60-554: John Wayne Glover (26 November 1932 – 9 September 2005) was an English-Australian serial killer convicted of the murders of six elderly women (aged from 60 to 93), over a period of 14 months from 1989 to 1990. The victims included Winifreda, Lady Ashton, widow of the English-Australian impressionist painter Sir Will Ashton , in suburbs located in Sydney's North Shore . Given the advanced age of his victims, after Glover
120-458: A platonic relationship . By this stage, police had Glover under constant surveillance and watched as Sinclair let Glover into her home around 10:00am. By 1:00pm, no sign of Glover or movement within the house was seen. Police and the surveillance team became concerned around 5:00pm, and got permission to enter the house at 6:00pm. Two uniformed police knocked on the front door (ostensibly to check on barking dogs) to no answer, and when looking through
180-511: A few minutes, her body was found by a young schoolgirl, who at first thought the body was a pile of clothing dumped in the laneway. Neighbours again washed down the crime scene before the police arrived. As the police and ambulance were on their way, Glover rummaged through the contents of Pahud's purse on the grounds of a nearby golf club. He headed off to the Mosman RSL Club to spend the $ 300 he had stolen from Pahud. Within 24 hours of
240-484: A later date, but generally given as in 1884. Ashton attended Prince Alfred College , where his father was art teacher, from 1889 to 1897. Neither academically nor athletically inclined. On leaving school, he received further training from his father; fellow students included W. C. Quin , Hans Heysen , and Hayley Leaver . He left for London in 1900, where he studied at the Olsson - Talmage studios, then in 1902 at
300-451: A ramp into a secluded side lane. There he hit her and repeatedly pushed her head into the concrete before he removed her pantyhose and tied it tightly around her neck. Once again, Glover rearranged her clothing, shoes, and walking stick, then left, taking money ($ 60) from her handbag. Once again, the old woman's injuries were initially attributed to a heavy fall, and the crime scene was washed down. No eyewitnesses were found. Shortly afterwards,
360-421: A severe personality disorder. The Crown prosecutor maintained that Glover was well aware of his actions. When he killed, he was planning what to do with the victim's stolen money, and took time to clean his hammer with acid to destroy forensic evidence. Glover was impotent and had no interest in sex. Tying the pantyhose so tightly around his victims' necks was to make sure they were dead, while also trying to trick
420-549: A subset of European Australians . Other subsets of Anglo-Celtic Australians (that is, Australians with ancestry originating in the British Isles ) include Irish Australians , Scottish Australians and Welsh Australians . There is a tendency to refer to these ancestries collectively due to their long history in Australia and the high degree of intermixture which has occurred over centuries. In light of this history, there
480-568: A suspect as middle-aged, portly, and grey-haired. The reward was increased to $ 250,000 by Christmas. On 11 January 1990, Glover visited the Greenwich Hospital in River Road, Greenwich, on his pie sales round. He was in his work uniform and carried a clipboard, and entered the hospital's palliative care ward, which held four elderly and ill women, including 82-year-old advanced-cancer patient Daisy Roberts. After Glover asked if she
540-634: A temporary capacity until the appointment of Hal Missingham . Ashton was appointed first director of David Jones Art Gallery in June 1944, which he ran until 1947. Ashton was also: Ashton died of cancer at his home in Mosman, New South Wales . He was awarded the (Sydney) Society of Artists' medal in 1944. Ashton was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1941 and
600-515: A thin trickle of blood running out of her mouth. At this point, the police concluded they were facing a serial killer. To date, all three victims were wealthy elderly women, from the same suburb, and all were assaulted or killed in the same manner before being robbed of their handbags. A post mortem examination was carried out and no sign of semen was found. The ligature mark around her neck measured 9 cm. She had bruises on her nose and temple, on her neck, and both her eyelids. At some stage during
660-510: A thing. Still, the photo matched the descriptions of the gray-haired suspect and in his job as a pie salesman, Glover could have been at any of the murder scenes. Glover was interviewed over the nursing-home assaults and denied all accusations. Police had limited evidence and decided not to question him about the murders, which would have revealed to Glover their suspicions. Glover was put under constant police surveillance, including at one stage, with an automatic tracking device. To make sure that he
