Port Arthur massacre (Australia)
The Port Arthur massacre of 28 April 1996 was a killing spree which claimed 35 lives and 37 wounded at the historic Port Arthur prison colony, a popular tourist site in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia. Martin Bryant, a 28-year-old from New Town, eventually pleaded guilty to the crimes[1] and was given 35 life sentences without possibility of parole. He now resides in Risdon Prison.
Money Supply and Weapon Build Up
Bryant inherited a great deal of money from a deceased family friend Miss Harvey, whom left her estate to him. He used this money to go on many plane trips around the world from 1993 onwards. Bryant visited Melbourne, Singapore, Bangkok, London, Sweden, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Sydney, Tokyo, Poland, and Auckland. He visited the united kingdom many times. We went to most areas more than once. On several occasions he made last minute changes in flight to unknown destinations that were never recorded. Bryant also traveled all over Australia making a vast amount of interstate trips. Eventually his estate manager was forced to restrict his funds and Bryant stopped traveling frequently.
Bryant also withdrew large sums of cash during this period (many thousands of dollars). He used at least some of this money in late 1993 to purchase an AR10 semi-automatic rifle through a newspaper advertisement in Tasmania. In March 1996 he had his AR10 repaired at a gun shop. He made enquirers about AR15 rifles in other gun shops. He later purchased an AR15 from Terry Hill a local gun-shop owner. In April of 1996 he also purchased cleaning kits for a 30 caliber weapon and 12 gauge shotgun. He purchased a sports bag and told a shop attendant that it would need to be strong enough to carry large amounts of ammunition. However he told his girlfriend (Miss Petra Wilmot) a different story for the purpose of the bag. He also hid the weapons and a large amount of ammunition at his house. His girlfriend was initially employed as a gardener by Bryant, and she never knew had any weapons or ammo in the house.
Bryant's father had tried to purchase a property called seascape, but Mr and Mrs Martin brought this property before the father was able to ready his finance, much to the disappointed of this father. It is unknown if this was responsible for the fathers depression and subsequent suicide. Bryant offered to buy another property owned by Mr and Mrs Martin at Palmers Lookout Road, but they declined the offer.
28th April 1996 - Morning Events
Bryant woke up at 6AM from his alarm clock. His girlfriend and other family members said he had never been known to use it since he did not work and he had no commitments. At 8AM his girlfriend left the house (which was also inherited from Miss Harvey) to visted her parents. Bryant left the house and engaged the alarm, which registered the time as 9:47AM. He left a large amount of ammunition in open in the hallways of the house.
At around 10:30 AM Bryant purchased a cigarette lighter from Midway Point News Agency paying with a large note and not waiting for change. He then traveled to Sorrell super market and purchased a bottle of tomato sauce, which he paid for with cold and silver denomination coins (between 20 cents and $2). He then traveled to Forcett village arriving sometime around 11 AM. He stopped at the Shell service station and brought a cup of coffee which he paid for with five and ten cent coins (the lowest denomination in Australia). He told the attendant he was going surfing at Roaring Beach, but the attendant had already noted it was a very calm day. He then drove past Eaglehawk Neck area and stopped at the service station "convict bakery" and purchased fifteen dollar of petrol. The attendant saw Bryant staring at the bay and its calm water.
He then continued down to Port Arthur and stopped at the Seascape guest accommodation site, which was owned by Mr and Mrs Martin. Bryant was seen driving into Seascape down the Arthur Highway around 11:45. Martin Bryant then went inside and fired several shots. He gaged Mr Martin at this time. It is not know if at this point or later on in the day if he killed the Martins as he returns here later. Bryant also stabbed Mr Martin with a knife at this time. At least 6 round were fired, possibly killing both Mr Martin and Mrs Martin.
A couple then showed up at the guest house and Bryant appear outside. They asked if they could have a look at the accommodation. Bryant told them he couldn't do it because his parents were away and his girl friend was inside. His demeanor was quite rude and the couple felt uncomfortable, they left at about 12:35 PM. Bryant's car was seen reversed up to the front door.
