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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Father pleads for taskforce update
Father pleads for taskforce update
10/09/2009 4:00:00 AM
The father of missing Dubbo woman Lateesha Nolan is pleading for updates from the Government as to whether a taskforce will be set up to investigate a string of cold cases across the State, a suggestion put forward by the Deputy State Coroner last month.
In August the Daily Telegraph reported on the recommendation from Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich to police to set up a taskforce to reinvestigate a string of missing young women cases, including Lateesha Nolans, because he feared they had all been murdered.
At the time NSW police minister Tony Kelly said he was reviewing the findings of the Deputy State Coroner and was seeking advice from the Commissioner of Police and the experts from the homicide squad.
Mr Peet said to this day he had heard no more about the taskforce and had been left wondering about whether Mr Milovanovich’s suggestion had got anywhere.
“If I could speak to these people I would ask them to put themselves in my shoes,” Mr Peet said.
“I would ask them to imagine how hard it is for me and other families out there,” he said.
Mr Peet said the “not knowing” is the hardest part of dealing the loss of his daughter, even four years after she went missing here in Dubbo.
He said his mind will not rest until wanted man Malcolm Naden is caught and justice is served.
Naden is wanted by police for question in relation to the death of Dubbo woman Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of Lateesha
“Its just hard, you’re hopes get up and you think something’s getting done and something’s happening but you get let down again,” he said.
“I don’t sleep, I have dreams about it.
“Nobody could image just how it feels unless they go through it themselves.”
This week a spokesperson for minister Kelly said talks between the minister and NSW police were continuing and the suggestion of a taskforce was being reviewed.
No indication was given as to whether a taskforce would be formed to investigate the cases.
Since Lateesha’s disappearance Mr Peet started a Facebook group in the hope he could source extra information from people who may have seen or heard where Malcolm Naden is hiding.
He said since up-loading Naden’s picture on the site it has received over 6000 hits.
“I get emails from people all the time saying they have seen Malcom, but we can’t really be sure if they have,” Mr Peet said.
“Any information I do get though I pass on to a detective who is working on Lateesha’s case.
“I just want Malcolm caught.”
anna.yeo@ruralpress.com
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Suspects should not sleep easy
Suspects should not sleep easy
FAYE WHEELER
14/08/2009 4:00:00 AM
Number one suspect Malcolm Naden, wanted in relation to the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan, should never have reason to “sleep easy” according to NSW Opposition spokesman for police Mike Gallacher.
In the wake of the disappearances attracting the notice of Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich both the NSW Opposition and Dubbo MP Dawn Fardell have expressed concern about homicide resources.
Mr Milovanovich called on the Government to set up a “special taskforce” to “look at a number of unsolved homicides and missing persons (suspected deaths) of young women in NSW” last week.
While the Government seeks advice on the recommendation, yesterday Mr Gallacher stopped short of backing the task force absolutely, but he stressed the importance of have enough homicide crew members available.
“It’s unclear exactly what has become of the resources that were previously identified in the Orana area,” he said.
“Whether they have been amalgamated, moved to another area or simply done away with is unclear.
“It is important for the community to know how many cold case investigations are still outstanding in the Orana area.
“The first question is, is there a dedicated officer and if not, why not.
“We do need information about the status of resources to re-investigate the matters.”
Earlier this week the father of Ms Nolan, Mick Peet, backed Mr Milovanovich’s recommendation and spoke of his devastation since his daughter’s disappearance in January 2005.
“The family and the community and the offenders must all know that resourcing should never be an issue in relation to the re-examination of these matters,” Mr Gallacher said.
“I say offenders because there must be no doubt in their mind despite the passage of time that the police never give up.
“That it’s not forgotten about, that they can’t sleep easy.
“We want them to be constantly looking over their shoulder and the family needs to know their loss does matter.”
Ms Fardell also cast doubt on the Government’s handling of the matter.
Mr Milovanovich’s recommendation suggested there were not enough resources being put into investigating missing persons, she said.
Ms Fardell recommended any step along the path to a special taskforce should involve consultation with police to ensure it was well carried out.
faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com
Case remains cold as missing persons taskforce uncertain
13/08/2009 4:00:00 AM
Relatives of missing women, including Lateesha Nolan from Dubbo, are yet to hear if a renewed effort to find their loved ones will be mounted.
NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly gave no indication yesterday if he would support Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich’s recommendation that homicide police set up a taskforce to re-investigate a string of missing young women.
Mr Milovanovich made the unusual recommendation last week after delivering an open finding into the disappearance of 24-year-old Kellie Carmichael in 2001.
Ms Nolan was last seen on January 4, 2005 at the home of her grandmother in West Dubbo.
Her abandoned car was later found near the Macquarie River.
This week Ms Nolan’s suffering father, Mick Peet, backed Mr Milovanovich’s call for a homicide taskforce, but the NSW Government is yet to decide if police should try to unfreeze the cold cases.
“The Government is currently reviewing the findings of the Deputy State Coroner and are seeking advice from the Commissioner of Police and the experts from the Homicide Squad,” a spokesman for Mr Kelly said yesterday.
Nor was there any indication from Mr Kelly that the disappearance of Ms Nolan would be included in any future taskforce when the Daily Liberal asked the question yesterday.
Mr Milovanovich did not specify any names of missing or dead victims, nor the number of cases he wanted investigated or whether there were links, the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.
He also recommended that Ms Carmichael’s disappearance be referred to the homicide squad’s unsolved homicide team and that consideration be given to offering a $200,000 reward in the case.
Police have warrants in place for the arrest of the main suspect in both the Ms Nolan disappearance and the murder of Kristy Scholes, Malcolm Naden.
The Police Minister already put a $50,000 reward in place in 2007 for ‘Information leading to the arrest of Malcolm Naden’.
Ms Nolan is one of at least 11 missing women in NSW, six of whom were last seen between Katoomba and Dubbo.
The parents of missing Bathurst woman Janine Vaughan would also like to see the case investigated by a taskforce.
Ms Vaughan has not been seen since she walked from The Tavern Nightclub early on Friday, December 7, 2001 and accepted a lift in a small red car.
An inquest into her disappearance and possible murder has been adjourned part heard before State Coroner Mary Jerram at the Bathurst Court House and is due to resume on Monday, September 14.
faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com
Will Never Give Up
Father of missing Dubbo woman wants police to set up search taskforce
12/08/2009 4:00:00 AM
The father of missing woman Lateesha Nolan yesterday backed a NSW coroner’s call for a homicide taskforce to be set up to investigate a string of cold cases involving missing women, including that of his daughter.
Lateesha Nolan went missing from Dubbo on January 4, 2005, leaving behind four children.
Four years of the pain later her father, Mick Peet, who now lives in Queensland, still devotes hours of his time every day to finding his daughter.
Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich has recommended police set up a task force to reinvestigate her case and a string of others involving young women he fears have been murdered.
NSW Police are yet to make a decision on the coroner’s recommendation.
Mr Peet said he more than welcomed the push for a police taskforce, saying for Lateesha’s sake he hoped more publicity of wanted man Malcolm Naden came of it.
Naden is wanted by police for questioning in relation to Lateesha’s disappearance and the murder of former Dubbo woman Kristy Scholes.
“I travel to Brisbane a lot and if you ask someone around there who Malcolm Naden is they have no idea,” Mr Peet said.
“I am doing everything I can to get his face out there, I have started a Facebook group and I spend hours on my email.
“I believe if they find Malcolm Naden they will find Lateesha.”
Me Peet has also run a blog in search of his daughter, which has received a number of responses from people across the NSW and interstate.
In one blog entry eight months after Lateesha went missing, Mr Peet spoke of how he couldn’t sleep and how he longed for his daughter to come home.
“Since that terrible day when I was told she was missing, I have not been able to sleep, my hair is falling out, I feel I am living in a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” he wrote.
“Every time the phone rings, I think maybe they have found her, which is a mixed blessing - have they found a body or have they found my precious girl alive, by some miracle?
“Will she one day walk back through that door, the beautiful girl I have watched grow up and blossom into a beautiful young woman?
“Will I ever get to tell her again how much I love her?”
Following on from newspaper reports that Naden had been seen in bushland around Kempsey and Port Macquarie, Mr Peet said he believed the wanted man was hiding out in someone’s roof.
He said for six months before Lateesha went missing Naden would block out light to his bedroom every day, which he believed was training to cope with the life he is supposedly living today.
“I had heard reports from a woman who believes she woke up to Malcolm leaning over her bed,” Mr Peet said.
