Paul Denyer
Encyclopedia
Paul Charles Denyer is an Australia
n serial killer
, currently serving three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment
with a non-parole period 30 years at HM Prison Barwon
for the murders of Elizabeth Stevens, 18, Debbie Fream, 22, and Natalie Russell, 17, in Frankston, Victoria
in 1993.
Denyer is known as the "Frankston Killer" as his crimes occurred in Frankston and neighbouring suburbs. Denyer was featured in the pilot episode of Seven Network
crime series Forensic Investigators
.
A month later, the second victim, Deborah Fream, was abducted in the early evening. She had left her car unlocked to run into a store to buy milk. Denyer climbed into the back seat, and hijacked the car after Fream drove from the store. She was taken to Taylor's Road and, like Stevens, her throat was slashed savagely. She had left her 12 day old baby at home with a friend when she left to buy the milk.
Rosza Toth was attacked by Denyer while walking home from Seaford railway station
on the evening of Deborah Fream's abduction. Toth was dragged towards the toilet block. She managed to break free of Denyer's grasp and notified police.
The third and final victim, 17 year old Natalie Russell, was attacked while walking home early from school. She had taken a short cut home along a bicycle track through a park. She was dragged from the path through a large hole in a wire fence, but put up a huge fight. This made Denyer angry, and he slashed at her head and neck. Russell's death was the most brutal.
Connections with the 1990 disappearance of Sarah MacDiarmid
from nearby Kananook railway station were made. MacDiarmid's body has never been found. The only evidence suggesting a crime was a pool of blood next to her car, parked at the station. Denyer denied involvement in MacDiarmid's disappearance.
Similar connections to the murder of Michelle Brown have also been discussed. She was found naked, and her body was too decomposed to examine the injuries.
Denyer also filed freedom of information
requests to learn of the Victorian government's policy on gender reassignment surgery
for prisoners and has sought evaluation to determine his suitability for such surgery, which was also rejected by medical specialists.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, currently serving three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
with a non-parole period 30 years at HM Prison Barwon
HM Prison Barwon
HM Prison Barwon is a maximum security Australian prison located at 1140 Bacchus Marsh Road, 6 km from the township of Lara, , Victoria, Australia. Barwon provides accommodation and services for maximum security mainstream prisoners including a 20-bed facility for high security prisoners and a...
for the murders of Elizabeth Stevens, 18, Debbie Fream, 22, and Natalie Russell, 17, in Frankston, Victoria
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
in 1993.
Denyer is known as the "Frankston Killer" as his crimes occurred in Frankston and neighbouring suburbs. Denyer was featured in the pilot episode of Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
crime series Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators
Forensic Investigators: Australia's True Crimes is an Australian television show hosted by Lisa McCune which aired on the Seven Network. It aired from 2004 to 2006....
.
Murders
Denyer stalked and murdered three women in and around the Melbourne suburb of Frankston during a seven week period in 1993. Denyer was 21 at the time of his crimes. During a police interview Denyer said the motivation for his crimes was a hatred of women in general.- POLICE: Can you explain why we have women victims?
- DENYER: I just hate them.
- POLICE: I beg your pardon.
- DENYER: I hate them all.
- POLICE: Those particular girls or women in general?
- DENYER: General.
Victims
The first victim was 18 year old Elizabeth Stevens. She had just alighted from a bus to Langwarrin when she was dragged to nearby Lloyd Park. Her throat was slashed and a criss-cross pattern was carved into her chest.A month later, the second victim, Deborah Fream, was abducted in the early evening. She had left her car unlocked to run into a store to buy milk. Denyer climbed into the back seat, and hijacked the car after Fream drove from the store. She was taken to Taylor's Road and, like Stevens, her throat was slashed savagely. She had left her 12 day old baby at home with a friend when she left to buy the milk.
Rosza Toth was attacked by Denyer while walking home from Seaford railway station
Seaford railway station, Melbourne
Seaford is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Seaford, on the Frankston railway line. Seaford is unmanned and is in Metcard Zone 2.-Facilities:...
on the evening of Deborah Fream's abduction. Toth was dragged towards the toilet block. She managed to break free of Denyer's grasp and notified police.
The third and final victim, 17 year old Natalie Russell, was attacked while walking home early from school. She had taken a short cut home along a bicycle track through a park. She was dragged from the path through a large hole in a wire fence, but put up a huge fight. This made Denyer angry, and he slashed at her head and neck. Russell's death was the most brutal.
Connections with the 1990 disappearance of Sarah MacDiarmid
Sarah MacDiarmid
Sarah MacDiarmid was a 23-year-old Scottish-Australian woman who disappeared from Kananook station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 July 1990...
from nearby Kananook railway station were made. MacDiarmid's body has never been found. The only evidence suggesting a crime was a pool of blood next to her car, parked at the station. Denyer denied involvement in MacDiarmid's disappearance.
Similar connections to the murder of Michelle Brown have also been discussed. She was found naked, and her body was too decomposed to examine the injuries.
Sex reassignment requests
Whilst imprisoned, Denyer requested to be allowed to purchase and wear women's cosmetics, which was denied.Denyer also filed freedom of information
Freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions...
requests to learn of the Victorian government's policy on gender reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
Sex reassignment surgery from male to female involves reshaping the male genitals into a form with the appearance of and, as far as possible, the function of female genitalia. Prior to any surgeries, trans women usually undergo hormone replacement therapy and facial hair removal...
for prisoners and has sought evaluation to determine his suitability for such surgery, which was also rejected by medical specialists.
External links
- The Queen v Denyer M77/1994 (17 March 1995), High Court of AustraliaHigh Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
, Application for special leave to appeal - Why triple-killer Paul Denyer must never be released, The AgeThe AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, 14 January 2004