Bryant then drove to Port Arthur taking with him keys to the Seascape properties. Bryant stopped at a car which had pulled over from over heating and talked with two people there. He suggested they come to the Port Arthur cafe for some coffee later. He traveled past Port Arthur historic site to Palmer's Lookout Road, where he came across Mr Larner driving out of his drive way. Mr Larner had met him on some occasions over 15 years ago and did not initially recognize him. Bryant lied to Mr Larner claiming he had been surfing and had brought a property called 'Fogg Lodge', he also claimed he was looking to buy some cattle from Larner. Bryant also made several comments about buying the Martin's place, which was the second Martin property next door to the Larners. He then asked if Mrs Larner was home and asked if he could continue down the driveway of the farm to see her, it was later determined Bryant had made a number of nuisance telephone to Mrs Larner and it is thought she would identify him by voice. Mr Larner said he would come back to the house with Bryant, but Bryant changed his mind and left, saying he would be back in the afternoon.
Port Arthur Historic Site
At around 1:10 PM Bryant got in line behind other cars at the toll booth on the road at the entrance to the historic site. Upon getting close to the toll booth Bryant left the line and moved to the back. Eventually getting to the front of the line he claimed someone almost reversed into him. He paid the entry fee and proceed to park near the Broad Arrow cafe near the waters edge. The site security manager told him to park with the other cars because that area was reserved for camper-vans and the car park was very busy that day. Bryant then parked in the correct area, but in a few minutes returned and parked close to the Broad Arrow cafe near the water. The security manager saw him go up to the cafe carrying a large bag and a video camera, but ignored him.
Bryant went into the cafe and purchased a meal which he then ate on the deck outside. People held the door open for him and commented about the large amount of food he had, he said he was hungry from surfing. He started conversations with many people about the wasps in the area and lack of Japanese tourists that he expected, but seemed to be mainly mumbling to himself. He was seen to look nervous and continually look back to the car-park and into the cafe.
Cafe Murders
Bryant, having finished his meal, walked into the cafe and returned his tray, he was assisted by some people who opened the door for him. He put down his bag on a table and pulled out an AR15 rifle with one 30 shot magazine attached. He would leave the bag there on the table, which contained, among other things, the knife he had stabbed Mr Martin with. It is believed the clip was not full but missing bullets from the previous rounds fired at seascape.
The Cafe was very small with very close tables and was particularly busy that day and the following events transpired extremely quickly. Before anyone saw him armed, Bryant pointed his gun at Mr. Moh Yee Ng and Miss Sou Leng Chung of Malaysia who were at a table beside Bryant and shot them from point black range killing them instantly, Mr Ng was found to still be holding his knife. He then turned around to a table at his other side and pointed his gun right Mr Sargent's head and fired, it hit his head but he survived. He then shot Miss Scott in the back of the head at the same table as Mr Sargent, she had not even had time to react or turn around. Mr Sargent then yelled out "Keep Down, Keep Down" as Bryant turned and began to walk away. Bryant walked to the next table where Mr Nightingale had stood up but had no time to move. Nightingale yelled "Not not here!" and leaned forward apparently to duck, he was shot point blank in the neck through his larynx and spine and died.
The next table had a group of 10 people, but some had just left the table to return there meal trays and visit the gift shop. Bryant quickly, and again from point blank, shot two bullets, one at Mr Sharpe killing him. The second killed Mr Bennett, passed through his body and struck another Mr Sharpe (related to the first), also killing him. The three had there back toward Bryant and were unaware what was happening, one of them made the comment "That's not funny" after hearing the first few shots not realizing it was a real gun. The shots were all point blank near contact shots, with the gun literally at or just inches away from the back of their heads. Mr Broome who was also at the same table was struck in the face by a bullet fragment from one of of these two shots, he survived. Mrs Fidler, also at the table, also suffered shrapnel wounds to her back from one of the previous shots. Mr Fidler was also stuck in the head by shrapnel fragmentation. Both Fidlers survived.
