police about this incident. Didak claimed that he was intoxicated at the time, was not in control of the situation and was concerned for his safety.
in King Street.
Early in the morning of 18 June, he assaulted stripper
Autumn Daly-Holt, a workmate of his girlfriend, 24-year old Kara Douglas. He then called Douglas, who arrived to pick him up around 7:30 am. Hudson dragged her out onto the street by her hair. At the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, two male bystanders, 43-year old solicitor
Brendan Keilar and 25-year old Dutch
backpacker Paul de Waard attempted to assist Douglas. Hudson pulled a gun and shot all three. Keilar was fatally wounded in the head. de Waard and Douglas were shot in the upper body. Douglas later had a kidney removed as a result of her injuries.
Douglas, from Sydney, had been staying in the Punt Hill apartments on Flinders Lane. Hudson fled the scene as Keilar died in the street, dumping his weapon and jacket in a nearby construction site on Flinders Street
between Queen
and Bond Streets, where they were found by a construction worker about an hour later. The Rialto Towers
were evacuated amid reports that the gunman had fled into the tower, sparking a level-to-level search.
His car was discovered abandoned on Flinders Lane between Swanston
and Elizabeth Streets
. The black Honda CRV with New South Wales
licence plates was revealed to be one vehicle owned by the gunman. His other vehicle was a black Mercedes-Benz
sedan, later found in Richmond
.
Still high from a drug binge, Hudson fled to a Hells Angels safehouse north of the city. At 5 pm on 20 June, he surrendered himself to Victorian Police at Wallan
,
walking into the police station without incident. Homicide squad detectives transferred him to Melbourne where he was charged with murder
and other offences in an out of court hearing.
, but was unable to make it due to an injury to his forearm that required surgery. The magistrate ordered that Hudson be remanded into custody. The formal charges were: one charge of murder in relation to Brendan Keilar, two charges of attempted murder in relation to Kara Douglas and Paul de Waard, one charge of intentionally causing serious injury in relation to Autumn Daly-Holt and one charge of unlawful imprisonment. He was later also charged with nine offences in relation to the shooting incident involving Didak.
In May 2009, allegations came to light that Hudson had been tortured by members of the Hell's Angels for bringing unwanted police attention to the group. The claimant alleges a club tattoo was burned from his forearm with a blowtorch before he surrendered to police. The story arose after police raided the Angels' clubhouse in Sydney and took possession of a Harley Davidson motorcycle apparently owned by Hudson. This story was denied by Victoria Police and was further discredited when Hudson's stepmother sent a recent photograph, clearly showing the club tattoo, to the ABC program Media Watch.
Paul de Waard returned to the Netherlands to recover from his injuries. In October 2007, he revealed on a television interview that he was still undergoing extensive rehabilitation. He also made an appearance in the Dutch television show In de schaduw van het nieuws (In the shadow of the news) on 21 November 2009.
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
, having defected from rival group The Finks
The Finks MC
The Finks Motorcycle Club is an Australian outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1969. The name comes from The Wizard of Id cartoon where the peasants, to his dismay, often proclaim, "The King is a fink!". The colours used by The Finks is of Bung, the king's...
in 2006. Shortly afterward, he was involved in a brawl between both clubs at a kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
tournament on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
and was shot in the chin. In the days before the killing of Brendan Keilar, Hudson had fired at police in Campbellfield
Campbellfield, Victoria
Campbellfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Campbellfield had a population of 5,401.-History:...
after a night of heavy drinking with Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
footballer Alan Didak
Alan Didak
Alan Didak is a professional Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...
. On 28 June, Didak was interviewed by police about this incident. Didak claimed that he was intoxicated at the time, was not in control of the situation and was concerned for his safety.
The shootings
Hudson spent the night of 17 June 2007 drinking at the Spearmint RhinoSpearmint Rhino
Spearmint Rhino is a chain of strip clubs that operates venues throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Central Europe, Russia and Australia. The club opened in 1989 as a supplement to the existing Peppermint Elephant Restaurant. This first Spearmint Rhino was located in Upland,...
in King Street.