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#1732788102036720-735: Is a tendency for Australians with English or other Anglo-Celtic ancestries to simply identify their ancestry as ' Australian '. New South Wales was established in 1788 by the British government as a penal colony. Visitors described the English character of Sydney for at least the first 50 years after 1788, noting the traditional English appearance of the churches overlooking the convict barracks. First-generation colonial Sydney residents were predominantly English. 160,000 convicts came to Australia between 1788 and 1850. Between 1788 and 1840, 80,000 English convicts were transported to New South Wales, with
780-425: Is plain that he has chosen his moments carefully. Although the crimes have been opportunistic, he has not gone in where the risks were overwhelming. The period since January 1989 has been one of intense and serious crime involving extreme violence inflicted on elderly women, accompanied by theft or robbery of their property. On any view, the prisoner has shown himself to be an exceedingly dangerous person and that view
840-550: The 2021 census , 8,385,928 people, or 33% of the Australian population, stated that they had English ancestry (whether sole or partial). It is the largest self-identified ancestry in Australia. People of ethnic English origin have been the largest group to migrate to Australia since the establishment of the Colony of New South Wales in 1788. English Australians are a subset of Anglo-Celtic Australians , who are themselves
900-566: The 2021 census , 8,385,928 people, or 33% of the Australian population, stated that they had English ancestry (whether wholly or partial). People of English descent were by far the single most influential ethnic group in colonial Australia. The founding of Australia by English people is still evident in place names, Australia's common law legal system, popular dishes such as fish and chips and Sunday Roast and English as Australia's national language. In Sydney, at least 50 suburban names are derived directly from 20 English counties , of which
960-646: The Académie Julian in Paris for a year. Ashton had several paintings accepted by the Royal Academy of Arts , London, and the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français , around which time he adopted the name "Will Ashton" to avoid confusion with his father or Julian Ashton (no relation). In 1905 he returned to Adelaide, where his "Boulevard Montparnasse, Paris" was hailed as a masterpiece, and purchased by
1020-864: The British army but was expelled when these crimes were discovered. He emigrated to Australia in 1956 or 1957 with no qualifications. He first first lived in Melbourne . Shortly after emigrating from England to Australia, Glover (who became a naturalised Australian citizen) was convicted on two counts of larceny in Victoria , and a stealing charge in New South Wales . In 1962, he was convicted on two counts of assaulting women in Melbourne, two counts of indecent assault , one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm , and another four counts of larceny. He
1080-930: The National Gallery of South Australia . After holding exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide, in 1908, he won the Wynne Prize for landscapes. In the years 1912–1914 he painted in Britain, Europe, and Egypt. He returned to Australia for a year, but was back in London with his family 1915–1917. He made other trips in company with Lionel Lindsay or Charles Bryant and the Impressionist oil paintings he made on each of these trips sold well on his return to Australia. In particular, Ashton loved painting in France. His friend, Hans Heysen , wrote that
1140-785: The Royal Drawing Society . He won the Godfrey Rivers Bequest prize in 1933 and 1938. Ashton also won the Wynne Prize for a second and third time in 1930 and 1939. In 1937 Ashton was appointed director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales , and organized the NSW sesquicentenary exhibition of Australian art, which opened in February 1938. The gallery had been criticised for inadequate lighting, which he
1200-539: The 1 million immigrants who arrived between 1860 and 1900, just over half came from England. Between 1840 and 1870 there were more Irish than English assisted migrants which did not change until the 1870s, when there were more English. At least 75 per cent of all overseas-born people in Australia during the 19th century were from the British Isles . The proportion who had been born in England or Wales remained quite stable (at about 47 per cent) from 1861 to 1911, as did