Bryant then turned towards another table where two couples Mr and Mrs Kistan and Mr and Mrs Mills were sitting. Both gentlemen had stood up at the noise of the initial shots but had no time to move away. Mr Mills was shot point blank in the head with the weapon right beside his head, he was not able to get out around the table in time. Mr Kirstan was also shot from about 2 meters, the bullet hitting his head, but he had by this time managed to push his wife away. The ladies were apparently not seen by Bryant and pushed under the table.
Mrs Walker and Mrs Law at another table behind this were struck with shrapnel from the shots that killed Mr Kistan and Mr Mills. Mr Crosswell was able to drag both women to the ground and the 3 sheltered underneath the table. Also hit by shrapnel from the same shots was Mrs Barker, who also survived.
It was only now that the majority of the people in the cafe began to realize what was happening and that the shots were not some sort of noise from a re-enactment at the historical site. At this point great there was great confusion for many people over what to do as Bryant was near the main exit.
Bryant moved just a few meters and began shotting at another table, hitting Mr Colyer from about 6 feet in the neck, though he was able to survive, despite choking in his own blood for some time.
Bryant then pivoted around and shot Mr Howard who was still seated. He died instantly. The bullet traveled through the window of the cafe and hit a table on the outside balcony. Several people outside then realized there was real danger and began to run away. Bryant quickly followed up the Mr Howard shot with a shot to the neck of Mrs Howard, however it was non fatal injury. Bryant then leaded over and pointed the gun at her head and shot her a second time, instantly killing her. While the Howard's were killed Mr and Mrs Winter and there son, who were also sitting in close proximity, were able to hide under the table and were not shot at.
Sarah Loughton having seen Mr Colyer shot, ran towards her mother who had been moving between tables. They both went to ground. Bryant shot Mrs Loughton in the back then pointed the gun right up next to the daughters head and fired, killing her instantly. Mrs Loughton had her ear drum ruptured by the gun going off beside her head. She did not know her daughters fate until she was in hospital some time later.
Gift Shop Murders
As Bryant was near the exit people had not attempted to run past him and escape. Bryant then moved across the cafe towards the gift shop area. There was an exit door through the display area to the outside balcony, but it was locked and could only be opened with a key. As Bryant moved along Mr Elliott at one of the tables stood up as there was no room under it from all the people hiding there, he believed he could make it to the fire place to hide out of sight. He was shot in the arm and head as he ran, but he somehow survived after extensive surgery.
All of these initial events back to the first bullet that killed Mr Ng took just 15 seconds. In this time 12 people were dead and 9 more wounded. As Bryant moved towards the gift shop area many people finally had time to properly hide under tables and behind shop displays. Mrs Level, Mrs Jary, Mrs Morr and Mrs Wanderpeer were able to completely hide behind a fabric screen, no doubt saving their lives as Bryant would have been looking straight at them.
Mr and Mrs Nash had attempted to open the locked door but could not, they then lied down taking cover. Bryant moved into the gift shop area where people had no where to go and where simply crouched down in the corners. He fatally shot Nicole Burgess in the head, then shot Elizabeth Howard twice, killing her. He then pointed the gun at Mr Level and shot him in the head, again at very close range, killing him. Mrs Neander was then also shot in the head and killed from point blank range.
Bryant then saw movement back towards the cafe, he moved back there to near the front door, where he shot at a table and hit Mr Crosswell in the buttock who was hiding under it. Mr Winter, hiding in the gift shop, thought Bryant had left the building and made some comment about it to some people near him before moving out into the open. Bryant saw him and shot him as he was getting up, the bullet hitting his hand, neck and chest. Bryant moved back towards Mr Winter and shot him in the head killing him. Shrapnel from those shots struck Mr Olson, who survived.
It is not clear what happened next. It appears Bryant walked back the cafe but returned to the gift shop, this time looking down to another corner of the shop where he found several people hiding in the corner with no where to go. He walked up to them and shot Mr Jary though the neck killing him. He then shot Mr Nash and Pauline Masters, killing both of them. At this point he also aimed his gun at an unidentified man of asian appearance and fired, but no bullet came out. Bryant then quickly moved to the gift shop counter where he reloaded his gun, leaving an empty clip on the service counter. He then left the building.
