Hunt for fugitive Malcolm Naden focuses on Barrington Tops BY DAN PROUDMAN CHIEF POLICE REPORTER 21 Oct, 2010 04:00 AM

A police strike force hunting fugitive Malcolm Naden has admitted its focus was on the Barrington Tops after months of suspicious activity in the national park.

Residents have criticised police for a perceived lack of information being released about the investigation into the double-murder suspect since evidence first surfaced that the expert bushman was using the area as a hideout almost three years ago.

Police say they have ruled out a campsite discovered by a pig hunter 10 days ago as being linked to Naden, although bushmen with decades of experience within the Barringtons disagreed with the police line that it was probably used by cannabis growers.

‘‘We have come across heaps of dope growers’ places over the years and this one is nothing like the rest of them; it isn’t even in the right sort of area for them,’’ one experienced bushman said.

A State Crime Command statement issued following questions from the Newcastle Herald said police had been made aware of reports of burglaries in and around the Barrington Tops.

‘‘The current focus of the investigation is on the Barrington Tops area,’’ the police statement said.

A DNA match to Naden’s profile was found at a break-in at Stewarts Brook in 2008 and the Herald is aware of more than 20 extremely similar burglaries on properties across all sides of the Barringtons since Easter.

Items being stolen include several guns.

‘‘Police can reassure the community that there is a dedicated strike force in place conducting regular operations and investigations into the whereabouts of Malcolm Naden,’’ the statement said.

Site not linked to Naden case CAITLIN ANDREWS 14 Oct, 2010 09:55 AM

Site not linked to Naden case
CAITLIN ANDREWS
14 Oct, 2010 09:55 AM
Despite recent media coverage and speculation suggesting a campsite occupied by wanted fugitive Malcolm Naden was found at Barrington Tops, Hunter Valley Police have confirmed there is no link between the site and the suspected murderer.

A pig hunter travelling through the Barrington Tops last week discovered a bush lair reporting it to police and Newcastle and Sydney newspapers.

Malcolm Naden has been evading police for the past five years after he was last seen at the zoo in Dubbo.

Believed to be responsible for more than 20 break-ins where general purpose items such as non-perishable food, camping gear and batteries have been taken, the state’s most wanted man is also believed to be armed.

The suspected double murderer’s DNA was positively identified at Stewarts Brook, east of Scone in 2008 and his fingerprints were later found at a location at the back of Kempsey, however these were the last traces to his whereabouts.

Hunter Valley Police reported last month there had been indications of his activity in the Upper Hunter but no solid evidence.

Local police and the State Crime Command have investigated the area of Barrington Tops, in attempts to track down Naden, however there has been no evidence since 2008 suggesting he is in the area.

Despite reports in the Newcastle Herald and the Sydney Morning Herald linking the site to Naden, Hunter Valley Police and State Crime Command detectives have examined the site and quickly determined through examination that the site was used to grow cannabis crops with evidence of cultivation, star pickets and fertiliser.

With a $50,000 reward offered for the location of Naden, people across the state seem to be on alert for the experienced bushman.

Hunter Valley Police acting crime manager Peter Robertson said the State Crime Command had issued a statement that said following a number of inquiries made over recent days, police can now rule out any links between the campsite and the Naden case.

“Investigations will be ongoing and detectives encourage people to continue to contact police regarding any possible sightings in their area of if they have any further information,” acting crime manager Robertson said.

“Police also continue to advise if anyone sites this man, do not approach him, contact the local police station on 6542 6999 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1800 333 000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting immediately. There is no reason for anyone to be afraid.”
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Was it Naden’s hideout? BEN WALKER 12 Oct, 2010 04:00 AM

Was it Naden’s hideout?
BEN WALKER
12 Oct, 2010 04:00 AM
Detectives attached to the state homicide squad are yet to find evidence linking a campsite found by a pig hunter in the Barrington Tops to the state’s most wanted man Malcolm Naden.

A report in yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald said the hunt for Naden had “been given its biggest break after a pig hunter stumbled across what is believed to be one of the murder suspect’s bush lairs”.

The story quoted the anonymous pig hunter, who said he was “convinced the campsite was the work of Naden because of its remote location, the amount of work that had been put into making it and some evidence discovered at the scene.”