1260-606: The Mosman RSL in Military Road, he saw 82-year-old Gwendolin Mitchelhill walking down the street. Glover returned to his car and put a hammer under his belt. He followed Mitchelhill to the entry foyer of her Military Road apartment building. As she went to open the front door, he hit her with the hammer on the back of her head. He continued to strike her about the head and body, breaking several of her ribs. Glover fled
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#17327881020361320-415: The Mosman RSL, where he commented to staff that he hoped the sirens outside were not because of another mugging. The police found Lady Ashton lying face down diagonally across the concrete floor of the small bin alcove. A pool of blood was around her head. The pantyhose was strung so tightly around her neck that it cut through the skin. Her bare legs were crossed and her arms were placed by her sides. She had
1380-579: The Pahud murder, on 3 November, 81-year-old Olive Cleveland became the fourth woman killed by the now so-called "granny killer". Glover struck up a conversation with Cleveland while she was sitting on a bench just outside the Wesley Gardens Retirement Village, where she lived in the suburb of Belrose. When Cleveland became uncomfortable, she got up and walked to the main building; but Glover seized her from behind and forced her down
1440-464: The Seine had first ‘captured his heart’ during his student days, and the ‘fascination of its swiftly running waters, its bridges, its barges and those remarkable rows of buildings broken by the trees that adorn both sides have never ceased to hold him and to draw him again and again to Paris’. He was retained as advisor to the National Gallery of South Australia and private collectors, and as examiner for
1500-450: The crime scene. The police assumed that it was another mugging gone wrong. On 9 May 1989, Glover was walking along Military Road when he saw 84-year-old Lady Ashton, widow of English-Australian impressionist artist Sir John William Ashton , walking towards him. She was on her way home to nearby Raglan Street. Glover put on a pair of gloves and followed her into the foyer of her apartment, where he attacked her with his hammer. He threw her to
1560-523: The exterior of her home in Muston Street. He quietly moved up behind her while the partially deaf and blind Falconer opened her front door. He put his hand around her mouth to silence her, before repeatedly hitting her around the head and neck with his hammer. When she fell to the floor, Glover began to remove Falconer's pantyhose. As he did this, she began to regain consciousness and cried for help. This prompted Glover to hit her multiple times with
1620-735: The greatest numbers coming between 1825 and 1835. The New South Wales Census of 1846 accounted for 57,349 born in England, 47,547 born in Ireland and 14,406 born in Scotland. Until 1859, 2.2 million (73%) of the free settlers who immigrated were British in origin. Many more English people immigrated to Victoria by the gold rush of the 1850s. By 1854 there were 97,943 English-born people in Victoria. Immigration policies and assistance schemes helped maintain high levels of immigration from England. Of
1680-430: The ground and dragged her into a rubbish bin alcove, where he repeatedly hit her head on the pavement. Glover recalled that she had almost overpowered him, until he fell on top of her and started to hit her head on the pavement. After he knocked her unconscious, Glover removed her pantyhose and strangled her. He placed Lady Ashton's walking stick and shoes at her feet. He left with her purse containing $ 100. Glover headed for
1740-469: The hammer until she finally passed out. He removed her undergarments and used them to strangle her. He searched her purse and the rest of her house for valuables before leaving with $ 100, again after rearranging her shoes. The following afternoon, the body was discovered by a neighbour, who entered using a spare key. The crime scene was left undisturbed and investigators were able to collect forensic evidence, including bloody shoe prints. A neighbour described
1800-531: The killings when confronted with the police evidence. He denied responsibility for other crimes in which he was a prime suspect, including the bashing murder of 78-year-old artist Florence Broadhurst in her Paddington studio in 1977. A number of years after his conviction, Glover admitted that he never worried about who his victims were, or why he killed them. He said he wanted to stop killing, but could not. After each murder, he apparently went about his normal life. On 11 January 1989, 84-year-old Margaret Todhunter
