Notorious 81-year-old paedophile and child killer dies in the UK after spending 25 years behind bars for murdering a 14-year-old girl
- Arthur Greer died in exile in the United Kingdom on Friday morning from cancer
- Greer shocked Australia when he was convicted of murdering Sharon Lee Mason
- He had served 25 years of a life sentence before he was granted parole in 2018
- Greer was deported back to the United Kingdom where he died 8 months later
One of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles who was described as a ‘monster’ has died just months after he was freed from jail and deported.
Arthur Greer, 81, died in exile in the United Kingdom early on Friday morning from cancer.
Greer was deported to the UK after he was granted parole from an Australian prison after serving 25 years for the murder of 14-year-old Sharon Lee Mason in Western Australia in 1992.
Arthur Greer, 81, (pictured) died in exile in the United Kingdom on Friday morning from cancer
He was convicted after her body was found buried nine years after she went missing behind a dress shop owned by Greer in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park.
It was suspected that Greer killed the girl and then dismembered her body in the bathroom at the rear of the shop.
Her body parts were put into plastic bags and buried under the garden shed.
Prosecutors argued during his trial that Greer had buried the teenager’s body by pulling up the floor of a shed in his back yard and digging a deep grave. Convicted, despite his plea of innocence, he was jailed for life in 1994.
Sharon Lee Mason (pictured) was 14-years-old when she disappeared in 1983. Her body was eventually discovered nine-years later buried underneath a car park at the back of a shop owned by Greer – he was convicted for her murder in 1994 and jailed for life
It was during this investigation that police established Greer was a volatile character who had a long criminal record which included two counts of sexual assault and an attempted murder conviction in New South Wales.
After several attempts to be released on parole, his next request was due to be heard in November 2019, but he asked for it to be brought forward due to his failing health.
Following his request, the Prisoner Review Board recommended that he be released.
West Australian Attorney General John Quigley told parliament in June 2018 that the killer’s request has been granted, based on Greer’s poor health.
Mr Quigley said he asked the board what the chances were of Greer re-offending.
‘The board’s subsequent report was of the view that his age of 80, deteriorating health and limited mobility reduced the likely risk of re-offending,’ said Mr Quigley.
He said he had contacted the family of the murdered girl and they had told him that they wanted Greer to be ‘deported as soon as possible and never again taste freedom in Australia.’
Greer also had the backing of former WA Governor Malcolm McCusker, a move that enraged the 14-year-old victim’s family and friends.
‘He’s a monster. I believe he should be locked up for life. I think they’ve taken pity on an old man,’ Ms Mason’s friend, Jane Reynolds, told Nine News at the time.
Greer had always maintained his innocence and even appeared on A Current Affair last year saying the conviction had ‘cost him his life’.
Greer left Australia from Perth Airport bound for the UK under intense police guard in June 2018.
It’s believed Greer died with his daughter Chrissy by his side.
His other daughter, who he molested when she was just seven-years-old, still described him as a paedophile.
Greer had always maintained his innocence and even appeared on A Current Affair (pictured) last year saying the conviction had ‘cost him his life’.