Naden has been on the run from police for more than five years and is wanted in relation to the death of Kristy Scholes and the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan in 2005.

Last week members of Ms Nolan’s family questioned an idea put forward by the NSW opposition calling for the doubling of a reward leading to Naden’s capture.

They believe any increase would make Naden a target rather than lead to his capture and ruin any chance they had of finding out what happened to Ms Nolan.

The most recent information is being investigated by police, however, yesterday afternoon a spokesperson for the homicide squad said no link had been made.

“Detectives attached to the homicide squad continue to investigate and the investigation remains open,” the spokesperson said.

“At the moment there is no evidence of a link between the campsite and Malcolm Naden but we will continue to look into it.

“We encourage members of the public to keep coming forward with information, whether it be to their local police force or through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

“But members of the public should be aware that if they do sight Malcolm Naden, they should not approach him. Rather just contact police or Crime Stoppers immediately.”
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Bush camp believed to be fugitive's Dan Proudman October 11, 2010

The five-year hunt for the fugitive Malcolm Naden has been given its biggest break after a pig hunter stumbled across what is believed to be one of the murder suspect's bush lairs deep in the Barrington Tops.

Homicide squad detectives believe the discovery to be the best lead in the hunt for the state's most wanted man since he evaded police in Dubbo in 2005.

Mr Naden is wanted in connection with the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan in January that year and the death of another cousin's partner, Kristy Scholes, the following August.
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Police have refused to publicly confirm their suspicions that Mr Naden has been living in the Barrington Tops for several years, despite growing evidence of burglaries carrying his hallmarks.

Thursday's discovery of the crude campsite on top of a hill strengthens the belief that Mr Naden, an expert bushman, is living the life of a nomad in the vast wilderness between the Barrington Tops and Kempsey.

The pig hunter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was convinced the campsite was the work of Mr Naden because of its remote location, the amount of work that had been put into making it and some evidence discovered at the scene.

''If he has been up there for five years I wouldn't put it past him to have more than 50 of these types of campsites,'' the hunter said. ''It is so remote up there you can hear people coming from more than a kilometre away. He would hear them, he would see them and he would smell them miles away.''

Call Crime Stoppers on 1800333000 if you have any information.

Pig hunter finds fugitive's Barrington Tops hideout

Pig hunter finds fugitive's Barrington Tops hideout
BY DAN PROUDMAN CHIEF POLICE REPORTER
11 Oct, 2010 04:00 AM
THE five-year hunt for fugitive Malcolm Naden has been given its biggest break after a pig hunter stumbled across one of the murder suspect's bush lairs deep in the Barrington Tops.

Homicide squad detectives travelled to a nearby property yesterday believing this to be the best lead in the chase for the state's most wanted man since he evaded police at Dubbo in 2005.

Naden is wanted in connection with the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan in January 2005 and the death of another cousin's partner, Kristy Scholes, in August that same year.

Police have refused to publicly confirm their suspicions that Naden has been living in the Barrington Tops for several years despite growing evidence of burglaries boasting his hallmarks.

Thursday's discovery of the crude, but effective, campsite on top of a rugged hill is more proof that Naden, an expert bushman, is living the life of a nomad across vast distances of wilderness between the Barringtons and Kempsey.

The experienced pig hunter, who spoke to the Newcastle Herald on condition of anonymity, said he was convinced the campsite was the work of Naden because of its remote location, the amount of work that had been put into making it and some other evidence discovered at the scene.

The Herald is aware of the campsite's location but has agreed not to reveal it or certain aspects of the campsite for police operational reasons.

"If he has been up there for five years I wouldn't put it past him to have more than 50 of these types of campsites," the pig hunter told the Herald.

What can be revealed is that Naden had chosen a place atop a hill, giving himself the maximum amount of sunlight for warmth as well as allowing him to keep a lookout.

He has used a large number of dead trees to build wind breaks to shelter him from icy conditions and has kept well away from water courses to hide the camp from the majority of visitors.

"It is so remote up there you can hear people coming from more than a kilometre away," the pig hunter said.

"He would hear them, he would see them and he would smell them miles away.

