Corrupt police officer Roger Rogerson has died in hospital aged 83.
Former police officer Roger Rogerson, infamous as "The Dodger," has passed away at the age of 83 while receiving end-of-life care at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital. The controversial and charismatic figure, once a celebrated tough cop with a decorated 28-year career, had become both hero and villain.
Throughout his tenure with the NSW police force, Rogerson garnered recognition for his courage and success in apprehending criminals. However, his downfall came when his close ties to Sydney’s underworld were revealed, leading to the tarnishing of his reputation, the demise of his career, and the loss of his freedom.
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In the latter part of his life, Rogerson found himself serving a life sentence for the 2014 execution-style murder of drug dealer Jamie Gao—a crime he consistently denied committing. Alongside his co-accused, former detective Glen McNamara, Rogerson was sentenced to life in 2016 for the murder, which occurred in a Sydney storage unit. The duo had attempted to dispose of Gao’s body at sea.
During the trial, both men presented cut-throat defenses, each claiming the other was responsible for Gao's shooting. In addition to the murder charges, Rogerson and McNamara were convicted of stealing 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued at up to $19 million, from the 20-year-old university student.
Crime writer Andrew Rule characterized Rogerson as a self-interested and calculating individual. Despite his polished exterior and charming persona, Rogerson's involvement in criminal activities ultimately led to a dramatic fall from grace, marking the end of an era for the once highly decorated police officer.
Beneath the exterior charm, many recognized Roger Rogerson as a formidable and unyielding individual, someone you wouldn't want to find yourself in the clutches of, as one commentator pointed out, "And yet underneath that was this very steely, hard man and I always knew that underneath you would not want to be someone in his grasp."
In March, any lingering hopes Rogerson may have had for overturning his murder conviction were extinguished by the High Court's rejection of his appeal. This marked the end of the road for the rogue detective, with no possibility of release.
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While NSW Premier Chris Minns refrained from speaking ill of the deceased, he acknowledged that Rogerson had led a life of dishonor within the state's police force. Despite receiving the prestigious Peter Mitchell Award for outstanding police work in 1980, Rogerson's career took a dramatic downturn within six years.
In 1986, he was dismissed from the police force for depositing $110,000 in bank accounts under a false name. Earlier in 1981, Rogerson was found responsible for the fatal shooting of young drug dealer Warren Lanfranchi. Despite the controversy surrounding the incident, he was deemed to have acted in the line of duty. Lanfranchi's girlfriend, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, implicated Rogerson in the murder, alleging it was related to a drug dispute involving corrupt police. Huckstepp herself later drowned, and her murder remains unsolved.
Rogerson's involvement in the attempted execution of NSW undercover operative Michael Drury also cast a dark shadow. Drury, a decorated drug squad detective, survived being shot twice through his kitchen window on Sydney’s north shore after refusing a bribe to tamper with evidence in a heroin trafficking trial. Rogerson was charged but eventually acquitted of the attack in 1989.
The infamous detective's life and deeds were later brought to the screen, with Richard Roxburgh portraying Rogerson in the highly acclaimed 1995 mini-series "Blue Murder" and its 2017 sequel "Blue Murder: Killer Cop
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