All up 29 rounds where fired in the cafe in approximately 90 seconds. Very few shots missed targets and most were fired from extremely close range. In that time he had killed twenty people.
Car Park Murders
During the cafe shooting some staff members had been able to escape the building through the kitchen and alert everyone outside. There were a number of coaches outside with line ups of people, many began to hide in the buses or near by buildings. Others did not understand the situation or were not sure where to go. Some people even through there was some sort of historical re-enactment happening and moved towards the area.
Mr Law, an employee, was moving people away when Bryant fired towards him at a fair distance (around 50-100 meters). The bullets missed Law and hit some trees next to where Mr Law was standing.
Bryant then moved down to wards the coaches where Miss Cook was trying to guide a number of people down between the buses near the waters edge to cover. One of the coach drivers, Mr Thompson, was shot in the back as he was passing along the passengers side of a coach. He fell to the ground and was able to crawl then roll under the bus to safety, but he lated died as the wounds had caused great damage to his chest. Bryant then moved to the front of this bus and walked across to the next coach, people had quickly moved from this coach down to the back end as he walked around it. Bryant saw the people scrambling to hide and shot at them. Mrs Cook was shot in the right thigh, the bullet lodging in her wound. A coach driver Ian McElwee also had been hit from bone fragments blowing out of Miss Cook. She was able to run back around the coach and was able to eventually escape and hide in a toll booth, and she survived.
Bryant then quickly moved around the coach and fired at a group of people. Mrs Aplin was shot in the side and fell to the ground and died. She had been running to get to cover behind another coach when she was hit. Another bullet grazed Mrs Lockley's check, but she able to enter get into one of the coaches and hide and survived.
Some people then started moving away from the car park towards the jetty. But they were informed by shouting that Bryant was moving that way, so they tried to double back around the coaches to where Mrs Cook was previously shot. However Bryant had turned around gone back also and Mrs Quin was shot by Bryant in the same position as the Mr Thompson earlier, she lie there unable to move.
Bryant then continued along the car park and people tried to escape away from the cafe and car-park along the foreshore. More shouting took place and some people decided to hide in the coaches instead of running. Mr Hutchinson was attempting to get into a coach when he was shot in the arm, he was able to quickly make his way along the shore to the jetty and hid there and survived.
Bryant then went to his vehicle which was just past the coaches and changed weapons to the SLR rifle. He fired some shots towards Mrs Cromer who was near the penitentiary runs, gravel flew up in front of her, with the shots just missing. Bryant then got in his car and sat there for a few moments before getting out again and moving back to the coaches. Some people where taking cover behind cars in the car-park, and because of the elevation, Bryant could see up to them such that the car didn't produce much cover, so they ran into the bush. He fired several shots, at least one hit a tree behind which someone was taking cover, but no one was hit. Mrs Hutchinson was also moving between the cars to the jetty and Bryant noticed her and fired a shot, but it missed her and she escaped.
Bryant then moved back the buses where Mrs Quin was lying injured from the earlier shot. He shot her in the back and left her there, she later died. Bryant then went onto one of the coaches and fired a shot at Mrs Gaylard who was on the bus hitting her in the arm and chest, killing her. An an adjacent coach, Mr Francis saw what happened and moved down the isle to try and shut the door. He was seen by Bryant shot from the opposite coach, however he survived after four operations.
Mr Quin who had escaped to the jetty area then came back looking for his wife. He left her lying on the ground almost dead from the second shot to the back. Bryant came out of the coach and saw him and fired at him but missed. He then was forced into a game of cat and mouse as they ran back and forth around the coaches. Bryant fired at him at least one more time before Mr Quin ran onto a coach hoping Bryant didn't see him. However Bryant did, he went into the coach and pointed the gun at Mr Quins face saying "No one gets away from me", Mr Quin then quickly moved back as he saw Bryant about to fire, the bullet missed his head but hit his neck. He was momentarily paralyzed, but later was able to walk back out to his wife after Bryant had left. Mr Quin was eventually taken away by Helicopter and survived.