Early in the morning of 18 June, he assaulted stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
Autumn Daly-Holt, a workmate of his girlfriend, 24-year old Kara Douglas. He then called Douglas, who arrived to pick him up around 7:30 am. Hudson dragged her out onto the street by her hair. At the corner of William Street and Flinders Lane, two male bystanders, 43-year old solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
Brendan Keilar and 25-year old Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
backpacker Paul de Waard attempted to assist Douglas. Hudson pulled a gun and shot all three. Keilar was fatally wounded in the head. de Waard and Douglas were shot in the upper body. Douglas later had a kidney removed as a result of her injuries.
Douglas, from Sydney, had been staying in the Punt Hill apartments on Flinders Lane. Hudson fled the scene as Keilar died in the street, dumping his weapon and jacket in a nearby construction site on Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
between Queen
Queen Street, Melbourne
Queen Street is a street in the Melbourne central business district, forming part of the famous Hoddle Grid. It runs roughly from north to south. The northern end of Queen Street intersects with Victoria Street, while its southern end intersects with Flinders Street...
and Bond Streets, where they were found by a construction worker about an hour later. The Rialto Towers
Rialto Towers
The Rialto Towers is the second-tallest reinforced concrete building and the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere, when measured to its roof...
were evacuated amid reports that the gunman had fled into the tower, sparking a level-to-level search.
His car was discovered abandoned on Flinders Lane between Swanston
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
and Elizabeth Streets
Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Elizabeth Street is one of the main north-south streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837.- Geography :...
. The black Honda CRV with New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
licence plates was revealed to be one vehicle owned by the gunman. His other vehicle was a black Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
sedan, later found in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
.
Still high from a drug binge, Hudson fled to a Hells Angels safehouse north of the city. At 5 pm on 20 June, he surrendered himself to Victorian Police at Wallan
Wallan, Victoria
Wallan or Wallan Wallan is a town in Victoria, from Melbourne on the Northern Highway in Australia.The town sits at the southern end of the large and diverse Shire of Mitchell which extends from the northern fringes of Melbourne into the farming country of north-central Victoria and the lower...
,
walking into the police station without incident. Homicide squad detectives transferred him to Melbourne where he was charged with murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and other offences in an out of court hearing.
Aftermath and trial
Hudson was to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' CourtMelbourne Magistrates' Court
The Melbourne Magistrates' Court is a venue of the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. It is a court in Melbourne, Australia that deals with a range of criminal offences, money claims and disputes up to $100,000 and family violence and family law proceedings...
, but was unable to make it due to an injury to his forearm that required surgery. The magistrate ordered that Hudson be remanded into custody. The formal charges were: one charge of murder in relation to Brendan Keilar, two charges of attempted murder in relation to Kara Douglas and Paul de Waard, one charge of intentionally causing serious injury in relation to Autumn Daly-Holt and one charge of unlawful imprisonment. He was later also charged with nine offences in relation to the shooting incident involving Didak.
In May 2009, allegations came to light that Hudson had been tortured by members of the Hell's Angels for bringing unwanted police attention to the group. The claimant alleges a club tattoo was burned from his forearm with a blowtorch before he surrendered to police. The story arose after police raided the Angels' clubhouse in Sydney and took possession of a Harley Davidson motorcycle apparently owned by Hudson. This story was denied by Victoria Police and was further discredited when Hudson's stepmother sent a recent photograph, clearly showing the club tattoo, to the ABC program Media Watch.
Paul de Waard returned to the Netherlands to recover from his injuries. In October 2007, he revealed on a television interview that he was still undergoing extensive rehabilitation. He also made an appearance in the Dutch television show In de schaduw van het nieuws (In the shadow of the news) on 21 November 2009.