Russell Street Bomber Stan Taylor's life ended in prison this week. Justice.
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Angela Rose Taylor died while Squads 7 and 8 of 1986 were going through the Constables' Course at the Victoria Police Academy.
Angela's funeral was held at the Academy chapel (more like a cathedral) while we were there and I left the Academy with the Angela Taylor Memorial Prize as Dux of our squads.
As we progressed through our first postings to police stations we spent some time in specialist squads. I had 4 weeks at the Protective Securities Group where my mates and I had the job of going to Pentridge in brawler vans to pick up Angela's murderers. We'd body search them there, take them to City Watch House, strip search the again then escort them through the passageways and the police garage into the old Melbourne Magistrates' Court.
We sat in the dock next to each of the prisoners. Stan Taylor was seated in his own special little dock as I recall. Minogue and Reed thought Taylor had gone jack on them. There is no honour amongst thieves.
But there is justice for some of them. Stan Taylor got his this week. His was a genuine life sentence for murdering Angela.
Good. Craig Minogue is up for parole this year. I hope he gets what Stan got.
Rest in Peace Angela.
Stanley Taylor died from natural causes while in custody
RUSSELL Street bomber, Stanley Taylor, has died in custody aged 79.
He was sentenced to life in prison for the 1986 car bomb explosion that killed a female police officer and injured 21 others outside the Melbourne police office on Russell Street.
Corrections Victoria confirmed a prisoner of that age died of natural causes at St Vincents Hospital on Wednesday.
Taylor had been ill for at least a year, according to numerous media reports.
A career criminal, Taylor was known for having a hatred for authority.
Before the bombing, he had served 17 years in prison for numerous bank robberies.
Eight years after getting out, he would commit one of the most brutal acts of terror in Victoria.
The car bomb was set up to explode at 1pm, precisely the time most people would be heading out to get their lunch.
It was stuffed with almost 60 sticks of gelignite and timed for maximum destruction.
Constable Angela Taylor, 21, was on her way to pick up lunch for her office when she was in the direct firing line.
She died of her injuries 24 days after the bombing, becoming the first Australian police woman to die in the line of duty.
The explosion was so large that debris was found three blocks away.
Police were led to Taylor and his accomplices when they were able to rebuild the car used in the attack, and found it had been stolen.
Alongside Taylor in 1988, Craig Minogue received life with a minimum of 28 years and Rodney Minogue was jailed for eight years with a minimum of six in 1988.
Another man, Peter Reed, was found not guilty but was later jailed for 13 years, with a minimum of 11, of the attempted murder of police during the investigation of the bombing.
Craig Minogue will be up for parole by the end of this year.
As with all deaths in custody, Taylor’s death will be referred to the coroner.