As Bryant left the coach Mr Balasko, a US citizen, tried to catch Bryant on his video camera. He was successful but Bryant saw him and fired at him, hitting a nearby Peugeot. By now many people, unable to use there parked cars, were hiding or running along Jetty road or the jetty itself. Most people did not know where Bryant was because the guns were extremely loud and echoing, it wasn't clear if Bryant was mobile or not nor even the exact direction of the gun shots. Most people had not yet even seen Bryant.
Toll Booth Murders and Car Jacking
Byrant then got back into his car and proceed to leave the car park. Witnesses say he was sounding the horn and waving. Bryatt drove along Jetty road towards the toll booth were a number of people were. Bryant seemingly passed at least two people whom he might not have seen just to the side of the road. A head was Mrs Mikac and her two young children or 3 and 6 years old. She was carrying the 3 year old and the 6 year old was running slightly ahead. Bryant opened his door and slowed down, it seems that the mother moved towards the car, apparently thinking he was offering them help in escaping. Several more people were just slightly further up the road. Bryant told her to get on her knees in a calm manner. She said "Please don't hurt my babies". Some one in the area then recognized him as the shooter and yelled "it's him" so people in the area knew to hide.
Bryant then shot from point blank and killed the mother, and shot and killed the 3 year old. The 6 year old ran off behind a tree. Bryant shot at her hitting her in the shoulder just as she hid behind the tree. He then walked over to the tree and pressed the gun against her and fired killing her also. Some people saw this and told some cars coming down the road to go back up the road. The cars reversed up the road to the toll booth and drivers stopped to ask the staff member what was happening.
Bryant then drove up to the toll booth were there was a BMW and another vehicle stopped. Apparently Bryant had put his gun away at this point. He got out of his car where he was involved in an argument with a Mr Salzmann. It is not known why, this may have been because the cars were now blocking the road. Bryant then took out the SLR rifle and quickly shot Mr Salzmann at point blank in the neck, killing him.
The driver of the BMW then got out of the vehicle and apparently went to towards Bryant, apparently to see what happened, he may not have seen the gun as Bryant's car was in the way. Bryant walked up to him and shot him in the chest at close range killing him. More cars arrived but where quickly able to reverse back up the road. Bryant then moved to the BMW. It is not clear what happened but it seems Bryant pulled two more women occupants from the car and shot them dead, dragging their bodies onto the road. Bryant then transfered ammo, handcuffs, the AR15 riffle and a fuel container to the BMW.
Another car then came towards the toll booth and Bryant shot at it. The driver, Mr Sutherland was hit with glass. A second bullet hit the drivers door. The car quickly reversed back up the road and left. Bryant then got into the BMW having left behind a number of items in his Volvo, including a shotgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Service Station Murder and Abduction
Mr Sutherland, who just had been shot at, drove his car back to a service station back up the highway and warned people. Bryant then drove up to the service station and cut off a white Corolla that was attempting to exit onto the highway. Mr Pears was driving the car with Miss Hall in the passenger seat. Bryant quickly exiting the car with his rifle in hand and tried to pull Miss Hall from the car. Mr Pears got out of the car and tried to talk to Bryant and approached him. Bryant then pointed the gun at Pears and pushed him backwards, eventually directing him into the boot of the BMW, which was open. He shut Mr Pears inside the boot.
Bryant then moved back to the passenger side of Mr Pears car, Miss Hall climbed over to the drivers seat. Bryant raised his gun and fired three shots at her, killing her. Many people around the station saw this and ran to hide in the nearby bush. The service station attendant told everyone to lie down and locked the main doors. He grabbed his rifle, but as per Australian law, the ammunition was kept locked in a safe, and by the time it was retrieved and the gun loaded Bryant was back in his car and gone. A police officer showed up several minutes later and then went off in the direction of Bryant but was unable to determine where he went.
