Pettingill family
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The Pettingill family is an infamous Melbourne-based criminal family [1], headed by matriarch Kath Pettingill. Family members have many convictions for criminal offences including drug trafficking [2], arms dealing [3] and armed robberies [2].
Two of Kath Pettingill sons, Victor Perice and Trevor Pettingill would face a murder trial for the 1988 Walsh Street police shootings, with both acquitted along with two fellow defendants. Victor Peirce's defacto wife, Wendy, would later claim her husband planned and carried out the murders with the fellow accused [2].
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[edit] Family members
| Kath Pettingill | |
|---|---|
 Kath Pettingill, as seen on the cover of her biography, The Matriarch: The Kathy Pettingill Story
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| Alias(es) | Granny Evil |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
| Occupation | Brother owner |
| Children | 7 |
[edit] Kath Pettingill
Kath Pettingill, known as Granny Evil [4] [5], is the matriarch of the Pettingill family and was a former brothel owner in the Richmond and South Melbourne areas of Melbourne. She was once considered the most influential woman in Melbourne's underworld [6]. She has one glass eye after a shooting incident at Housing Commission flats in Collingwood[citation needed].
Her children include some of Australia's most infamous criminals. She was convicted of drug trafficking along with her son, Trevor Pettingill following a police operation known as Operation Earthquake. Police seized AUD$130,000 worth of amphetamines, cannabis and heroin during the raids [6]. She released a biography during the 1990s written by Adrian Tame, titled The Matriarch: The Kathy Pettingill Story.
Now in her 70s, Kath Pettingill moved to enjoy a quieter life in Venus Bay, Gippsland where she calls bingo games and organises Weight Watchers meetings for the local community [7].
[edit] Dennis Allen
| Dennis Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Died | 1987 |
| Alias(es) | Mr. Death, Mr. D |
| Conviction(s) | Rape |
| Penalty | 10 years imprisonment |
| Status | Died of heart failure |
| Parents | Kath Pettingill |
Denis Allen (nicknamed Mr. Death or Mr. D) was the oldest son of Kath Pettingill. Allen was sentenced during the 1970s to a ten-year prison sentence for rape and was reported to have been a major player in drug dealing in the Richmond and South Yarra areas during the 1980s[citation needed].
Allen was alleged to have ordered the deaths, or committed the murders himself, of many missing persons[citation needed]. Allen died of heart failure in 1987 while in prison custody awaiting trial for murder [8].
Police officer Roger Rogerson received his first criminal conviction in 1985 for involvement in drug trafficking when he was charged with conspiring with Allen to import heroin [9], later overturned on appeal .
[edit] Peter Allen
Peter Allen is a son of Kath Pettingill, and has spent most of his life in prison [3].
[edit] Victor Peirce
| Victor Peirce | |
|---|---|
 Victor George Peirce
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| Born | 11 November 1958 |
| Died | 1 May 2002 (aged 44) Port Melbourne, Victoria |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
| Penalty | 6 years imprisonment |
| Status | Murdered |
| Occupation | Waterside worker |
| Spouse | Wendy Peirce |
| Parents | Kath Pettingill |
| Children | 4 |
Victor George Peirce was the sixth son of Kath Pettingill. Together with his defacto partner, Wendy Peirce, he fathered four children. He was convicted for drug trafficking and served a 6 year prison sentence during the 1990s [6]. He once worked as a bodyguard for murdered businessman Frank Benvenuto [6].
Victor Peirce was murdered in Bay St, Port Melbourne, whilst parked outside a supermarket on May 1, 2002 [3]. It would later be alleged in court by barrister and Queen's Counsel, Robert Richter that the now deceased contract killer Andrew Veniamin had murdered Peirce [10]. Veniamin was shot and killed during in argument in 2004 in a Carlton restaurant.
On October 5, 2005, Victor Peirce Jr, a son of Victor Peirce was shot in the torso after an argument. [11]
[edit] Wendy Peirce
Wendy Peirce is the defacto partner of Victor Peirce. The couple never married but produced four children from their long term relationship.
She entered witness protection for 18 months, estimated to have cost approximately $2million. At trial, she refused to give evidence against the accused and all men were later acquitted. In October 2005, Wendy Peirce gave a media interview detailing how her husband planned and carried out the Walsh Street police shootings [12] for which he was charged and later acquitted.
[edit] Lex Peirce
Lex Peirce is a son of Kath Pettingill and has a minor criminal record [2].
[edit] Trevor Pettingill
Trevor Pettingill is a son of Kath Pettingill and was born in Melbourne on February 16, 1965[citation needed]. He had become institutionalised by six years of age[citation needed]. He has more than 30 convictions for firearms and drug-related offences and has served several prison sentences[citation needed].
Pettingill was charged with murder along with his stepbrother, Victor Peirce for the Walsh Street police murders. After his acquittal he moved to the family property at Venus Bay[citation needed].
[edit] Jamie Pettingill
Son of Kath Pettingill. Died of a heroin overdose in 1985 aged 21 [3]. Was alleged to be involved in an armed robbery in Clifton Hill [2].
[edit] Vicki Brooks (nee Pettingill)
Vicki Brooks is a daughter of Kath Pettingill. She entered the witness protection program with her son Jason Ryan, after two members of her family were charged in relation to the Walsh Street police murders [2].
[edit] Jason Ryan
Jason Ryan, son of Vicki Brooks, lived with Dennis Allen. He gave evidence against members of his family in the trial for the Walsh Street police murders [2].
In order to gather evidence against the accused family-members of the Pettingill family, police relocated Ryan to the rural town of Mansfield, Victoria for a questioning under the witness protection program[citation needed].
[edit] References
- ^ Fears of gangland war in Melbourne, Australian Broadcasting Commission, 23 June , 2003
- ^ a b c d e f g Coming clean, The Age, October 1, 2005
- ^ a b c d Crime world loses one of its finest, Sydney Morning Herald, May 3, 2002
- ^ Breakfast, Radio National Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 September 2002
- ^ Ganglands: part 2, Sunday, February 22, 2004
- ^ a b c d Victor Peirce dies the way his mother predicted, The Age, May 3, 2002
- ^ Bingo dogs' number's up, Herald Sun, June 10, 2007
- ^ Brace for more gangland shootings, police warn, The Age, May 3, 2002
- ^ Jolly Rogerson, Sydney Morning Herald, November 14, 2003
- ^ Andrew Veniamin shot dead Victor Peirce, court told, Herald Sun, March 11, 2008
- ^ Man in court over Peirce shooting, The Age, October 6, 2005
- ^ Why I lied to protect the Walsh Street killers, The Age, October 1, 2005
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