Julian Knight (murderer)
Julian Knight | |
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Hoddle Street | |
Killed | 7 |
Injured | 19 |
Weapons |
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Julian Knight (born 4 March 1968)[1] is an Australian mass murderer. On 9 August 1987, he shot seven people dead and injured 19 during a shooting spree in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia in what became known as the Hoddle Street massacre.
Knight is serving seven
Knight is incarcerated in the maximum security Port Phillip Prison in Truganina near Melbourne. He would have been eligible for parole in 2014 except that the Victorian government passed and approved of legislation which ensures that he is kept in jail until he dies, is in immediate danger of dying, or is so incapacitated that he no longer poses a danger to others. Knight has challenged the validity of the legislation many times, but lost his final appeal to the High Court in August 2017.
Early life
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Julian Knight is the eldest of three children. When he was ten days old he was
Military career
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Knight joined the Australian Army Cadets aged 14 and served in two cadet units, the Norwood High School Cadet Unit and the Melbourne HSCU. He later enlisted in the Army Reserve at the age of 17 while still in high school, serving as a trooper in the 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment, an armoured reconnaissance unit. Knight entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon on 13 January 1987 at the age of 18. While a military career had long been a dream, he performed poorly at studies and gained good results only in weapons expertise exercises. Knight was advised to leave the army after an incident in which he stabbed his superior, a sergeant, while drinking.
Hoddle Street massacre
On the evening of Sunday, 9 August 1987, Knight began firing his weapon multiple times on
During the trial, it was asserted that Knight had a
The Hoddle Street massacre has been the subject of several books, and two Australian TV documentaries: ABC TV's Hoddle Street (1988)[7] and GTV Channel 9's Hoddle Street (2007).
Prison life
Knight is an inmate in the mainstream section of the maximum security
Sentence
On the 20th anniversary of the Hoddle Street massacre, the judge who sentenced Knight, Professor George Hampel, stood by the sentence he gave him.[9]
Shortly before Knight became eligible for parole in 2014, the Victorian Parliament passed the Corrections Amendment (Parole) Act 2014 (Vic), which amended the Corrections Act 1986 (Vic) to prevent the parole board from ordering Knight's release "unless satisfied, amongst other things, that Mr Knight is in imminent danger of dying or is seriously incapacitated and that, as a result, he no longer has the physical ability to do harm to any person."[10]
Legal challenges
On 7 September 1992, Knight appeared before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal seeking a review of a decision where he was refused AUSTUDY assistance with his university studies while imprisoned.[11] On 22 October 2001, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria in his first Supreme Court case against the prison authorities, seeking an injunction ordering the return of documents prepared for the inquest into the death of a prisoner who had hanged himself in 2000. The documents were returned in court that day and the application was dismissed.[citation needed]
On 4 July 2002, Knight appeared before the
Along with the posters and paperwork, a large number of
On 21 August 2002, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking an injunction ordering that prison management and staff cease inspecting and withholding legal mail sent to or by the plaintiff. The application was dismissed. On 2 September 2002, Knight appeared before VCAT seeking access to various prison documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic). On 9 September, Knight appeared before the VCAT seeking, "Full access to the daily staff rosters for HM Prison Barwon since the 1st May 2001" under the Freedom of Information Act. The application was affirmed.[12]
On 7 October 2003, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking injunctions in regards to opening of private legal mail, prison disciplinary hearings, conditions in solitary confinement cells and Knight's security classification and imprisonment in Barwon Prison's high security Acacia wing. Supreme Court Judge Justice Philip Cummins said of Knight's application: "I consider that ordinary tax-payers should not be fixed with the burden of these proceedings. Accordingly, in each instance I order that the costs of the proceedings of the respective defendants be paid by the plaintiff."[13] The application was dismissed. On 11 November 2003, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking an extension of time against a decision of VCAT. The application was dismissed with costs awarded against the applicant.
On 26 November 2013, Knight made a 94-page submission to the Defence Abuse Response Task Force (DART). In 2014, he initiated court proceedings in the
Vexatious litigant
In February 2003, it was estimated the many legal challenges by Knight had cost the Victorian Government over
On 19 October 2004, Knight was barred from launching any further legal action in Victoria's courts for ten years, with a judge declaring him a
In June 2009, Knight sued Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls to force him to appear before the Supreme Court and to remove his status as a "vexatious litigant". He also claims the status "is being used as an instrument of oppression by Corrections Victoria" and says his request for access to a personal computer in his cell was denied.[16]
Requests for rehabilitation
On 26 June 2007, Knight told the Supreme Court of Victoria he wants access to rehabilitation programs in prison to improve his chance of parole. He also sought permission to write a letter of "apology and explanation" to one of his victims.[17] The court heard prison authorities intercepted a letter Knight tried to send to one of his victims. He was charged with two prison offences and spent six days in solitary confinement. Knight told the court a letter of apology did not fit the prison guidelines for a prohibited letter, stating, "A letter of apology constitutes a facet of my rehabilitation and on a small measure of making amends for my actions," he told the court. Knight was given leave by the Court to proceed with his case.[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Chronology of Julian Knight's Life". 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e R v Knight [1989] VicRp 62; [1989] VR 705.
- ^ Moor, Keith (17 February 2014). "Insight editor Keith Moor reconstructs the terrible events of the Hoddle St massacre". The Australian. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ Cowan, Jane (10 August 2007). "Hoddle Street killer won't be forgotten". ABC News. Australia. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ Lawrence, Tess (16 September 2014). "Confrontation with a killer". The Age. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "The Hoddle Street Massacre". 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016.
- ^ Schwartz, Larry (14 February 2008). "Television's tough gig". The Age. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Julian Knight- the Hoddle Street Massacre | Aussie Criminals and Crooks". Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ Ross, Norrie (9 August 2007). "Hoddle St judge firm on Knight". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ Knight v Victoria [2017] HCA 29.
- ^ Re Julian Knight and Secretary to the Department of Employment, Education and Training [1992] AATA 273.
- ^ a b Knight v CORE [2002] VCAT 731.
- ^ Knight v Minister for Corrections [2003] VSC 413.
- ^ Hoddle Street killer banned from court Archived 22 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine, The Age, 19 October 2004
- ^ Submission VL/14 Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Houlihan, Liam (14 June 2009). "Julian Knight's evil bid". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Angry victims reject Knight's apology". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- NineMSN, 22 August 2007
External links
- R v Knight [1989] VicRp 62; [1989] VR 705
- Re Julian Knight and Secretary to the Department of Employment, Education and Training [1992] AATA 273
- Knight v CORE [2002] VCAT 1769
- Knight v CORE [2003] VCAT 501
- Knight v CORE [2003] VCAT 712
- Knight v Minister for Corrections [2003] VSC 412
- Knight v State of Victoria [2003] VSC 459
- Mass killer Knight loses legal fight, The Age, 8 October 2003
- Hoddle Street mass killer faces court curb, The Age, 10 November 2003
- Even Julian Knight is entitled to basic human rights, The Age, 25 November 2003