Seascape Roadway
As Bryant drove down to seascape he shot at one red vehicle coming the other way, smashing it front windscreen. Upon arriving at Seascape he got out of his car. A Frontiera 4WD vehicle then approached seascape down the road. They saw Bryant with his gun but thought he was simply rabbit hunting and actually slowed down as they passed him. Bryant fired into the car, the first bullet hit the bonnet and broke the throttle cable. He fired at least 2 or maybe 3, more bullets quickly into the car as it passed smashing out the windows. One bullet hit the driver (Mrs White) in the arm, almost blasting it off. Luckily the car was going down hill so it was able to roll down the road out of site around a corner. The driver then swapped positions with her boyfriend who attempted to drive the car but was unable to, because the throttle cable was broken.
Another vehicle then came down the road carrying four people. It wasn't until they were almost right next to Bryant before they saw him with a gun. Bryant shot at the car smashing the windscreen, shrapnel hit Mr Horner cause multiple wounds. The car proceeded ahead where the occupants of the disabled car tried to get in, but they initially didn't let them and drove past, not understanding the situation. When they saw the woman who had been shot, they can back and picked them up. Both parties then continued down to a local establishment called the Fox and Hound, where they called police.
Yet another car would drive past seascape and Bryant shot at it, hitting the driver in the hand and completely destroying the drivers fingers. The passenger was struck by shrapnel, this was Mr Williams. Another approaching vehicle saw this and reversed back up the road. Bryant also fired at this car hitting it but not injuring anyone. Bryant then got back into the BMW and drove down the seascape drive way to the house.
Sometime after stopped Bryant removed the man from the boot and hand cuffed him to some immovable object within the house. At some point he also set the BMW on fire with fuel, probably using the lighter he purchased earlier in the day. He is believed to have arrived at the house by about 2 PM.
Police Arrival
At 1:30 PM the only two police officers in the area had received a radio message to attend Port Arthur and be on the look out for a Yellow Volvo. They headed to Port Arthur in different cars, going different routes. On the way they were informed to look for the BMW and eventually informed of people at the Fox and Hound who had been shot.
One police officer then drove down the road past seascape and past the disabled car, he look at it for a moment and continued down to Fox and Hound. He informed his partner about events and they then proceed back to seascape. At about 2PM they were back and seascape and could see the BMW on fire. At some point they were fired upon, and eventually had to hide in a ditch at the side of the road. Bryant fired at them when ever they tried to escape, and they were not able to move from that position for many hours.
At around 2:10 PM Bryant received a call from a woman from the ABC network, she had been ringing local businesses randomly trying to receive information about what was occurring, and Bryant had obviously answered the seascape phone. Bryant informed her his name was Jamie and when she asked what was happening he said "Lots of fun". Bryant then said "If you try to ring me again, I will shoot the hostage".
At about 3 PM, shortly after corning the police officers in the ditch, Bryant rang the local police station where the girlfriend of one of the police officers answered the phone (as there was no one else to man the station). Bryant asked who she was and if she knew where her husband was. He also called himself Jamie. He asked if she knew or not if her husband was ok, and when she didn't answer, Bryant then told her he was ok and that he knew where her husband was. At some point as night fell one of the police saw a lady running around naked and confused and screaming, but she seemed to eventually run back into the house. It is possible this was Mrs Martin.
Around 9PM a team from the Tasmanian Police Special Operations Group (SOG) had arrived and were eventually able to assist in removing the policemen from the ditch to safety by using the cover or darkness, riot shields and bullet proof jackets. They did not provide cover fire for fear of hitting hostages. An 18-hour standoff ensued during which time the police talked over the phone to Bryant who called himself 'Jamie'. He made a request for a helicopter. Saying that he wanted to be flown to a plane and then onto Adelaide in South Australia. He said he would release the hostage and only keep Mrs Martin if the helicopter arrived. It is possible that both Martin and Mr Pears were still alive at this time.
Bryant could see the movement of SOG officers and continually demanded their retreat each time they began an approach to the house. Police believed he had some kind of visual aid device, as it was night, however none was ever found. A man was spotted on the roof of an adjacent building at one point, believed to be Bryant. Later in the night the cordless phone Bryant was using began to run low on batteries. Police tried unsuccessfully to get him to return the phone to the charger, but it went dead and no further communications were established.
