Abe Saffron and Sydney's corrupt cops
Listen now
Description
Abraham Gilbert Saffron was a successful Sydney businessman who hated his nickname and spent a fortune trying to have it expunged from the record by threatening anyone who used it publicly. The name was Mr Sin and it was well deserved. He built a vice empire on a triangular business model – the three points were bribery, blackmail and arson. He organised sex, often with under-age boys and girls, secretly photographing patrons to use against them.  He paid bribes to police - $750 per club for local police and $5000 a week for senior police and was so brazen he repeatedly visited the bent Deputy Commissioner Bill Allen at headquarters. Six of Saffron’s many properties caught fire between 1980 and 1982 - all deliberately lit.  On June 9, 1979, the ghost train at Sydney’s Luna Park was engulfed in flames, killing six children and the father of one of them. It was a property Saffron wanted to own. The police investigation was a disgrace, not because of incompetence but corruption. Saffron said he wasn’t involved but he would, wouldn’t he?   Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More Episodes
In this episode of The Missing Campers Trial, Penny and Erin are joined by acclaimed journalist John Silvester with an update on the legal avenues Russell Hill’s family are exploring, revealing for the first time there may be a case for a coronial inquest.  You can read the articles written by...
Published 11/14/24
For years, one of Australia’s best known crime reporters, John Silvester, kept a secret.He knew there had been a significant development in a notorious and long unsolved cold case: The Easey Street murders.But he didn’t write anything about it, until a few days ago, when he broke the story that...
Published 09/23/24
Published 09/23/24