"And although the higher you get the colder it gets, you also maximise the amount of sunlight and that means warmth - and trust me, she gets cold up there."

There was no sign of a fire at the campsite, but its evidence could have been buried.

The pig hunter said there was no shortage of food and water for Naden to keep himself going, with wallabies and kangaroos "so thick up there you almost trip over them".

"I would be very surprised if he does get caught," he said.

"He has got to be terribly unlucky and the cops have got to be terribly lucky to find him.

"But it is not out of the question for him to be bitten by a snake and die up there."

The pig hunter believed that Naden would be getting some form of outside assistance but that he would still be suffering without constant social interaction.

"To live five years on your own with no contact from anyone he must be mentally unstable, it would do your head in," he said.

A nearby landholder told the Herald he could understand why the hunt had been so difficult for police.

"It is my belief that for the police to be successful that they need specially trained officers in bush skills who are capable of being self-sufficient in the bush for weeks at a time," the landholder said.

"It may be that the police consult with people like the pig hunter who have these skills.

"I believe it is in everyone's best interests if this wanted person would face the police investigation so that the stress and anxiety caused to landowners in the area might be resolved."

He would hear them, he would see them and he would smell them miles away.

"And although the higher you get the colder it gets, you also maximise the amount of sunlight and that means warmth - and trust me, she gets cold up there."

There was no sign of a fire at the campsite, but its evidence could have been buried.

The pig hunter said there was no shortage of food and water for Naden to keep himself going, with wallabies and kangaroos "so thick up there you almost trip over them".

"I would be very surprised if he does get caught," he said.

"He has got to be terribly unlucky and the cops have got to be terribly lucky to find him.

"But it is not out of the question for him to be bitten by a snake and die up there."

The pig hunter believed that Naden would be getting some form of outside assistance but that he would still be suffering without constant social interaction.

"To live five years on your own with no contact from anyone he must be mentally unstable, it would do your head in," he said.

A nearby landholder told the Herald he could understand why the hunt had been so difficult for police.

"It is my belief that for the police to be successful that they need specially trained officers in bush skills who are capable of being self-sufficient in the bush for weeks at a time," the landholder said.

"It may be that the police consult with people like the pig hunter who have these skills.

"I believe it is in everyone's best interests if this wanted person would face the police investigation so that the stress and anxiety caused to landowners in the area might be resolved."

Information can be forwarded to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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01 Sep 10:
Danger at the Tops: Break ins point to fugitive
28 Aug 10:
Is Barrington Tops hiding state's most wanted man?
03 Sep 10:
Father's plea: Track down alleged killer
10 Sep 10:
Time to up the bounty on fugitive murder suspect
07 Sep 10:
Fugitive linked to break-in
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Information can be forwarded to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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RELATED COVERAGE
01 Sep 10:
Danger at the Tops: Break ins point to fugitive
28 Aug 10:
Is Barrington Tops hiding state's most wanted man?
03 Sep 10:
Father's plea: Track down alleged killer
10 Sep 10:
Time to up the bounty on fugitive murder suspect
07 Sep 10:
Fugitive linked to break-in
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Price on Naden’s head in dispute PATRICK BILLINGS 05 Oct, 2010 05:00 AM

Price on Naden’s head in dispute
PATRICK BILLINGS
05 Oct, 2010 05:00 AM
Calls for the bounty on the state’s most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, to increase have been met with mixed feelings by the mother of Naden’s cousin, Lateesha Nolan, who has not been seen since 2005.

Naden has been on the run for five years and police are seeking him in relation to the 24-year-old’s disappearance and the murder of his cousin’s partner, Kristy Scholes, also 24.

NSW Opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacsher criticised police minister Michael Daley for the delay in nabbing Naden and wants the bounty on his head raised from $50,000 to $200,000.

However Ms Nolan’s mother, Joan Nolan, was worried such a lucrative reward for information leading to Naden’s capture may entice people to take the law into their own hands.

She said if harm came to Naden the family’s only “key” to discovering the whereabouts of their daughter would be lost.

Mrs Nolan was also concerned about a story in the Sun-Herald that quoted property owners who are believed to have been burgled by Naden in Barrington Tops.