“He had planned to live his life in the dark through the day and come out at night,” he said.
To join the Facebook group about Lateesha’s disappearance, visit: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/202473/4697402 or visit http://coastmick21.blogspot.com.
anna.yeo@ruralpress.com
Monday, August 10, 2009
Family’s questions need answering
Family’s questions need answering
27/06/2009 4:00:00 AM
Four years on from the death of Kristy Scholes-Walker in Dubbo her family still has unanswered questions about her final hours.
The 24-year-old was found dead behind a locked door of a family member’s home, her young children discovered in another part of the house.
Her murder came six months after the mysterious disappearance of another family member, Lateesha Nolan.
Today the Scholes-Walker families feel only the main suspect, missing man Malcolm Naden, can answer their haunting questions.
Police have warrants in place for his arrest in both the Scholes and Nolan homicides.
There is a $50,000 reward in place that was released by the Minister for Police on January 3, 2007 in the terms ‘Information leading to the arrest of Malcolm Naden’.
These terms are broad and rewards of this nature are few and far between, Orana crime manager Detective Inspector Rod Blackman said.
In four years of grieving, Kristy’s children, Libby and John, were the strength that kept them going, Kristy’s mother-in-law Margaret Walker revealed.
Kristy disappeared while housesitting while partner Reg and other family members were away from Dubbo.
She was later found dead in the room Malcolm Naden, her partner’s cousin, lived in at his grandmother’s.
The family was told at first Kristy had committed suicide but later declared her death suspicious and the search for Malcolm Naden continues.
“We never believed it was suicide,” Mrs Walker said.
“Malcolm would have the full story. We don’t have a full story, we’d like that.”
While the family “didn’t know if Malcolm was in the house or not” they “never expected anything like this to happen”.
“We didn’t know that he was dangerous, capable of murder,” Mrs Walker said.
Mrs Walker has treasured memories of Kristy, who she’d known for about seven years.
“She was a quiet girl who liked going out with her friends,” she said.
“She loved Take 5 magazines and a coffee, she was always on her phone.
“The Newcastle Knights were her football team.”
Tragically Kristy’s own mother had died when she was young.
“She wanted to be around for her children,” Mrs Walker said.
Her children, Libby and John, aged 9 and 7 this year, are growing up fast.
“They’re mostly happy. They know where (their mother) is, we told them she’s in heaven,” Mrs Walker said.
With their father Reg they moved to Kempsey to be closer to Kristy’s family, but are now back in Dubbo.
“They go to visit the grave when they go to Kempsey,” Mrs Walker said.
Libby and John are both getting on well at school and Reg’s life had gone forward, Mrs Walker said.
“Libby is a good little reader, her mother was a good reader,” she said.
“I take it one day at a time.”
Detective Inspector Rod Blackman said yesterday that as of November 2008 Malcolm Naden was hiding in bushland in the hills behind the Kempsey region.
Tragically Kristy’s own mother had died when she was young.
“She wanted to be around for her children,” Mrs Walker said.
Her children, Libby and John, aged 9 and 7 this year, are growing up fast.
“They’re mostly happy. They know where (their mother) is, we told them she’s in heaven,” Mrs Walker said.
With their father Reg they moved to Kempsey to be closer to Kristy’s family, but are now back in Dubbo.
“They go to visit the grave when they go to Kempsey,” Mrs Walker said.
Libby and John are both getting on well at school and Reg’s life had gone forward, Mrs Walker said.
“Libby is a good little reader, her mother was a good reader,” she said.
“I take it one day at a time.”
Detective Inspector Rod Blackman said yesterday that as of November 2008 Malcolm Naden was hiding in bushland in the hills behind the Kempsey region.
faye.wheeler@ruralpress.com
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
ABC Western plains news
The community of Bellbrook, west of Kempsey on the New South Wales mid-north coast, is calling for greater police resources to capture the state's most wanted man, murder suspect Malcolm Naden.
Police believe Naden, an experienced bushman, might be hiding in rugged terrain in the Upper Macleay.
Naden has been on the run since 2005 when he is alleged to have murdered Kristy Scholes in Dubbo in the central west.
Police also want to question him about the later disappearance of another woman, Lateesha Nolan.
Late last year, police say they found Naden's fingerprints after a break and enter near Bellbrook.
Bellbrook GP Dr Paul Appleton says local residents are scared Naden is in the area.