1860-535: The largest numbers are from Kent , Surrey and London . Among the best known are Surry Hills , Croydon , Hornsby , Epping , Chipping Norton , Brighton-le-Sands , Bexley , Canterbury , Ryde , Kensington , Lewisham and Penshurst . The majority of Prime Ministers of Australia have been of at least partial English ancestry. To date all Australian Prime Ministers have had whole or partial Anglo-Celtic ancestry. Will Ashton Sir John William Ashton , OBE , ROI (20 September 1881 – 1 September 1963)
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1920-653: The late 1980s, he was a volunteer at the Senior Citizens Society. His friends considered him to be a friendly and trustworthy man. He was married with two daughters, and appeared to live a contented lifestyle in Mosman . Glover worked as a sales representative for the Four'N Twenty meat pie company. No proof has been found of Glover killing before 1989, when he was 56. At this stage, he had been married for 20 years with children, and his wife had no knowledge of his previous criminal offences. Glover admitted to
1980-485: The middle of the page on Four'N Twenty Pies business paper, were the words "no more grannies ... grannies" and "Essie [Glover's mother-in-law] started it". Two weeks later, the suicide note and photo were passed on to the task force (now numbering some 70 members), whereupon detectives believed immediately that Glover was the killer, although they had no evidence. The head of the detective task force said, If he had said to us, "I don't want to talk," we couldn't have proved
2040-457: The number of unsolved murders committed by Glover. Unsolved murders that may have been committed by Glover include: Glover was imprisoned at Lithgow Prison, where he was held in a maximum-security prison cell. In May 2005 Glover collapsed in his cell and was placed on suicide watch after telling prison officers "I've had enough – I want to kill myself." He was examined by a mental health review team, and monitored by closed circuit television. He
2100-437: The police into thinking that this was the work of a sexually motivated killer . Glover was addicted to poker machines. The easiest way for him to get more money for his gambling was to steal. After the guilty verdict was delivered by the jury, Justice Wood stated that he was dealing with an extremely dangerous prisoner: He is able to choose when to attack and when to stay his hand. He is cunning and able to cover his tracks. It
2160-425: The police returned with a photograph of Glover, which both the nurse and Roberts positively identified. Although this was a significant breakthrough, the hospital assaults were not linked to the murders, nor reported to the murder task force for three weeks. Detectives from Chatswood police station contacted and confirmed Glover's name via his employers. Detectives contacted Glover and requested he attend an interview at
2220-520: The population. English ancestry was reported by 6.6 million people (46%) in 1986, and 6.4 million (37%) in 2001. While the English-born continue to be well-represented among immigrants to Australia, the overall decline of English immigration to Australia since the 1980s has meant that the English-born are declining as a proportion of immigrants to Australia. Regardless, Australian society continues to be influenced by its strong English heritage. In
2280-410: The prisoner may ever be released pursuant to any order of this court. He is never to be released. Days before Glover killed himself, he handed his last outside visitor a sketch of a park. Glover noted two pine trees in the image. In the middle of the right pine tree, the number "nine" could be seen between leaves and branches. The number nine is said to represent either the total number of murders or
2340-964: The proportion born in Scotland (about 12 per cent). English settlers more often came from the South than the North of England . 2021 Australians of English ancestry made up more than 50 per cent of the population at the time of Federation (1901). From 1922 the Empire Settlement Act assisted thousands of migrants from England. After the Second World War, even as immigration from other countries expanded dramatically, English citizens had almost unrestricted entry into Australia. Arthur Calwell, Minister for Immigration, wanted nine out of ten new immigrants to be UK-born. The majority of England-born migrants received assisted passages until
2400-404: The rear glass door, saw a hammer lying in a pool of dry blood on a mat. Four detectives searched the house and found Sinclair's battered head wrapped in a bundle of blood-soaked towels. She was naked from the waist down and her pantyhose were tied around her neck. Her genitals were damaged, but Glover later denied raping her. After finding Sinclair's body, police searched the house for Glover, who
