Raymond Edmunds

Name

Raymond Edmunds

Status and sentences

Raymond Edmunds was serving a life sentence for the 1966 murders of 2 Shepparton teenagers and was also serving a 30-year term with a minimum of 16 years and 8 months for a series of rapes and attempted rapes.

He was also convicted of the murders and rape of 18-year-old panel beater Garry Charles Heywood and 16-year-old Abina Margaret Madill on 10 February 1966 at Shepparton, Victoria. Heywood was shot through the head with a .22 Mossberg self-loading rifle and Madill was raped and then bludgeoned to death.

He was serving two life sentences with no minimum term for the murders and a total of 30 years for five rape convictions in Greensborough and Donvale.

Background

Raymond Edmunds (also known as Donvale Rapist and Mr. Stinky) was active in Victoria, Australia from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.

His body odour led a sub-editor from Melbourne’s Sunday Press newspaper to give him the nickname “Mr Stinky”.

Edmunds was described as a violent man who had raped and beaten his first wife and sexually abused his daughter.

In Oct 1998, he was given another 10 years jail for sexually abusing a young girl from the age of 4 years.

Edmunds had been responsible for a series of rapes in the 1970s and early 1980s, which led the police to dub the then-unknown offender “The Donvale Rapist”.

It was alleged that Edmunds committed other murders and more than 32 rapes; he maintained his innocence.

A woman raped by Edmunds begged him to confess his crimes and said she was convinced he could have raped more than 100 women before he was finally arrested in 1985.

Edmunds was 54 when the quoted remarks were made in July 1998, and he was serving a life sentence with no minimum term for the murders of Shepparton teenagers Abina Madill and Garry Heywood in 1966.

The woman said some of his rape victims only came forward after he was arrested and that support groups had been set up. She said many victims felt ignored by the system because no charges were ever laid, and she said she believed his murder victims could be in double figures.

She said it was hoped his guilty plea last week to carnal knowledge charges indicated he might be finally feeling some remorse, and she said he originally pleaded not guilty to her rape but changed his mind because he did not want people to think he was “a monster if the circumstances came out in court”.

She said Edmunds had threatened and raped her in front of her five-year-old son.

The Herald Sun revealed last Friday that Edmunds was being investigated for the brutal murder of Melbourne mother Elaine Jones, at Tocumwal in 1980, and new information had linked Edmunds to the killing.

New South Wales homicide squad detectives reopened the investigation after receiving new information.

Police sought to utilise new legislation that allowed them to compel convicted prisoners to provide a blood sample for DNA testing. Police hoped DNA comparison would link Edmunds to some of the unsolved rapes and other crimes.

A court order was planned to be sought under new legislation that could compel serving prisoners to provide a blood sample for DNA testing.

The offence

Edmunds was convicted of the 1966 double murder and rape of Garry Charles Heywood and Abina Margaret Madill.

On 10 February 1966 at Shepparton, Victoria:

• Heywood was shot through the head with a .22 Mossberg self-loading rifle.
• Madill was raped and then bludgeoned to death.

Edmunds was convicted of a series of rapes in the 1970s and early 1980s; police had dubbed the then-unknown offender “The Donvale Rapist”.

Edmunds was also convicted of three rapes and two attempted rapes.

He was convicted of five rape convictions in Greensborough and Donvale.

He was also given another 10 years jail in Oct 1998 for sexually abusing a young girl from the age of 4 years.

Investigation

Sergeant Andrew Wall, a Victoria Police fingerprint expert, matched two fingerprints found on the top of the FJ Holden motorcar owned by Heywood.

This occurred before computerised processing of fingerprints was developed and fingerprint matching had to be done manually.

The fingerprint evidence was deliberately kept quiet so as not to panic the offender or help him become more adept at hiding his prints.

The fingerprint evidence connected the Shepparton murders with one fingerprint found at the “Donvale Rapist” crime scene.

Police reopened the investigation into the murder of Elaine Jones, at Tocumwal in 1980, after receiving new information linking Edmunds to the killing.

Police later sought to use new DNA testing legislation to compel convicted prisoners to provide a blood sample.

Arrest

On 16 March 1985, Edmunds was arrested on unrelated charges of indecent exposure while parked in his station wagon in Albury, New South Wales.

After his arrest, Edmunds was fingerprinted and the prints were matched with those found at the Shepparton crime scene.

Edmunds had earlier been apprehended for an unconnected offence in Albury, New South Wales.

Under New South Wales law, every offender must be fingerprinted, and both sets of fingerprints were matched.

Trial

Edmunds was convicted of the murders and rape on 10 February 1966 at Shepparton, Victoria.

He was also convicted of five rape convictions in Greensborough and Donvale.

He was convicted of three rapes and two attempted rapes.

In the quoted remarks in July 1998, the woman said Edmunds’ guilty plea last week to carnal knowledge charges indicated he might have been feeling remorse, and she said he had originally pleaded not guilty to her rape but changed his mind.

Sentencing

Raymond Edmunds was serving:

• a life sentence for the 1966 murders of 2 Shepparton teenagers;
• two life sentences with no minimum term for the murders;
• a total of 30 years for five rape convictions;
• a 30-year term with a minimum of 16 years and 8 months for a series of rapes and attempted rapes;
• and an additional 10 years jail in Oct 1998 for sexually abusing a young girl from the age of 4 years.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Raymond Edmunds was sentenced to life in prison and was serving additional time for rape and attempted rape convictions.

He maintained his innocence regarding other alleged murders and rapes.

Other details

Stinky) was born 12 March 1944 at Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

He was described as a share-cropping farmer on dairy properties.

The nickname “Mr Stinky” was attributed to his offensive body odour, which was believed to have been caused by a mixture of milk, manure and chemicals from his work as a share-cropping farmer on dairy properties.

Sergeant Andrew Wall was the Victoria Police fingerprint expert who matched fingerprints from the FJ Holden motorcar owned by Heywood and crime scene evidence.

Edmunds was suspected of at least the 1976 disappearance and presumed murder of Beaumaris 8-year-old Eloise Worledge.

A fingerprint expert matched fingerprints found in a car connected with the Shepparton murders with a fingerprint found at one of the “Donvale Rapist” crime scenes.

The woman’s remarks included the following direct quotations:

“If he's got any kind of conscience he could help ease the grief of so many families by telling what he knows,” she said. “A lot of his rape victims only came forward after he was arrested and we set up support groups,” she said. “Many of his victims felt ignored by the system because no charges were ever laid. I'm convinced he did other murders, I honestly believe his murder victims could be in double figures.” “But he's got nothing to lose by telling what he knows, because he can't get a longer sentence. I'd plead with him to tell the police and clear up a lot of this stuff.” “It's not going to bring people back, but it could end the pain and agony for a lot of people,” she said. “He originally pleaded not guilty to my rape, but apparently changed his mind because he didn't want people to think he was a monster if the circumstances came out in court,” she said. “Ms McDonald was threatened and raped by Edmunds in front of her five-year-old son.”