Suspected killer who hides in the bush like a ghost * Janet Fife-Yeomans and Neil Keene * From: The Daily Telegraph * September 11, 2010

Suspected killer who hides in the bush like a ghost

* Janet Fife-Yeomans and Neil Keene
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* September 11, 2010 12:00AM
* 2 comments

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/suspected-killer-who-hides-in-the-bush-like-a-ghost/story-e6freuzi-1225917665946

IN the dense bush among the ravines and cliffs of Barrington Tops, Malcolm Naden - the state's most wanted man - is believed to be armed and living like a fox on the run.

The only fugitive since Ned Kelly to have a bounty on his head, the suspected double killer is moving by night, lying low by day.

Locals who have been the target of a series of mysterious break-ins believe Naden may be responsible.

A shotgun, two rifles, camping gear, gravy sachets and Weet-Bix are among the haul stolen from remote homesteads and weekender cabins. Police have warned at least one couple who were the victim of a burglary to stay away from their weekend retreat.

One property owner said he had started locking his doors for the first time in his 67 years.

Naden, 36, has been on the run since June 2005 when police found the strangled body of his cousin, Kristy Scholes, in his bedroom at his grandparents' Dubbo home.

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He had lived there since Year 7 after falling out with his parents. It was also home to Kristy and her two children.

Police believe Naden is also involved in the disappearance of another cousin, Lateesha Nolan, 24, last seen after dropping her four children at her grandmother's house in Dubbo in January 2005.

Two families devastated, six children left without mothers.

In 2007, the Government offered $50,000 for information leading to Naden's capture.

A loner, Naden is a former shearer who worked as a skinner and boner at Dubbo abattoir. He became obsessed with religion, believing the end of the world was near and only left his home in secret.

Naden first surfaced in late December 2005, spotted at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo.

With the 300ha zoo in lockdown, police believed he may have been living in a roof, slaughtering kangaroos for food. Carcasses were found, carefully butchered.

His bushman's skills kept him under the police radar despite having Homicide Squad detectives on his tail.

In 2007 he left his fingerprint in a break and enter on a home at Stewarts Brook in the Barrington Tops area.

But Naden slipped the police net and did not surface again for two years, this time at the hamlet of Bellbrook, inland from Kempsey.

Locals who had no idea he was a wanted man, had stood next to him in the local hotel. Then, wearing a mask and camouflage gear, he terrified a woman when he broke into her house. Again, he was identified by his fingerprints, sparking a huge manhunt. Again he eluded police. Early this year, a couple with a weekender in Barrington Tops reported a break-in and a shotgun stolen.

The latest of a series of burglaries since then came earlier this month when a rifle was stolen. While he is believed to be using the guns only to hunt, police have warned people not to approach Naden.

Lateesha's father Mick Peet, 49, wants Naden's details spread far and wide.

"Barrington Tops is a very large area but the police are on to him and with the tourist season coming up, that might flush him out," he said.

But for a community sharing their backyard with a notorious fugitive, some Barrington locals are surprisingly relaxed.

They even appear to have a grudging respect.

Allen Shultz has lived in the area for more than 50 years and said it was unlikely Naden would be found.

"Nobody has ever seen him, he goes into these places and only takes food and supplies for survival and he's hardly leaving a trace," he said.

Police warn that Naden is no romantic hero but Paula Muddle, in the Barrington township's general store, said his legend was growing.

The area is the same unforgiving country where outlaw Frederick Ward, aka Captain Thunderbolt, took refuge from authorities more than 140 years ago.

Bounty hunters join chase for fugitive Naden

Bounty hunters join chase for fugitive Naden
BY DAN PROUDMAN CHIEF POLICE REPORTER
11 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM
BOUNTY hunters are arriving in the Barrington Tops set to enter the hunt for fugitive Malcolm Naden.

As the families of Naden's alleged victims make another plea to authorities to increase the reward in the hunt for the suspected murderer, bounty hunters are lining up for their chance to catch him.

Three years ago, the State Government announced a $50,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of Naden after homicide squad detectives spent two unsuccessful years chasing him.

The announcement was supposed to encourage those who know Naden or his whereabouts to give him up.

It was never meant to spark a free-for-all in hunting him down.

News a possibly armed Naden is roaming across the Barrington Tops breaking into houses and surviving by using his bush skills has attracted some people wanting to make a quick dollar.