2460-442: The room, leaving a trail of blood. He ran the bath, swallowed a handful of Valium with a bottle of Vat 69 , slashed his left wrist, and lay in the tub to die. At the trial, commencing 28 March 1990, Glover pleaded not guilty to his crimes on the grounds of diminished responsibility . A psychiatrist said Glover had built up hostility and aggression against his mother since his childhood. This continued against his mother-in-law, who
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2520-418: The scene, taking her purse containing $ 100. Mitchelhill was still alive when she was found by two schoolboys, but died shortly after the police and ambulance arrived. The police had no eyewitnesses or leads and nothing concrete linked this attack with the previous attack on Margaret Todhunter. No forensic evidence was available, either, as well-intentioned neighbours, believing she had merely fallen, had washed
2580-451: The scheme was abolished in 1982. Among the notable English-born were politicians such as Henry Parkes , and Joseph Cook ; in retailing and media: John Norton , Anthony Hordern and John Fairfax . Surges of English immigration in the 1910s, 1920s, 1950s and 1960s sustained the English-born as the largest single immigrant group throughout the 20th century. In 1978 Australians of predominantly English ancestry made up over 45 per cent of
2640-553: The state government doubled the reward for apprehension of the perpetraator to $ 200,000. On 23 November 1989, Glover was sitting in the Buena Vista Hotel in Middle Head Road, Mosman, when he saw 93-year-old widow Muriel Falconer walking opposite the hotel (returning home with her shopping). Glover returned to his car (parked opposite the police station), to retrieve his hammer and gloves. He followed Falconer to
2700-487: The station the following day. When Glover failed to appear, the police rang his home and were informed by his wife that he had attempted suicide by overdose and was recovering at the Royal North Shore Hospital . Police went to the hospital to see Glover, but he declined to be interviewed. He did permit them to take a photograph. Staff at the hospital handed police a suicide note written by Glover. In
2760-408: The struggle, she bit her lips, causing damage to the inner lining of her mouth. A wound was on her cheek, which was an open cut. A small, semicircular abrasion was a few centimetres away from it. The examiner noted the victim's diamond ring was still present, suggesting that she had not been killed for money. On 2 November 1989, Glover approached 78-year-old Lane Cove resident Dorothy Beencke while she
2820-419: Was 85-year-old widow Margaret Pahud (also on her way home from grocery shopping). The investigating police were certain this was the work of the "granny killer". She was hit on the back of the head with a blunt instrument, and when she collapsed, he struck her again on the side of the head. Glover rearranged her clothing, shoes, and walking stick, took her handbag, and left. Again, nobody saw the attack, but within
2880-691: Was a prolific Australian Impressionist artist and director of the National Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1937 to 1943. Ashton was born in Clifton, York , England , the only son of artist James Ashton , and his wife Mary Elizabeth Ashton (died 18 September 1945). His father emigrated to Australia, arriving at Adelaide , South Australia in January 1884 and founding a school of painting in "unpretentious but commodious" premises on The Parade, Norwood in 1885. His wife and son arrived at
2940-529: Was able to address, but was constrained by the exigencies of wartime economy from much-needed extensions, and resigned in November 1943, but hung on as acting director for another six months. Applications for a replacement had been received from Rah Fizelle , Frank Medworth , and Louis McCubbin . None was chosen; John Henry Young , director of the Macquarie Galleries was instead taken on in
3000-791: Was also given medical examinations as a follow-up to the two cancer surgeries he had undergone the year before. On 10 September 2005, Glover was found dead in his Lithgow maximum security prison cell and pronounced dead at 1:25 pm. The 72-year-old serial killer was confirmed to have hanged himself. Glover's serial murders were the focus of three episodes on different crime series: Crime Investigation Australia series-one episode "No More Grannies / The Granny Killer", series-two episode of Forensic Investigators entitled "Granny Killer", and an episode of Under Investigation hosted by Liz Hayes . English Australian English Australians , also known as Anglo-Australians , are Australians whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England . In
