Fugitive Malcolm Naden Captured

March 22, 2012 4:26 AM

The fugitive Malcolm Naden has been captured by police after a long drawn manhunt in the north of New South Wales.

Wanted for the 2005 murder of Kristy Scholes, Naden had been on the run for the better part of a decade; in December of last year as the net was drawing closer he shot and wounded a policeman who was part of the search.

posted by Philby (22 comments total)

in the north of New South Wales
to the east of the old west trails
they nabbed Malcolm Naden
as the moonlight was fadin'
he'll be spending some years in the jails
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:48 AM on March 22, 2012 [5 favorites]

I think this tidbit was interesting:

The reward for Naden’s arrest is effectively the first bounty granted by the State government since 1900

Keeping hidden for 7 years is no mean feat. Seems to have taken its toll, though, judging from the pictures.
posted by Harald74 at 5:00 AM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

It is interesting to some of us in the Aussie-centric gabfest, though, johnny7.

When I woke up this morning to hear the news, I was relieved for the people who live in the upper Hunter, where he's been living, and also for the families of his victims who are in Dubbo, an hours drive from our home.

I have to admit that I laughed out loud when my son asked, "will he be going to the Max house?". Yes, second-born, he will be going to Supermax prison. And then I realised how sad it was that my 10 year old is familiar with Supermax.

Then he asked how long bin Laden was on the run, and I thought, "bloody hell, you are 10. You don't need to think about this stuff yet."

Note to self: inundate kids with some good news stories.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 5:09 AM on March 22, 2012 [7 favorites]

It looks like old-fashioned detective work and a airborne police dog got him, and the paramilitary sniper-commando-supercops were just window dressing.

Sorry, dude with facepaint and ghillie-suit and assault rifle, you are not as cool as a german shephard hero-dog with his own helicopter who fights crime in the jungle.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:10 AM on March 22, 2012 [11 favorites]

Funny that they have to blur the pictures of him now that he's been caught, after months of showing us pictures of him on the news every other day or so..
posted by Philby at 5:14 AM on March 22, 2012 [4 favorites]

It looks like old-fashioned detective work and a airborne police dog got him, and the paramilitary sniper-commando-supercops were just window dressing.

Sorry, dude with facepaint and ghillie-suit and assault rifle, you are not as cool as a german shephard hero-dog with his own helicopter who fights crime in the jungle.

If Michael Bay wants to ruin something, let him ruin this. Leave Ninja Turtles the fuck alone!? I'd much rather see an explosion-filled version of this movie!
posted by Fizz at 5:40 AM on March 22, 2012

Tuggalo Park? Really?
posted by bardic at 5:50 AM on March 22, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yeah, I would have hid in Juggalo Park
posted by spicynuts at 6:16 AM on March 22, 2012

I noted that the scene of the murder was Dubbo. I just happen to know a guy who was born and raised in Dubbo, and he's told me some pretty hairy stories. According to him, it's a pretty tough and violent place.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:23 AM on March 22, 2012

Dubbo is pretty wild. There are literally lions and tigers roaming around near it.
posted by panaceanot at 7:53 AM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

Bah, lions and tigers ain't shit.

Madmen on the lam, now those'll kill you.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:41 AM on March 22, 2012

Tuggalo Park? Really?

They threw some magnets into his path to confuse and disorient him at the moment of capture.
posted by yoink at 9:40 AM on March 22, 2012

Australia has tigers?
posted by stbalbach at 10:00 AM on March 22, 2012

say it right : "A tiger? In Australia??"
posted by Redhush at 10:10 AM on March 22, 2012

In thread convergence, Naden was believed to be hiding in the Zoo for some months(!) living on pilfered food, and the cops closed the zoo in 2005 to search it for him.
posted by bystander at 1:12 PM on March 22, 2012

We had tigers.
posted by kithrater at 2:44 PM on March 22, 2012

you are not as cool as a german shephard hero-dog with his own helicopter who fights crime in the jungle.

In fairness, who is?
posted by Zed at 3:11 PM on March 22, 2012

No, no, here's how you say it right : "A drunken redneck ready to hit you in the face with a bottle just cause he feels like it? In Australia??"
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:59 PM on March 22, 2012

Naden was believed to be hiding in the Zoo for some months(!)
On top of an animal enclosure if I remember rightly.

I'm glad he's caught. I was starting to get despondent at the people who were suggesting he was some sort of outlaw hero. He's a murderer and a rapist and evading capture for many years does not somehow ameliorate those abominable acts.
posted by Kerasia at 4:01 PM on March 22, 2012

He's a murderer and a rapist

You were there? You've seen the evidence?

Sorry, but he's still innocent until proven guilty.
posted by wilful at 4:36 PM on March 22, 2012

Don't be sorry, wilful. I'm not.

He's an accused murderer of his cousin/s, accused rapist of a 14yr old girl and he is accused of attempting to murder a policman (with many eye-witnesses to that one, albeit one of them is not me). Of course, he could be innocent of all charges but that would not explain why he's been in hiding and stealing for seven years.

I value our court system as much as the next bloke but I would bet you bucks to bobby-pins that he is guilty of at least one of the above crimes against a human being.
posted by Kerasia at 4:46 PM on March 22, 2012

Do be sorry if you're willing to believe everything the media tell you.

I'm not going in to bat for this guy - I'm going in to bat for our justice system (in its entirety, not just the bit where he goes to the big house for a long time).
posted by wilful at 4:57 PM on March 22, 2012