He says the local police presence needs to be increased and the community should be kept informed.
"Now I well realise the extreme difficulties that hierarchy have and that command has in managing this very volatile and very difficult situation, but you need to include the local population in at least some information," he said.
Police have put out a reward of $50,000 for information leading to Naden's arrest.
Superintendent Paul Fehon from the mid-north coast local area command says he understands there is a lot of fear in the Bellbrook community.
Superintendent Fehon says police are still looking for him and anyone who thinks they may have seen Naden should contact their local station or CrimeStoppers.
"We have been very deliberate in our planning and we are continuing in our means of tracking and identifying a location," he said.
"The thing we are trying to establish is a confirmed sighting, we would not be sending one police officer up there, we would be sending an appropriate number of resources, which we have done in the past."
micks goes to facebook for answers
Please join this cause on Face Book and invite all your friends to join help us find out what happen to my Daughter Lateesha
Please help find out what happen to my daughter join this cause on face book and invite all you friends to join
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
the land
he state's most-wanted man and a town in fear
18/01/2009 1:00:01 AM
THE State's most wanted man has turned up in a remote bush community, terrifying residents who claim police are ignoring their plight.
Accused double murderer Malcolm Naden wore a mask and camouflage gear when he loomed over a woman as she slept near Bellbrook, 52 kilometres inland from Kempsey in northern NSW, but failed to wear gloves, leaving behind his fingerprints.
That frightening approach, late last year, sparked a major police operation but residents are furious with what they say was a one-hit wonder.
They believe Naden is behind about a dozen break-ins in which non-perishable food, torches, camping gear, warm clothes, raincoats and binoculars have been stolen, while valuables are left behind. The most recent break-in took place last week.
Residents have accused NSW Police of ignoring their fears after the town's only policeman was ordered to conduct beach patrols 90 kilometres away.
Naden, 33, a former abattoir worker from Dubbo, has been on the run since 2005 when the body of a cousin was found, and another cousin disappeared.
The experienced bushman eluded police by hiding in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo after the body of Kristy Scholes, a mother of two, was found in Naden's locked bedroom at their grandparents' home. Naden is the first wanted man since Ned Kelly to attract a reward - $50,000 - for his arrest.
Bellbrook GP Paul Appleton, a former NSW police officer, said families further up the valley were sleeping with shotguns next to their beds.
"If they leave home they take all the family," he said. "Cockies up there will only work around the house paddocks because they don't know what's happening."
Dr Appleton said trying to get information from senior police was hopeless and their attempts to catch Naden after his fingerprints were found were inept.
"This is a very small place and if two cars go past at 4am everyone wakes up because that is unusual," he said.
Dr Appleton said residents understood the challenges of catching Naden but they wanted their police officer, spending half his shifts with holidaymakers at South West Rocks, to stay in the town.
Single mum Julie White, of Five Day Creek, said she was scared to walk outside at night after several break-ins not far from her home.
Bellbrook shopkeeper Lloyd Gibbs said the area was peppered with national parks and dense bush, which provided perfect cover.
"We need security," he said.
"We don't want vigilantes but we want to be kept informed."
A police spokesman refused to discuss the Bellbrook policeman's roster but acting Superintendent David Laidlaw from the Homicide Squad said there had been 600 reports about Naden's whereabouts in the past three years.
"Police treat all these reports very seriously," he said.
"Each and every report is followed up by a dedicated team of investigators at the State Crime Command who are following this case zealously.
"Whatever information we receive that suggests Malcolm Naden might be active in a particular area is thoroughly investigated using all technology available to us to verify the reports.
"We are as keen to apprehend Malcolm Naden as anyone."
Monday, January 19, 2009
Naden fears spark Bellbrook
Naden fears spark Bellbrook protest
20/01/2009 8:35:00 AM
POLICE have moved to reassure Bellbrook residents concerned about their safety following alleged sightings of the State’s most wanted man Malcolm John Naden.
More than 120 residents turned out in the main centre of Bellbrook on Saturday to protest against a decision which removed the town’s sole policeman to South West Rocks for part of the holiday season.
Residents believe they are being left to fend for themselves with their officer so frequently out of town. Local GP Paul Appleton said allegations the notorious felon could be in the area were placing enormous stress on local families.
“Naden’s presence has been an open secret upriver for some time and the fingerprints have just confirmed it,” he said.