One would-be bounty hunter said he believed he and his crew had enough bush knowledge and military background to find the fugitive.

"I have been waiting 20 years for something like this to come up," he said.

Police were silent over any suspicions of Naden roaming the Barrington Tops.

There has been at least one major police search in the past three months but senior police are not confirming their beliefs that Naden is in the area.

Their denials have angered the families of Lateesha Nolan and Kristy Scholes, the two young mothers suspected of being victims of Naden.

"We really need some closure and the only way we are going to get that is when they get Naden," Ms Scholes' uncle Tony Scholes said last night. "It has destroyed our family, we need him caught."

Outlaw strikes fear

Outlaw strikes fear
News that a suspected murderer is on the run in the Barringtons has locals fearing for their welfare, writes DAN PROUDMAN.
One fellow up here said the only way they will
get him is if a brown snake gets to him first.
THEironies are probably lost on
fugitive bushranger Malcolm
Naden.
Likehowclose he hasbeen to
ThunderboltsTrail ashe crisscrosses
parts of the BarringtonTops while
hiding out from authorities – the same trail
named after bushranger Captain
Thunderbolt as heat tempted to do
likewise nearly 150 years ago.
Or that when he pinched a .22 calibre
rifle from a Curricabark property in July
he was only a couple of days’ walk from the
place whereJimmyGovernor was
captured in 1900 – the Aboriginalman
madefamous in The Chant forJimmy
Blacksmith andthe last person to have a
bounty onhis head until theNSW
government placed $50,000on the
successful arrest ofNadenthree years ago.
Itmakesgood reading. But it also
threatens to glorify amanwhohas the
undesirable title of being the state’s most
wanted person.
Theformer abattoir worker, anexpert
skinner andboner, has gone bush because
he is suspected of being involved in the
disappearance of his cousin Lateesha
Nolan andthe murder of Kristy Scholes,
both in 2005,and another attack ona child.
For the past five years,Nadenhas used
his expertbushmanskills to cunningly
lead policeon a chase through bushland
fromDubbotoKempsey.
Hehas terrorised communities by
breaking intohomesand stealing items
required for survival – non-perishable
food, camping gear, batteries, binoculars,
warmjackets.
Nowthat it has emerged thatNadenhas
madesections of the BarringtonTops his
homefor the past three years it hasmade
property owners take stock.
‘‘Our secluded andpeaceful properties
at the foot of BarringtonTops areno longer
the tranquilhomeaway from home; fear
arises with everymovementheard in the
scrub andevery noise heard at night
hoping andpraying thatwedon’t stumble
across him,’’ said Melinda McCosker,
whose family has a property at Stewarts
Brook, east of Scone.
‘‘To say he is terrorising those in the
area is just scraping at the surface of the
waywefeel about the fact that a murder
suspect is hiding in our backyard.’’
Herconcerns havebeen repeated across
manyvillages whereowners of small
weekenders and hobbyfarms join locals
whofear for their safety.
But the police will not publicly confirm
thatNadenis, or ever was, in the area.
There is not enough evidence, they say.
Despite rare sightings of him,Nadenhas
leftsometracks.
For all the reported sightings ofNaden
since he ran from authorities after
spending time hiding out inan animal
enclosure at Dubbo’sWestern Plains Zoo
inDecember2005, there have beenonly a
handful that havebeen confirmed.
Like the break-in of another remote
property at Stewarts Brook, onthe western
foothills of BarringtonTops about 40
kilometres east of Scone, in 2008.
Blood found whereawindowwas
broken was matchedto Naden’sDNA
profile.Amassive land search failed to
find any trace of Naden. Neither the blood
match nor the search weremadepublic.
In January 2009, fingerprintscameback
with amatch toNadenin the small
community called Bellbrook, west of
KempseyandWauchope.
Hespentsometime terrorising locals
and breaking into about a dozen houses,
including one episodewhere awoman
reported waking to findNadenstanding
over her wearing amaskand camouflage
gear.
That information wasn’tmadepublic
butwhenresidents found out they staged a
protest.
Then, about three months ago, there was
another fingerprintmatch – this time in a
weekender atMountMooney, onthe
northern side of the BarringtonTops
north-west of Gloucester.
Thesameproperty,ownedby Sydney
couple Chris Bebberand Jo-Anne Phillips,
was again targeted between August 24 and
26.
It wasidentical to theMaybreak-in. Like
somanyother victims in the past four
months, the couple believeNadenwas
watching becauseheknewthey left on
Tuesday and returnedon Thursday.
Hegot in through a window and went to
work collecting non-perishables: pasta,
rice, porridge, muesli,Weet-Bix, corn

