Ivan Robert Marko Milat, better known as the backpacker murderer. The "Backpacker Murders" occurred in New South Wales Australia in the 90's. Seven bodies were found, partly buried in the Belanglo State Forest. Five of these victims were international tourists, and two were young Australian backpackers from Melbourne. The scenario was similar for all victims. Ivan would pick them up as they hitchhiked, befriend them, then he would shoot or stab them. The first two bodies were found in September 1992 in the state forest. One victim had been stabbed 9 times and the other had been shot several times in the head. These victims were two British girls who had been missing from Sydney in April 1992. Police searched for further bodies but found none and ruled out the possibility of finding any more. October 1993 in a remote part of the forest and a local discovers a human skull and thigh bone. This time they had discovered two bodies belonging to a young Australian couple who had been missing since 1989. The police were puzzled to find the bodies in the forest as one of the victims backpack and camera, had been found 100 kilometres to the north at an earlier date.
On November the 1st 1993 another skull was found in the forest. The victim was a young German Traveller and she was last seen hitchhiking in January of 1991. There was also clothing found at this scene that did not belong to her. These items belonged to another German couple who had been missing since Christmas 1991. Their bodies were discovered in the area on November the 3rd 1993 in shallow graves 55 metres apart. They had been shot and stabbed. It appears that Ivan Milat had spent some time with the victims before, and after the killings, as campsites were discovered close to the location of each body. Shell casings from the same gun were also found at each site.
As mentioned earlier, all victims were shot and stabbed, but one victim was decapitated and others showed signs of being strangled and severely beaten. On the 13th of November 1993 police received a call from Britain. The call was from Paul Onions, who had been backpacking in Australia in January 1990. He was offered a ride by a man who called himself "Bill". As they headed south from Sydney, Bill pulled a gun on Paul Onions. Paul managed to escape and flagged down Joanne Berry who took him to local police, where he reported the assault. They never found his attacker and Paul returned to Britain.
After the story about the backpacker murders broke in Britain, Paul felt that his attacker could be the killer [hence why he phoned the Australian police] Joanne Berry backed up Paul's story and a girlfriend of a man, who worked with Ivan Milat, felt that he should be investigated over the murders. So the police put Milat at the top of their suspect list.
They did some background checks and found that Milat had been charged with abduction and rape in 1971 [Although charges were later dropped] They also found out that Ivan and his brother worked on road gangs on the highways were the victims had gone missing. Ivan also owned a property in the Belanglo area. Paul Onions was flown to Australia on the 5th of May 1994 and identified Ivan Milat as the man who tried to tie him up and shoot him. On the 22nd of May 50 police officers surrounded Milat's home and arrested him.
They found cameras, clothing and camping equipment belonging to the victims, plus parts of a 22 calibre rifle, which matched the type used in the murders. Milat was in court the next day on weapons and robbery charges. He did not enter a plea. He was charged with the murders on the 30th of May 1994. It was not until March 1996 that his trial began. The jury found him guilty on the 27th of July 1996. He was charged with Paul Onions assault and also the 7 murders. He received 7 life sentences plus 18 years.
On his first day in prison he was beaten by another inmate. He has made a few appeals [All denied] and is currently serving time at the maximum security super prison in Goulbourn, New South Wales. In January 2009 Milat cut off his little finger with a plastic knife. He wanted to mail it to the High Court. [Don't ask me why???] He was taken to hospital, but they could not re-attach it. He has also swallowed razor blades, staples and other metal objects since he has been in prison. It has not been proven and no-one really knows but some say he may have killed up to 30 people..... Read More On Ivan Milat
Ivan Milat Movies
WOLF CREEK is a grim and disturbing horror film, based on actual events in the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE vein. It's also beautifully shot, with director Greg McLean (in his feature film debut) making the otherworldly majesty of Australia's outback emerge as a part of the story. Cassandra Magrath and Kesti Morassi play the two young British girls traveling with their Aussie friend, Ben (Nathan Phillips), to Wolf Creek, the remote location of a giant meteor crater. When their car breaks down, a jovial, Crocodile Dundee-type named John Jarrett (Mick Taylor) offers to tow them to his even more remote auto camp. What happens next ensures, among other things, that surviving audience members will never think of Crocodile Dundee in quite the same happy way again. In addition to McLean's painterly use of scenery in establishing mood, the film benefits from the slow, methodical buildup of character detail; the actors are given space to develop a believable rapport, something all too rare in this kind of film. The characters are people, not stock slasher-film types, and this makes the ensuing scenes of cruelty and violence all the more unbearable. Some viewers may find it all too excessive and disturbing, but there should be no doubt that this is one carefully crafted, genuinely scary horror film, and a promising start for a fresh new filmmaking talent.
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