Police reportedly found forensic evidence of his presence in the dense bush land and one resident said he “would not hesitate to shoot (Naden)” if he saw him.

“They might get scared and shoot him but (Lateesha’s) got family that’s pinned all its hopes on him having information,” Mrs Nolan said.

“He’s our only hope. We only know (the police) want to talk to him, we don’t know if he’s guilty.

Mrs Nolan’s daughter has not been seen since January 2005 while Ms Scholes was found strangled to death in Naden’s bedroom six months later.

Ms Nolan had lived with Naden in their grandparents’ house in West Dubbo.

Dubbo MP Dawn Fardell doubted a quadrupling of Naden’s bounty would be effective in breaking “the cone of silence” surrounding his whereabouts.

The 31-year-old had been protected in the past and people in the community had information on his whereabouts, she said.

While it was “sad for the families” Ms Fardell said Naden had been judged before appearing before a jury.

“I’m not saying he’s innocent but everyone deserves a trial,” she said.

Police said they had “not ruled out re-examining the current reward offered” for Naden. Anyone with details regarding Naden’s activities is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Calls made to boost price tag for Naden to $200k PATRICK BILLINGS 04 Oct, 2010

Malcolm John Naden who is wanted for questioning for the murder of Kristy Scholes and missing woman Lateesha Nolan.
The bounty for Dubbo murder suspect Malcolm Naden, who has spent the last five years on the run, should be quadrupled, the NSW opposition says.

The Nationals’ Dubbo candidate Troy Grant has backed the call for a $200,000 price to be put on Naden’s head in order to bring the state’s most wanted fugitive to “justice”.

“The saga has been paining and impacting on the family for far too long. This dangerous man needs to be brought to trial,” he said.

Police suspect Naden murdered his cousin’s partner, 24-year-old mother-of-two Kristy Scholes, found strangled in Naden’s bedroom in 2005. Police also want to speak to Naden about his cousin Lateesha Nolan, 24, who along with Ms Scholes lived with the 31-year-old at his grandparents’ home in Dubbo. Ms Nolan, mother-of-four young children, has not been seen since 2005.

Since her disappearance her father Mick Peet has devoted his life to finding out what happened. Mr Peet has also lobbied for the reward to be increased saying the family was desperate for some closure.

“I’ve always wished that they did raise it because its was the lowest reward out for somebody wanted for murder,” he told the Daily Liberal.

“It’s about closure for me and my family and all her family. The Scholes family need closure because their daughter was murdered too and there’s been no justice for her family.”

Rewards for information leading to an arrest are set by the NSW Government, based on police recommendations.

“Police have not recommended an increased reward for this case. Investigating police will request a reward where they believe there is a chance that the reward could result in important, new information being brought to light - that would otherwise be unlikely to surface,” a spokeswoman for Police Minister Michael Daley said.

Detective Inspector John Lehmann from the Unsolved Homicide Squad authorised a statement saying police had “not ruled out re-examining the current reward offered in relation to Malcolm Naden”.

“While it is extremely frustrating that Naden has evaded capture to date, NSW Police will never tire in the efforts to bring him to justice,” the statement said.

The Sun-Herald has reported that for the first time police have forensic evidence of Naden hiding in the Hunter Valley. He is suspected of a string of burglaries in the area including the theft of a gun. Mr Peet said he had been boosted by news of the forensic evidence and felt the net was tightening on the outlaw.

“I feel like something is going to happen and they’re getting on to where is he which is Barrington Tops at the moment. I’m getting through that people have found humpies through that area where he may have lived at at one stage,” he said.

“We just want to find out where Lateesha is, what happened to Lateesha ... I’m never going to give up (until) he is found. I hope I don’t pass away without knowing, that’s my greatest fear.”

Police advise that if anyone sights Naden, do not approach him, but rather contact local police or Crime Stoppers immediately on 1800 333 000.
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The Sun-Herald has reported that for the first time police have forensic evidence of Naden hiding in the Hunter Valley. He is suspected of a string of burglaries in the area including the theft of a gun. Mr Peet said he had been boosted by news of the forensic evidence and felt the net was tightening on the outlaw.