COVER STORY barrington tops

chips and gravy sachets.
Phillips said that was the second time he
had taken gravy and wonderedwhether it
had anything to do with some missing goats
from a nearby farm.
Healso appears to have a sweet tooth –
manyvictims have reported losing
chocolate during burglaries.
AtMountMooney,Nadenalso took a
wet-weather jacket, a pair of binoculars,
shorts and a pair of boots.
‘‘It has put the windupall of usnow,’’
Phillips toldH2.
‘‘Iknowit is only food andclothing but
he is dangerous.
‘‘What dowedo?Dowefillupall the
cupboards again andsay, ‘Merry
Christmas, Malcolm.Comeand help
yourself?’
‘‘We feel very alert, very awareand very
frustrated about the lack of promptness
from police.
‘‘This guy is very clearly able to remain
out there for a long time.
‘‘What is it going to take, ishe going to
have tocomeupbehindsomeone before
anything is done?’’
Residents say a group ofupto 50 police
turnedupin July, searched areas of bush
along with dogs and anAboriginal tracker,
but left without anything.
They haven’tbeen back, not even to have
a look at the latest break-in atMount
Mooney.
Phillips andBebber are not alone in
being the victims of alarming break-ins.H2
knows ofmorethan 20 burglaries across
the Barringtons since Easter.
All are eerily similar.
BobandLynn Stegh,whohadnever had
a break-in inmorethan 10 years, said they
were targeted three times in a few months,
and believe itwas Naden.
In July, the intruder returned andtook a
.22 calibre rifle as well as food.
‘‘He only took the .22 single shot, he
could have taken an extra four or five
bigger guns but he obviously didn’t want to
be heard,’’BobStegh said.
‘‘He can shoot that and notbe heard.’’
It appearsNadencan survive in a hermit
world.
Heis suspected of being involved in the
disappearance of his cousin Lateesha
Nolan in January 2005.
After her disappearance,Nadenbolted
hisbedroomdoor from the inside and
family passed food through awindow.
Nadendisappeared hours before Kristy
Scholes, a partner of another cousin, was
found deadin his room, having been
strangled, in August 2005.
Kangaroo carcasses, expertly butchered,
were foundon the banks of the Macquarie
River behind theWestern Plains Zoo after
police discoveredNadenhad been hiding
in an enclosure. Similar kangaroo
carcasses havebeen found in parts of the
BarringtonTops, also expertly cut.
‘‘He wouldbe living exactly thesameas
a fox lives,’’ Lateesha Nolan’s distraught
father, Mick Peet, toldH2.
‘‘He is moving during the night and
staying quiet during the day.
‘‘I don’t think they will ever gethimuntil
they throw a lot of resources at it.
‘‘He will stay one step ahead.’’
Along-timeMountMooneyresident said
he would bewatching everyone.
‘‘He [Naden] wouldknowexactly what
wehave for tea,’’ he said.
‘‘He couldcomewithin 25 yards of us and
wewouldn’tknow.
‘‘He is clever and heis tough.
‘‘Only the other night I walked outside to
getsomemore[fire]woodand said to the
wife I should go back outside andjust yell,
‘Malcolm, it’s too bloody cold mate,comein
here andget warm’.
‘‘One fellowuphere said the onlyway
they will gethimis if abrownsnake gets to
himfirst.’’
Asenior police source saidNaden
would beusing a series of campsites to
allowhimto keep moving.
They might include public campsites,
which hewould blend into after watching
whowascamping.
That iswhyresidents say the authorities
need to publiclywarn people.
‘‘We have visitors putting themselves in
danger andwehavewomenherewho
spend a lot of time on theirownwhile their
husbands are out,’’ a resident said.
‘‘They need tobe protected.
‘‘Someone is going to stumble ontohim
atsomestage andwhoknowswhat might
happen.’’
Acting HunterValley crime manager
Detective Inspector Peter Robinson has
been onNaden’s tail for several years as
part of his previous jobs with the Northern
Region police.
Hesaid althoughNadenhadto be
considered dangerous, heappeared to be
happy to keep to himself.
Inspector Robinson said the only time
he hadbeen cornered was at theDubbo
zoo and hedid not attack.
‘‘All I can say is the only time he was
confronted, his optionwas to run,’’
Detective Inspector Robinson said.
‘‘If you want to try andpredict what
people will do, you look at their past, and
his first instinctwas to run.’’
That is whatNadenis continuing to do
– tomorrow will be his 1900th day on the
run.