The community believes Naden is behind a string of recent robberies.
Non-perishable food, camping gear, binoculars and protective clothing has all been stolen from local homes within the past month.
Cash and other valuables are ignored.
Dr Appleton said residents have resorted to doing things in pairs and some locals were even sleeping with guns beside their beds.
Late yesterday NSW Police issued a statement that said the officer stationed at Bellbrook Police Station was available to be called out as part of a 24-hour police response within the community. In an effort to ensure community safety, police resources were committed to areas where appropriate and the deployment of the Bellbrook officer to South West Rocks was necessary to tackle crime during the peak holiday season when the population of the town more than doubled.
Previously officers have been relocated to other areas during the peak period, however, the officer in question resides at Bellbrook in order to ensure a more committed service to the community.
The statement concluded by saying the people of Bellbrook could be assured there were significant resources and personnel in place dedicated to locating and apprehending Naden, including highly skilled officers from the Mid North Coast Local Area Command along with detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
Malcolm Naden has been on the run since 2005 when the body of Kristy Scholes was found in his Dubbo home.
Naden is also wanted in connection with the disappearance of another woman from Dubbo.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Town in fear of Naden
19/01/2009 10:04:00 AM
Father of missing Dubbo woman Lateesha Nolan, Mick Peet has expressed his concern for residents in the NSW town of Bellbrook, who claim they are being terrorised by the State’s most wanted man, Malcolm Naden.
“I felt pretty worried for the people that are living there. I don’t want what happened to me to happen them, as in losing my daughter,” he said.
Naden hit the national news again after a report in yesterday’s Sun Herald tells of residents of Bellbrook, 52 kilometres inland from Kempsey in northern NSW, claiming they are being targeted by numerous break-ins, whom they believe Naden is responsible for.
Dubbo man Malcolm Naden is wanted for questioning over the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan, mother of four who mysteriously disappeared four years ago in Dubbo on January 4.
Naden is also being sought for questioning over the death of Lateesha’s cousin Kristy Scholes, the mother of two whose body was found in Naden’s locked bedroom at their grandparents house.
Ms Nolan’s father Mr Peet, who now resides in Queensland, said when he first read yesterday’s article he thought Naden had been caught.
“We might get some closure . . . but when I read into it more I am really happy that they actually found his fingerprints,” he said.
Mr Peet said there was a large Aboriginal community in Bellbrook and hoped someone might spot him and turn him in.
“It’s the hardest thing not having any closure.
“Until he’s caught I don’t think anyone would know why he may have done what he is assumed to have done.
“My biggest word is ‘why’.
“Why would he do it to a young girl with four kids who has
now got no mother to grow up with? I think that is on everyone’s mind.
“I would like to confront him (Naden) myself and ask him that big question and I really want to know where she really is . . . where is she? We need to bring her home and lay her to rest.”
Naden is believed to be behind a dozen break-ins, according to residents of Bellbrook, in which a large number of items were stolen.
According to the Sun Herald missing items include non-perishable food, torches, camping gear, warm clothes, raincoats and binoculars.
The community of Bellbrook has accused NSW police of ignoring their fears after the town’s only policeman was ordered to conduct beach patrols, 90 kilometres away, according to the Sun Herald.
Bellbrook locals have protested for more security in the town, as there have been more than 600 reports of Naden’s whereabouts in the past three years across the State.
Mr Peet has emotionally renewed pleas for information over the disappearance over his daughter to come forward.
“If anyone does know anything come forward and do it
for the kids, so they can put flowers on their mum’s grave,” he said.
dani.volke@ruralpress.com
double murderer Malcolm Naden THE state's most wanted man
Lisa Carty
January 18, 2009
THE state's most wanted man has turned up in a remote bush community, terrifying residents who claim police are ignoring their plight.
Accused double murderer Malcolm Naden wore a mask and camouflage gear when he loomed over a woman as she slept near Bellbrook, 52 kilometres inland from Kempsey in northern NSW, but failed to wear gloves, leaving behind his fingerprints.
That frightening approach, late last year, sparked a major police operation but residents are furious at what they say was not a one-hit wonder.
They believe Naden is behind about a dozen break-ins in which non-perishable food, torches, camping gear, warm clothes, raincoats and binoculars have been stolen, while valuables are left behind. The most recent break-in took place last week.