Capture and prosecution
Bryant was captured the following morning when he presumably started a fire in the guest house. Bryant taunted at police to 'come and get him', but police believing the hostage was already dead, decided that they the fire would eventually bring him out. A large amount of ammunition had also ignited and was exploding sporadically as the house burnt. He eventually ran out of the house with clothes on fire and quickly took his clothes off. He was arrested by the police, and taken to hospital for burn treatment.
It was found that the man who had been his hostage had been shot dead during or before the standoff and had died before the fire. The remains of the Martins were also found, it was also determined they had been shot, and in the case of Mrs Martin suffered blunt force hits. They both died before the house fire. One weapon was found burnt in the house, and the other on the roof of the adjacent building, where police believed they had seen Bryant the night before. Both weapons has suffered from massive chamber blast pressure, possibly by a round exploding in the chambers, possibly from the heat of the house fire.
In his police interview Bryant admitted to having car jacked the BMW, but claimed it only had 3 occupants and that he never shot anyone. He also claimed he did not take the BMW from anywhere near the toll booth and that is hostage was taken from the BMW. He said that he thought the man he took hostage must have died in the boot when the car exploded. He did not have any distinction between the fire of the car and the later house fire. He also said he never went to Port Arthur that day, however several people identified him in person, including the toll attendant, proving that he was lying during the police interview, or was not mentally able to recall events correctly. He also claimed that the guns found by police were not his, but admitted to owning the shotgun that was found with his passport back in his own car near the toll booth, but it was never fired.
Bryant initially pleaded not guilty to the 35 murders but after the prosecution began presenting evidence, changed his plea to guilty, though he was never required to confess. He laughed hysterically as the judge read out the charges against him. He was found guilty of all charges and is now serving 35 sentences of life imprisonment in Hobart's Risdon Prison without possibility of parole. In Australian terms his prison papers are marked "Never to be Released". This is very rare in Australia; the majority of Australian murder sentences allow the possibility of parole after a long prison term.
Reaction
Australians reacted to the event with widespread shock and horror, and the political effects were significant and long-lasting. Both federal and state governments, some of which (notably Tasmania itself and Queensland) were opposed to firearm control, quickly took action to restrict the availability of firearms. It should be noted that the Tasmanian state government initially attempted to ignore this directive, but was subsequently threatened with a number of penalties from the federal government. Though this resulted in stirring controversy, most Government opposition to the new laws was silenced by mounting public opinion in the wake of the shootings. Under federal government co-ordination all States and territories of Australia banned and heavily restricted the legal ownership and use of self-loading rifles, self-loading shotguns and pump-action shotguns, together with a considerable tightening of other gun laws. Family members of victims, notably Walter Mikac (who lost his wife and two children), spoke out in favour of the changes. See gun politics in Australia for more information.
Much discussion has occurred as to the level of Bryant's mental health. It is generally accepted that he has a sub-normal IQ (estimated at 66, and in the lowest 2% of his age group: [2]) and at the time of the offences was in receipt of a Disability Support Pension on the basis of being mentally handicapped. Bryant had never been diagnosed with schizophrenia, nor any major depressive disorder[3]. Reports that Bryant was schizophrenic were based on his mother's misinterpretation of psychiatric advice. Media reports also detailed his odd behaviour as a child. However, he was able to drive a car (ref: [4]) and also able to obtain a gun, despite lacking a gun licence. This was a matter which, in the public debate that followed, was widely regarded as a telling demonstration of the inadequacy of the nation's gun laws. Bryant was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome by a psychiatrist appointed by the Crown (prosecution), Dr Sale, but this diagnosis was disputed by Professor Mullen, a forensic psychiatrist working with Bryant's defence team[5].
Bryant was assessed as fit to stand trial as a mentally competent adult. There were no indications that he could be regarded as criminally insane at the time of the offences; as he clearly knew what he was doing (of his own free will). See the M'Naghten Rules.