By DAN PROUDMAN
Second .22 rifle stolen
FUGITIVE Malcolm Naden
may have his hands on a
second gun after a rifle was
stolen from a Barrington property.
In the latest in a series of
burglaries believed to be the
work of the suspected double
murderer, a thief has been
able to break into the residence
near Mount Mooney and
take a .22 calibre rifle as well
as ammunition.
The theft occurred sometime
between Sunday, August
29, and Thursday, September 2.
It is the second .22 calibre
rifle to be taken from a remote
Barrington Tops property
since July.
On both occasions other
guns were left behind,
strengthening a police theory
that Naden is picking his
target. Small calibre rifles are
much quieter and would
therefore raise less suspicion
if heard while hunting
wildife.
The property owner, who did
not wish to be named last
night, said the thief had also
stolen non-perishable food.
The break-in mirrors more
than 20 others across the Barrington
Tops since Easter,
which police have told locals
are the work of Naden.
The former skinner and
boner at a Dubbo abattoir has
expert bushman skills and has
been on the run from authorities
for five years.
He is wanted over the disappearance
and suspected
murder of his cousin Lateesha
Nolan and the murder of a
cousin’s partner, Kristy
Scholes, both at Dubbo in 2005.
He is listed as the state’s
most wanted man and is the
first person to have a bounty
placed on his head in 110 years
when $50,000 was announced
for his arrest.
The latest burglary victim
said it was the first time the
thief had targeted his property,
which is several kilometres
from where some Mount
Mooney properties were targeted
last month.
Naden is suspected of burglaries
on remote properties on
the eastern, western and
northern fringes of the Barrington
Tops.

NSW Most Wanted

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Public's help sought over murder cases

Public's help sought over murder cases
Les Kennedy
September 5, 2010
Malcolm Naden, now 37, is wanted on a $50,000 bounty for suspected involvement in the murder of one women and disappearance of another in Dubbo. His alleged victims were mother-of-two Kristy Scholes, whose body was found in a house at West Dubbo, on June 23, 2005; and mother-of-four Lateesha Nolan, 24, whose body has never been found.

Now, with police operations in Barrington Tops and Taree, the mid-north coast is abuzz with talk that Naden, an expert bushman, is hiding in the scrub and is responsible for almost 20 burglaries. Police won't confirm they have his DNA profile-matched blood found at the scene of a 2008 break-in at Stewar

Father's plea: Track down alleged killer

Father's plea: Track down alleged killer
BY DAN PROUDMAN CHIEF POLICE REPORTER
03 Sep, 2010 04:00 AM
The father of one of fugitive bushranger Malcolm Naden’s suspected victims has pleaded with authorities to do whatever it takes to hunt down the suspected double murderer.

Mick Peet, father of Naden’s missing cousin Lateesha Nolan, said yesterday that even the army should be used to comb the Barrington Tops to help look for the man who had led police on a five-year chase.

Naden, an expert bushman, is believed to be hiding out in the Barrington bush, with more than 20 remote properties reporting break-ins and thefts since Easter.

Naden is the nephew of Mr Peet’s former partner and is suspected of being involved in the 2005 disappearance of Ms Nolan and the murder of Kristy Scholes, the partner of another cousin, eight months later.

There is a $50,000 bounty for his arrest.

‘‘I want justice for my daughter and Kristy and that cannot happen until he is caught,’’ Mr Peet told the Newcastle Herald yesterday.

‘‘If the $50,000 isn’t enough, then people need to think of the six children who are attempting to move on without their mothers.

‘‘Those kids need to know.’’

Police have refused to confirm their suspicions on Naden’s whereabouts, despite mounting evidence to suggest he is following water courses and food sources between Scone and Gloucester and west of Wingham.

The Herald knows of at least one major search north-west of Gloucester in July where police dogs and an Aboriginal tracker were flown in to try to trace the fugitive.

‘‘The main thing for us is closure,’’ Mr Peet said. ‘‘We need to know what happened to my daughter.

‘‘My father [Len Peet] passed away recently never knowing what happened to his granddaughter. I have waited five years, I cannot wait another five years.’’

