One of Australia’s most notorious mass murders revisited

A night club bombing that killed 15 people in the ‘70s  might be the topic of an inquest.

Queensland’s Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has written to the state coroner, asking him to hold an inquest into the 1973 firebombing of Whiskey Au Go Go in Brisbane.

At the time it was Australia’s largest mass murder and John Andrew Stuart and James Finch were eventually charged over the firebombing and later found guilty.

Attorney-General D’Ath issued a statement saying there is no doubt there is significant public interest in getting answers.

“Given recent events, witnesses who have previously not been willing to come forward, might now be willing to provide new information that will give us those answers,” Attorney-General D’Ath wrote.  “I had been awaiting the outcome of recent court proceedings, and will now write to the State Coroner instructing him to hold an inquest into the Whiskey Au Go Go case.”

The court proceedings referred to are those of convicted killers Vincent O’Dempsey and Garry Dubois. ABC News reported that the pair were sentenced to life in jail yesterday for the deaths of Brisbane mother Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters, Vicki and Leanne, in 1974.

In court, Justice Peter Applegarth said it was clear Barbara McCulkin knew enough about each of the pair’s roles in night club bombings at the time for them to want to silence her.

Their trials heard she was targeted because she believed they were directly involved in the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing.

Do you remember this case?