Residents have accused NSW Police of ignoring their fears after the town's only policeman was ordered to conduct beach patrols 90 kilometres away.
Naden, 33, a former abattoir worker from Dubbo, has been on the run since 2005 when the body of a cousin was found, and another cousin disappeared.
The experienced bushman eluded police by hiding in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo after the body of Kristy Scholes, a mother of two, was found in Naden's locked bedroom at their grandparents' home. Naden is the first wanted man since Ned Kelly to attract a reward - $50,000 - for his arrest.
Bellbrook GP Paul Appleton, a former NSW police officer, said families further up the valley were sleeping with shotguns next to their beds.
"If they leave home they take all the family," he said. "Cockies up there will only work around the house paddocks because they don't know what's happening."
Dr Appleton said trying to get information from senior police was hopeless and their attempts to catch Naden after his fingerprints were found were inept.
"This is a very small place and if two cars go past at 4am everyone wakes up because that is unusual," he said.
"Suddenly we had a convoy of 30 police vehicles. It was like trying to catch a rabbit with a grenade."
Dr Appleton said residents understood the challenges of catching Naden but they wanted their police officer, spending half his shifts with holidaymakers at South West Rocks, to stay in the town.
Single mum Julie White, of Five Day Creek, said she was scared to walk outside at night after several break-ins not far from her home.
Bellbrook shopkeeper Lloyd Gibbs said the area was peppered with national parks and dense bush, which provided perfect cover.
"We need security," he said.
"We don't want vigilantes but we want to be kept informed."
A police spokesman refused to discuss the Bellbrook policeman's roster but acting Superintendent David Laidlaw from the Homicide Squad said there had been 600 reports about Naden's whereabouts in the past three years.
"Police treat all these reports very seriously," he said.
"Each and every report is followed up by a dedicated team of investigators at the State Crime Command who are following this case zealously.
"Whatever information we receive that suggests Malcolm Naden might be active in a particular area is thoroughly investigated using all technology available to us to verify the reports.
"We are as keen to apprehend Malcolm Naden as anyone."
Police probe new leads in murder suspect case Posted 5 hours 56 minutes ago Map: Dubbo 2830 Police say they are pursuing new leads in the case of s
Police probe new leads in murder suspect case
Posted
Police say they are pursuing new leads in the case of suspected murderer Malcolm John Naden.
Naden, from Dubbo in central western New South Wales, is wanted for questioning over the disappearance of Lateesha Nolan and the suspected murder of Kristy Scholes in 2005.
He was last believed to be in the Port Macquarie area, on the state's mid-north coast, where his fingerprints were allegedly found in November last year.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Bryne Ruse, says police receive calls everyday with fresh leads.
He says there have been more than 600 calls since the police investigation was established.
But police say they are justified in not revealing any new information in their investigation.
Detective Sergeant Ruse says the investigation will be jeopardised if details of fresh leads are released to the community to ease their concerns he could be hiding out in their area.
The state's most-wanted man
The state's most-wanted man and a town in fear
18/01/2009 1:00:01 AM
THE State's most wanted man has turned up in a remote bush community, terrifying residents who claim police are ignoring their plight.
Accused double murderer Malcolm Naden wore a mask and camouflage gear when he loomed over a woman as she slept near Bellbrook, 52 kilometres inland from Kempsey in northern NSW, but failed to wear gloves, leaving behind his fingerprints.
That frightening approach, late last year, sparked a major police operation but residents are furious with what they say was a one-hit wonder.
They believe Naden is behind about a dozen break-ins in which non-perishable food, torches, camping gear, warm clothes, raincoats and binoculars have been stolen, while valuables are left behind. The most recent break-in took place last week.
Residents have accused NSW Police of ignoring their fears after the town's only policeman was ordered to conduct beach patrols 90 kilometres away.
Naden, 33, a former abattoir worker from Dubbo, has been on the run since 2005 when the body of a cousin was found, and another cousin disappeared.
The experienced bushman eluded police by hiding in Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo after the body of Kristy Scholes, a mother of two, was found in Naden's locked bedroom at their grandparents' home. Naden is the first wanted man since Ned Kelly to attract a reward - $50,000 - for his arrest.
Bellbrook GP Paul Appleton, a former NSW police officer, said families further up the valley were sleeping with shotguns next to their beds.