“I feel like something is going to happen and they’re getting on to where is he which is Barrington Tops at the moment. I’m getting through that people have found humpies through that area where he may have lived at at one stage,” he said.

“We just want to find out where Lateesha is, what happened to Lateesha ... I’m never going to give up (until) he is found. I hope I don’t pass away without knowing, that’s my greatest fear.”

Police advise that if anyone sights Naden, do not approach him, but rather contact local police or Crime Stoppers immediately on

Children ask: when are our mums coming back Tim Barlass October 3, 2010

Staying together... (front, from left) Johnathan Walker,8, Elizabeth Walker,9, Shaqkaila Nolan,7, and Jayden Nolan,8. (Back) Erica Nolan 10 and Kiesha Nolan, 12. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

THESE are the six children left without their mothers after one was murdered and the other disappeared five years ago.
Malcolm Naden is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of his cousin’s partner, Kristy Scholes, 24 – mother to Elizabeth, now 10, and Johnathan, 8.
She was found strangled in Naden’s locked bedroom in Dubbo. Now they are being looked after by Margaret Walker, Kristy’s mother-in-law.
They also want to quiz him about the disappearance six months earlier of his cousin Lateesha Nolan, then also aged 24 – mother to Kiesha, now 12, Erica, 11, Jayden, 8 and Shaqkaila, 7. All four are being brought up by their grandmother, Joan Nolan, Lateesha’s mother.
Both women have stepped in to raise the children and ensure that they are not separated, allowing them to stay at the same school. They are both aunts to Naden.
There are few pictures of Lateesha, or Teesh, left at the family home in Dubbo. Most of them are still with detectives. One has been incorporated into the face of a clock that ticks away the hours since she was last seen in 2005.
Another on a side table has been made into a memorial with the words to ‘‘our family’s stolen beauty’’. It also says: ‘‘I miss you more as each day passes and my heart breaks a little more each day. All these mixed emotions I have inside I can’t understand why it was you they took away.’’
The children have put a few coins under the picture, something for mum to spend when she comes back.
Lateesha’s mother, Joan, had some words for Naden. ‘‘If you know anything please come forward and tell us. It has been five years and we would like to know if you know anything. It is hardest when you have things on at school; she’s not there to see them get their awards. They were so young I suppose [when she disappeared]. They ask ‘When is she coming back?’
‘‘You can only say, ‘One day when we have found out where she is.’ We would like to think she is alive but it is a little bit long now.’’

Get serious and raise the bounty on suspect Tim Barlass October 3, 2010

THE $50,000 bounty on the head of the state’s most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, needs to be quadrupled if authorities are fair dinkum about capturing the suspected double murderer.
That’s the call from opposition police spokesman Michael Gallacher, who has accused Police Minister Michael Daley of not doing enough to ensure an end to Naden’s five years on the run.
Senior police have confirmed for the first time they have forensic evidence Naden has been hiding out in the Hunter Valley.
The Sun-Herald has been informed a spotter plane with an infra-red camera picked up a night image of a man in dense bush in an area of the Hunter known as Barrington Tops.
Naden is believed responsible for a string of burglaries in the Tops, including one in which a .22 rifle was stolen.
‘‘We need to be more proactive because it is fairly safe to say Naden isn’t simply going to put his hands up,’’ Mr Gallacher said yesterday. ‘‘The community needs to have confidence this matter is being investigated seriously and he is being tracked down.’’
Mr Daley said the government set rewards based on police recommendations and investigators had yet to request an increase.
Police are conducting tests on muddied bedding from an isolated Cobark River homestead that Naden is believed to have broken into.
Property owner Frances Grant, a former barrister, said the uninvited visitor left her feeling violated: ‘‘You don’t know if he is just going to stop at sleeping in your bed ... Nearly everyone I have spoken to would like the police to be consulting more with the people in the area who have expert knowledge of the terrain and who understand the country and its heart. They know how difficult it is.’’
Homicide squad acting Commander John Lehmann said the fact that the investigation was led from Sydney did not adversely affect how it was run. Specialist and local police were being used. Mr Lehmann believes Naden is ranging beyond the Barringtons and did not rule out upping the bounty. ‘‘It is a bit unfair to have criticism saying our people only know about crime in the city,’’ he said.