Mr Peet said he remembered Naden as being an expert bushman who had learnt his skills on camping trips since he was a child.

He said he believed he would be ‘‘living like a fox’’ and keeping low during the day before moving at night.

Danger at the Tops: Break ins point to fugitive

Danger at the Tops: Break ins point to fugitive
BY DAN PROUDMAN CHIEF POLICE REPORTER
01 Sep, 2010 04:00 AM
Fugitive bushranger Malcolm Naden may be responsible for almost 20 burglaries on remote properties across Barrington Tops since Easter as he continues to survive in the region by following rivers and food sources.

The state’s most wanted man and an experienced bushman, Naden could have even remained in the area for the past three years, with confirmation that his DNA profile matched blood found at the scene of a break-in at Stewarts Brook, a small community about 50 kilometres east of Scone, in early 2008.

The Newcastle Herald revealed on Saturday that Naden, a suspected double murderer on the run from authorities since 2005, may now be armed after eight properties were targeted north-west of Gloucester since mid-July.

But property owners living on either side of Barrington Tops have since confirmed a series of other break-ins on weekenders since at least Easter.

On each occasion, the thief concentrates on non-perishable food, camping gear and batteries and keeps the target house neat and tidy when he leaves.

Melinda McCosker told the Herald yesterday that her in-laws’ property at Stewarts Brook was one of four places targeted in March.

It followed a series of break-ins at the small community in 2008 that sparked a large manhunt by local police and the homicide squad when tests confirmed that blood found at one of the thefts matched Naden’s DNA.

‘‘To say he is terrorising those in the area is just scraping at the surface of the way we feel about the fact that a murder suspect is hiding in our backyard,’’ Mrs McCosker said.

And several residents west of Gloucester, who did not want to be identified, said yesterday there had been at least a further six break-ins on the eastern side of Barrington Tops in the past two months in communities along the Cobark and Dilgrey rivers.

The latest was just last week.

‘‘He is clever and he is tough and they are going to have to get a tracker to find him,’’ one resident said.

‘‘We are not extremely frightened of him but we are definitely wary when we go out in the paddocks.

‘‘But we believe that people should be warned about what is up here – we have visitors putting themselves in danger and we have women here who spend a lot of time on their own.’’

Naden sighting unconfirmed

Naden sighting unconfirmed
FAYE WHEELER
31 Aug, 2010 04:00 AM
The State Crime Command has not confirmed wanted Dubbo man Malcolm Naden is responsible for the theft of a rifle from a property near Gloucester.

A resident of the district told the Newcastle Herald that local police strongly suspected the man wanted in relation to the murder of one Dubbo woman and the disappearance of another was responsible for the series of break and enters.

State Crime Command detectives were aware of the break and enters, but there was no information to confirm any links to the Naden case, a command spokeswoman said yesterday.

Naden has been on the run since July 2005 when the body of Kristy Scholes, the partner of his cousin, was found in Naden’s bedroom.

In the January prior to Ms Scholes’ murder, cousin Lateesha Nolan was reported missing after she was last seen at the same West Dubbo home of a family member.

In August 2005 police issued a warrant for Naden’s arrest and a statewide appeal for information.

Two years after the disappearance of Ms Nolan police put a $50,000 bounty on the head of the murder suspect.

Acting premier and police minister John Watkins said it was the first in the state since the hunt for Ned Kelly and his gang in the 1870s, the Sydney Morning Herald reported at the time.

Naden sightings resurfaced in the Newcastle Herald report on Saturday that said Naden was believed to be armed and terrorising isolated communities near the Barrington Tops, northwest of Gloucester.

The series of break-ins since about July 11 had residents on edge, especially after long-time resident Bob Stegg reported his .22 calibre rifle stolen last month, the Herald report said.

Mr Stegg, who had not reported a theft for 10 years, discovered items were missing on at least three occasions, while neighbour Tony Snow also had his place burgled.

Mr Snow said yesterday police had told him they strongly suspected Naden was responsible, the Herald report said.

The State Crime Command spokeswoman said the command’s homicide squad investigation of Naden was active and repeated the appeal for information.

“The investigation remains open and police have and will continue to follow all available lines of inquiry,” she said.

“Assistance continues to be provided by relevant local area commands in relation to any incidents that may be relevant to the investigation.

“Detectives are aware of a recent break and enter in the Manning-Great Lakes Local Area Command, however at this stage there is no information to confirm any links to the Naden case.”