Sister may have helped serial killer

The sister of one of Australia's most notorious serial murderers may have helped to cover up her brother's killing spree, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Ivan Milat is serving a life sentence for murdering seven young backpackers -- three Germans, two Britons and two Australians -- between 1989 and 1992.

Their bodies were later found in shallow graves in a remote forest southwest of Sydney in New South Wales state.

Milat's former lawyer, John Marsden, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper last week that he believed his client had a female accomplice who was never charged in relation to the murders.

The newspaper reported in its Tuesday edition that the woman Marsden suspected was Milat's sister, Shirley Soire, who was sharing a house with the convicted killer at the time of his arrest in 1994. Soire died of cancer in 2003.

Citing an unnamed investigator in the case, the newspaper reported that police suspected Soire of storing clothing, camping gear and foreign bank notes belonging to the dead backpackers and kept by Milat as souvenirs.

Police charged Soire with possession of an illegal firearm found during a raid on the house during the investigation that led to Milat's conviction, but released her with a fine after they failed to link the pistol to the murders, the newspaper said.

But the police investigator who led the Milat investigation debunked Marsden's theory.

"The fact is that we know of three occasions where victims of Ivan's escaped his clutches, very luckily for them, and on each of those occasions Ivan was by himself," former Assistant Police Commissioner Clive Small told the Australian Broadcasting Corp radio Tuesday.

"The evidence suggests that Ivan operated alone."

Small said police had questioned members of Milat's family, including Soire, at the time of his arrest, but there was no evidence to link her to the murders or any attempt to cover them up.

"I think the members of the family knew Ivan to be a very violent person ... and I've got no doubt that a number of members of the family knew that Ivan (did), from time to time, what I might best describe as very bad things," he said.

Soire was "very defensive" and "very loyal" to Milat, but that did not make her an accomplice, Small added.

Source: China Daily