Bush lair of state's most wanted October 3, 2010

Barrington Tops in no stranger to fugitives trying to avoid the law: from Captain Thunderbolt to Malcolm Naden. Large tracts of it are impenetrable, writes Tim Barlass.

BARRINGTON Tops is a place where people disappear.
Five people have never been found after a Cessna plane crashed there in 1981, despite an annual search for the wreckage by volunteers.
Now Malcolm John Naden, the most wanted man in NSW, is doing his evil best not to be found. Despite reports of spotter planes, up to 40 police being drafted into foot searches, an Aboriginal tracker being hired and even a former soldier-turned-bounty hunter being on his tail, Naden remains at large.
Large tracts of the Barringtons are impenetrable. The national park covers 400 square kilometres and the highest point is 1586 metres above sea level.
John Tonitto, a captain of the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad who leads annual searches for the missing Cessna, said efforts were hampered by the two-level rainforest canopy and steep mountain sides.
Regardless, locals criticise police attempts to find Naden, saying the investigation is being ‘‘run over the phone from Sydney’’ rather than relying on land owners to flush him out.
‘‘The police could seal off two ends of a street in Kings Cross and catch someone in the middle but up here they couldn’t track an elephant walking in snow,’’ one cattle farmer says.
Naden is criss-crossing the terrain, breaking into weekender residences to sustain a bush lifestyle described by another stockman as ‘‘living like a dingo’’. He has repeatedly robbed properties – taking canned food, .22 rifles and several miners’ helmets with lanterns to enable him to move at night without having to carry a torch.
Properties he has burgled now pepper the tourist map of the area including Rookhurst on Thunderbolt’s Way, Curricabark, Mount Mooney, Stewarts Brook and Gloryvale as well as many others.
One local estimated Naden had pinched no fewer than 14 pairs of binoculars, squirrelling them away in different locations.
Naden, now 36, a former skinner and boner at Dubbo abbatoir, became the most-wanted criminal in NSW five years ago following the murder of his cousin’s partner, Kristy Scholes, 24, who was found strangled in his bedroom at his grandparents’ home.
Her death led police to believe he could also be linked to the disappearance of his cousin Lateesha Nolan, then also aged 24, who went missing six months earlier from the same house.
One theory is that both women knew too much about allegations that Naden was facing in relation to the sexual assault of a child.
At the time he was a recluse and had become obsessed with religion, believing the end of the world was approaching. Since then he has managed to keep one step ahead of the authorities – escaping after he was spotted at Dubbo’s Western Plains Zoo, where he hid in the roof of an accommodation block.
The Barringtons are accustomed to fugitives trying to keep ahead of the law. The main tourist thoroughfare, Thunderbolt’s Way, was named after bushranger Frederick Ward – alias Captain Thunderbolt – who was active in the area in the 1850s.
Jimmy Governor, the Aboriginal man made famous in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and the last person to have a bounty on his head – raped a teenage girl in Mud Hut Lane, north of Cobark, where Naden is believed to have been most active.
Peter and Sheila Watson, who live on the lane where the mud hut was, returned from a trip abroad to find police had made an extensive search of their property. Peter said: ‘‘We do now lock things up when we go out; you do get to be a bit cautious.’’
Another burglary victim, David Moore, said his tin shed at Rookhurst on Thunderbolt’s Way had been broken into twice, most recently in September. He reckons Naden helped himself to tinned food, Vegemite and a pair of boots. Mr Moore said: ‘‘He took two levers out of the window to get in ... He also shorted out an electric fence – he is a good bushman. If I saw him in the shrub and I had a gun I would not hesitate to shoot him. He’s too comfortable up there.’’
There are plenty of people who have theories about police tactics and Naden tactics – many prefer not to be named, concerned for their properties, often left empty for much of the time, and for their families.
Some farmers believe Naden is receiving support from two men who tried to access a remote area of the Tops, saying they wanted to pan for gold. They were turned away.
One stockman who has been in the area for 60 years said: ‘‘I am not a bounty hunter and I have no intention of trying to chase him – much as I would like to get the murdering bugger – but someone will get him.’’