After Bryant's imprisonment, several other prisoners boasted of their intention to murder him in jail. For his own safety, Bryant was held in near-solitary confinement in a specially built cell from his sentencing in November 1996 until July 1997. His motivation for the massacre remains a closely-guarded secret[6], known only to his lawyer, who is bound not to reveal confidences without his client's consent. Martin Bryant is only allowed to listen to music on a radio outside his cell, and is denied access to any news reports of his massacre. Photographers allowed in to take pictures of him in his prison cell were forced to destroy the film in his presence when the Governor found out. Interviewers lie to him that they are not talking about him.[7]
Aftermath and analysis
The Port Arthur tourist site reopened a few weeks later, and since then a new restaurant has been built. The former Broad Arrow Cafe has been converted into a "place for quiet reflection", and the surrounding grounds converted into a memorial garden. The staff of Port Arthur do not like to talk about the event and prefer to concentrate on the site's rich cultural history.
The massacre at Port Arthur created a kinship with the Scottish town of Dunblane, which had suffered a similar event only weeks previously. The two communities exchanged items to place at their respective memorials.
Professor Paul Mullen, a forensic psychiatrist with extensive involvement following the string of massacres in Australia and New Zealand, attributes both the Port Arthur Massacre and some of the earlier massacres to the Copycat effect. [1]. In this theory the saturation media coverage provides both instruction and perverse incentives for dysfunctional individuals to imitate previous crimes. In Tasmania, a current affairs report [2] a few months earlier was found by a coroner [3] to have guided one suicide, and may have helped create the expectation of a massacre [4]. The coverage of the Dunblane massacre, in particular the attention on the perpetrator, is thought to have provided the trigger for Bryant to act.[8]
The cold-blooded murder of Nanette Mikac and her daughters Alannah and Madeline inspired the girls' father, Walter Mikac, to set up a foundation for the child victims of violent crimes. Because the sisters were the only two children to be killed in the massacre, the Foundation is named after them: The Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
Alternative theories
At least two conspiracy theories about the massacre have been promoted. The theories suggest that Bryant was not the shooter, or that the Government of Australia ordered secret agents to conduct the massacre.
The most prominent advocate of these conspiracy theories was the late Joe Vialls, who asserted that Bryant was framed by one or more people who were actually the shooters.[9] A range of theories were posed by some opponents of gun control, suggesting that the gun control lobby staged the massacre in order to gain public support for gun control laws. For example, the militia organisation Australian Freedom Scouts argued that Bryant did not have the requisite weapons proficiency to carry out the massacre.[10] One theory compared the massacre with the assassination of President of the United States John F. Kennedy.[11]
These alternative theories have generally been dismissed as without foundation by the mainstream media and the authorities. The Government of Tasmania, the Tasmania Police, the prosecutor Damian Bugg and Bryant's own defence lawyer John Avery have all dismissed the suggestion that Bryant was not acting alone, saying that the evidence simply does not support any of the conclusions reached by the theorists.[12]
In 2001, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson caused controversy when she claimed that the Commonwealth had ruled out "a full investigation" when "a lot of people are asking questions" about Port Arthur.[13] The Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia has also refuted all conspiracy theories surrounding the massacre, stating that like most mainstream Australians, they regarded the claims as "ludicrous". They urged One Nation to change their position or risk being seen as influenced by extreme elements within the community.[14].
References
- ^ Mullen, Paul quoted in Hannon K 1997, “Copycats to Blame for Massacres Says Expert”, Courier Mail, 4/3/1997
- ^ Hansen, Jane 1995. “Tassie Guns”, A Current Affair 2 Oct 1995, featuring Roland Browne and Rebecca Peters of the Coalition for Gun Control. Nine Network broadcast.
- ^ Lovibond J. 1996. ‘Hobart gun death related to TV show’, Hobart Mercury, 21/05/1996, Ed: 1, Pg: 2, 511 words. Newstext
- ^ Allen C 2006. |Ideas Kill: Science Sheds New Light on Port Arthur Massacre