A $1 million reward is being offered by the NSW government for new information surrounding the 1979 Ghost Train fire at Sydney’s Luna Park that killed seven people.
Key points:
- Seven people died in the fire, including six children
- Police at the time said the deadly blaze was due to mechanical malfunction
- An ABC investigation revealed claims that a former crime boss ordered the fire
Homicide detectives are reviewing all evidence on the fatal blaze that killed seven people, including six children, following ABC EXPOSED’s investigation in March.
At the time police ruled the tragedy was due to a mechanical malfunction but allegations have since been made that the fire was in fact arson and linked to the Sydney underworld.
“It’s been an ongoing concern for NSW Police so far, as the investigation and they have never given up in making sure that the families of the victims of this tragedy have closure,” Police Minister David Elliott said.
ABC News
)“The passage of time has made it just that little bit more difficult for us to get evidence and that is why I am appealing to members of the public.”
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said there remained “question marks” over how the fire started.
“Over the four decades or so, there has been a number of investigations, a number of internal investigations and to date there are questions marks in relation to how that fire started,” he said.
The inferno erupted inside the Ghost Train ride about 10:15pm on June 9 in 1979.
The ABC investigation unearthed several overlapping accounts from key witnesses who said they smelt kerosene, an accelerant, when the fire started.
Former senior police told the ABC that notorious crime boss Abe Saffron ordered the fire, further claiming he got away with the plan due to assistance from corrupt police.
Detective Inspector Doug Knight, the officer who led the investigation, was revealed by witnesses as a “fixer” who would corrupt court matters by deleting, changing and manipulating evidence, as well as intimidating witnesses.
Some witnesses who spoke during the ABC investigation claimed they were “intimidated” or “hounded” to change aspects of their original statements.
Witnesses also claimed they saw a suspicious group of five “youths” or “bikies” loitering nearby at the amusement park, but these eye-witness statements were dismissed by NSW Police at the time.
To this day, those five men have never been found.
“We wait of course for the ABC to provide us with the information they gathered with their investigation.”
The ABC has provided police with transcripts, documentation and footage from the documentary series but police are seeking unedited copies.
“We’re negotiating with the legal team with the ABC, they’re cooperating fully and they’ve got an extension for the coronial order which was granted till the 20th of July,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said investigators were “reviewing thousands and thousands of files”.
“All the information that we glean from this will be overseen by the coroner as an independent agency.”
ABC News
)In a statement, an ABC spokesperson said the broadcaster wanted “justice to be served” for the victims and their families.
“The ABC is cooperating fully with the NSW Coroner and NSW Police reviews regarding the fire, while ensuring confidential sources in the EXPOSED investigation are protected,” they said.
“Last month a majority of the Upper House of the NSW Parliament voted in support of an independent special commission of inquiry to investigate the Luna Park fire and the subsequent police investigation. This is a welcome development.”
The large cash incentive is part of a renewed appeal for the public to come forward with information that may assist police.