3060-571: Was arrested in 1990, the press nicknamed him The Granny Killer. Following his arrest in 1990, he admitted to the murders and was sentenced to consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He committed suicide by hanging himself in prison on 9 September 2005. Originally from a working-class family in Wolverhampton , England, Glover was convicted of many petty crimes dating back to 1947, mostly for stealing clothing and handbags. He left school at 14. He served in
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#17327881020363120-417: Was found unconscious in the filled bathtub. Glover later told police he had murdered Joan Sinclair and said that they had been having a relationship for some time. He said that he beat her about the head with his hammer, removed her pantyhose, and strangled her with it. Glover rolled the body onto a mat, wrapped four towels around her extensive head wounds to stem the flow of blood, and dragged her body across
3180-415: Was losing any body heat, he pulled up her nightgown and touched her in an indecent manner. Roberts panicked and called for help, upon which a nurse found Glover in the ward. When confronted, Glover ran from the ward; the nurse was able to record his car's registration number, and notified police. The hospital staff were able to identify and name Glover, as he was known from doing his pie rounds. A week later,
3240-995: Was made a Knight Bachelor on 11 June 1960 for his service as chairman of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board . A portrait of Ashton by William Dargie was purchased by the Commonwealth government for the National Portrait Gallery . His paintings are held by the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Queensland Art Gallery. On 31 January 1906 Ashton married May Millman (1880–1958), one of his students, at Christ Church, North Adelaide . They had three sons: He married again, to
3300-411: Was mirrored by the opinions of the psychiatrists who gave evidence at his trial. I have no alternative other than to impose the maximum available sentence, which means that the prisoner will be required to spend the remainder of his natural life in gaol. It is inappropriate to impose any minimum term to be served before release on parole. Having regard to those life sentences , this is not a case where
3360-469: Was not being followed, Glover would drive around the block more than once, or drive the wrong way up one-way streets. Late in 1989, Glover was diagnosed with male breast cancer. He (Glover) separated from his wife, who took their daughters to New Zealand. On 19 March 1990, Glover killed his sixth and final victim in Mosman. She was 60-year-old divorcee Joan Sinclair from Beauty Point , with whom Glover had
3420-423: Was said to "trigger" him. When she died, he had to take out his aggression on someone else. The psychiatrist who studied the case added that Glover's was a very unusual case because few serial killers exist, and most of them are mentally ill , and/or have an organic disease of the brain; Glover was assessed as sane at the time of the murders. Dr. John Shand, a psychiatrist testifying at the trial , said Glover had
3480-459: Was sentenced to a three-year good-behaviour bond. He had a troubled relationship with older women in his life, especially his mother Freda (who had several husbands and many boyfriends). After 1968, when he married Gay Rolls and moved into his parents-in-law's house in Mosman, Sydney , he also had trouble with his mother-in-law. Glover's mother moved to Australia in 1976; she died of breast cancer in 1989. Before John Glover began his killings in
3540-513: Was walking down Hale Road, Mosman, where she was seen by Glover. After parking his car, he walked up to the victim. He punched Todhunter in the face, and stole the contents of her purse, including $ 209. Glover went to the Mosman Returned and Services League (RSL) club, where he spent Mrs Todhunter's money. Investigating police concluded the crime was a mugging and held little hope of finding the perpetrator. On 1 March 1989, as Glover left
3600-412: Was walking home in a quiet back street, just off Longueville Road, Lane Cove (about 10 km from Mosman). Glover engaged her in conversation, and offered to carry her groceries home for her. Beencke invited him inside her house for a cup of tea. Glover declined the tea, but on the return down the laneway to the main street, he passed another old woman, and assaulted her from behind. The victim this time
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