One of Australia’s most notorious child rapists known as ‘Mr Cruel’ could very well still be alive. He has never been caught or identified
One of Australia’s most notorious serial rapists known as ‘Mr Cruel’ could very well still be alive 28 years after terrorising Melbourne, investigators have revealed.
The serial predator and suspected killer is believed to be responsible for raping and kidnapping at least a dozen young girls across the city in the late 1980s and early 90s – and to this day has never been caught or identified.
Two girls kidnapped by Mr Cruel – Sharon Wills, ten, and Nicola Lynas, 13 – were eventually released, but 13-year-old Karmein Chan’s remains were found a year after her abduction. She had been shot three times in the head.
Australian Crime Stories revisited the Melbourne schoolgirl’s case on the 28th anniversary of her abduction and murder on Sunday night.
Karmein’s case stood out from all the others because she was the only victim to be killed by the rapist after she was taken.
Three days after she vanished, her mother Phyllis Chan issued a desperate plea beamed on live TV around the country.
‘Please, release my daughter,’ the distraught parent said through uncontrollable tears. Karmein’s body was found a year later.
Two girls kidnapped at this time by Mr Cruel – Sharon Wills (far left) ten, and Nicola Lynas (centre) 13, were eventually released, but 13-year-old Karmein Chan’s remains were found a year after her abduction
Karmein’s case stood out from all the others because she was the only victim to be killed by the rapist after she was taken. Her murder also marked the end of Mr Cruel’s three-year reign of terror in 1991 – when he fell off the radar and never struck again
Her murder also marked the end of Mr Cruel’s three-year reign of terror in 1991 – when he fell off the radar and never struck again.
‘It doesn’t make any sense. Good criminals, offenders, serial offenders, they don’t get scared off. They believe, their ego believes they’re better than the system, they’re better than investigators,’ Dr Stephen Barron, psychologist and former police inspector said.
Although Mr Cruel had been perceived as a dark, mysterious figure in the public eye, investigators suggested the serial rapist could actually just be ‘Mr Average.’
Following Karmein’s abduction, Australian authorities had sought help from the American FBI – who revealed there was nothing particularly striking about Mr Cruel’s profile.
He was believed to be between 20 and 50 years old, between 165 and 183cm tall, thin to medium build with a potbelly.
He also did not have a distinct accent and was described as quietly spoken.
Mr Cruel’s weapon of choice was a knife and he was known to wear a balaclava and had taped over his victims’ eyes to shield his identity.
Other theories suggest Karmein had been bold enough to rip off the tape from her eyes or had pulled Mr Cruel’s mask off, revealing his identity and forcing him to kill her.
But some investigators say it is unlikely a serial offender would be ‘scared off’ and believe it is possible Mr Cruel went quiet because he left town to continue his attacks overseas or elsewhere.
‘My suspicion is that he probably just left town or he went to jail and died,’ Criminal psychologist Tim Watson Munro said.
Pictured above are Karmein’s parents appealing to the public for their daughter to return. Her mother Phyllis Chan issued a desperate plea beamed on live TV around the country
Although Mr Cruel had been perceived as a dark, mysterious, figure in the public eye, investigators suggested the serial rapist could actually just be ‘Mr Average’
‘There were the Hillside Stranglers in Los Angeles. A guy and his cousin were abducting, raping and murdering women in the Hills district of LA, dumping the cadavers on the front lawns of places as all part of the horror show, and it stopped as abruptly as it started.
‘He was eventually discovered in Oregon, so, he’d relocated, he’d gone further north, into a different state. It started again.’
Although nearly three decades have passed since Mr Cruel’s last attack, retired Detective Chris O’Connor said the investigation remains active.