appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

The Guardian

Police have charged a 48-year-old man with the murder of two women taken from the streets of Claremont in Perth, Western Australia, in the late 1990s, following a 20-year investigation into the alleged serial killings.
The man was arrested at his home in Kewdale, in Perth’s eastern suburbs, on Thursday, after detectives searched his home.
He was charged with the murders of 23-year-old Jane Rimmer, last seen after leaving a hotel in Claremont on 9 June 1996, and 27-year-old Ciara Glennon, last seen leaving the same venue on 14 March 1997.
The bodies of both women were later discovered dumped in bushland.
He was also charged with abducting and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl while she walked through a park in Claremont in 1995, and breaking into the house of an 18-year-old woman in Huntingdale in 1988 and attacking her while she slept.
No charges were laid in connection to the disappearance and suspected murder of 18-year-old Sarah Spiers, who disappeared from Claremont in the early hours of 27 January 1996.
The WA police commissioner, Karl O’Callaghan, said it was a “significant breakthrough” in the long-running case.
Addressing the media in Perth on Friday, O’Callaghan said police would allege the man abducted both Rimmer and Glennon, before killing them and dumping their bodies. The man is alleged to have acted alone.


O’Callaghan paid tribute to the families of Rimmer, Glennon and Spiers, and said the investigation into the suspected murder of Spiers was “ongoing”.
“So there is still much work to be done, but this has already been the biggest and most complex police investigation in WA history,” he said. “Hundreds of police officers have worked on this case over the 20 years.”
The investigation into the suspected serial killings, dubbed Operation Macro, began after Rimmer disappeared in June 1996. O’Callaghan said police had “never wavered” in their commitment to find the alleged killer.
“I want to pay tribute to the families of Sarah Spiers, Ciara Glennon and Jane Rimmer, and the victim of the 1995 attack for their patience and understanding during the investigation,” he said, before asking the media to respect the families’ privacy.
He also warned people not to speculate about the case on social media before saying he would not take questions, because he was concerned divulging too many details could jeopardise further investigations.
“These crimes shocked the West Australian public and police understand the high level of media and public interest,” he said. “However, now that a person has been charged, I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the need to respect the judicial process which has now commenced.”
The man was scheduled to appear before Perth magistrates court on Friday afternoon, charged with two counts of wilful murder, two counts of deprivation of liberty, two counts of rape, one count of breaking and entering, and one count of indecent assault.


Case closed: Perth police charge man with murder of two women, ending 20-year serial killer probe

Man charged with murdering 27-year-old Ciara Glennon, who last seen alive on 14 March 1997. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Australasia