"If they leave home they take all the family," he said. "Cockies up there will only work around the house paddocks because they don't know what's happening."
Dr Appleton said trying to get information from senior police was hopeless and their attempts to catch Naden after his fingerprints were found were inept.
"This is a very small place and if two cars go past at 4am everyone wakes up because that is unusual," he said.
"Suddenly we had a convoy of 30 police vehicles. It was like trying to catch a rabbit with a grenade."
Dr Appleton said residents understood the challenges of catching Naden but they wanted their police officer, spending half his shifts with holidaymakers at South West Rocks, to stay in the town.
Single mum Julie White, of Five Day Creek, said she was scared to walk outside at night after several break-ins not far from her home.
Bellbrook shopkeeper Lloyd Gibbs said the area was peppered with national parks and dense bush, which provided perfect cover.
"We need security," he said.
"We don't want vigilantes but we want to be kept informed."
A police spokesman refused to discuss the Bellbrook policeman's roster but acting Superintendent David Laidlaw from the Homicide Squad said there had been 600 reports about Naden's whereabouts in the past three years.
"Police treat all these reports very seriously," he said.
"Each and every report is followed up by a dedicated team of investigators at the State Crime Command who are following this case zealously.
"Whatever information we receive that suggests Malcolm Naden might be active in a particular area is thoroughly investigated using all technology available to us to verify the reports.
"We are as keen to apprehend Malcolm Naden as anyone."
Suddenly we had a convoy of 30 police vehicles. It was like trying to catch a rabbit with a grenade."
Dr Appleton said residents understood the challenges of catching Naden but they wanted their police officer, spending half his shifts with holidaymakers at South West Rocks, to stay in the town.
Single mum Julie White, of Five Day Creek, said she was scared to walk outside at night after several break-ins not far from her home.
Bellbrook shopkeeper Lloyd Gibbs said the area was peppered with national parks and dense bush, which provided perfect cover.
"We need security," he said.
"We don't want vigilantes but we want to be kept informed."
A police spokesman refused to discuss the Bellbrook policeman's roster but acting Superintendent David Laidlaw from the Homicide Squad said there had been 600 reports about Naden's whereabouts in the past three years.
"Police treat all these reports very seriously," he said.
"Each and every report is followed up by a dedicated team of investigators at the State Crime Command who are following this case zealously.
"Whatever information we receive that suggests Malcolm Naden might be active in a particular area is thoroughly investigated using all technology available to us to verify the reports.
"We are as keen to apprehend Malcolm Naden as anyone."
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
four years on and nothing Why?????
What happened to Lateesha?
5/01/2009 1:47:00 PM
“It doesn’t matter if you know the smallest bit of the story, every bit counts in helping bring my girl home.”
That is the desperate plea of Joan Nolan, a mother longing for her daughter who disappeared four years ago.
On January 4, 2005, Dubbo mother of four Lateesha Nolan told her grandmother she would “be back in a sec”, leaving her wallet and cigarettes behind at her house on Bunglegumbie Road.
The next day, Lateesha was reported missing and her car found abandoned in a parking bay beside the Macquarie River.
The man sought for questioning over her disappearance, Malcolm Naden, has been unable to be located since Ms Nolan’s disappearance. Police also want to question Mr Naden over the murder of Kristy Scholes, Lateesha’s cousin.
The hunt still continues for Mr Naden.
Anyone with any information on Lateesha’s disappearance, or the whereabouts of Malcolm Naden, should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
For Joan Nolan, the past four years have been spent wanting her daughter back and caring for her grandchildren.
“I just want her to come back home,” Joan said.
In the days that seem to “drag on forever” Joan said her daughter had missed many important milestones in her family’s lives.
“All her kids have started school now and she didn’t get to be there for them,” she said.
“She also lost her grandmother and she missed that too.”
Her children still remembered their mother, she said. One Mother’s Day some years ago, her children bought some chocolates. Handing them out to the family, they kept one aside “for mummy”.
The chocolate is still in the box.
Joan pleaded with the community to come forward with any information.
“It doesn’t matter how little you know, sometimes people think what they know isn’t important but they don’t realise every bit counts,” she said as she choked back tears.
“The only thing we want and the most important thing now is to bring her back.”
The message was simple, said Joan - the need for information and to find Lateesha so her four children could have closure.
“The fear of not knowing what happened hurts us.”
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