Backstage

Press review

The Age

From 01 November 1977 to 31 December 1990
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 16 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Police put together profile of kidnapper”
    - Police almost certain kidnapper was also the abductor of two other eastern suburbs schoolgirls and the attacker of a third
    - 16 detectives on the case
    - The intruder used either a large knife, a pistol or both to terrorise his victims
    - The abduction victims lived in houses one street off a main road
    - Karmein Chan had recovered from a bout of glandular fever but needed periodic medication
  - Monday 22 April 1991 – Page 3 – “No kidnap clues”
  - Tuesday 23 April 1991 – Page 1 – “$100,000 reward in Chan case”
    - A $100,000 reward is on offer from today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Karmein Chan’s kidnapper
  - Wednesday 24 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Hundreds of police seek kidnap clues in Templestowe door-knock”
    - Hundreds of police yesterday knocked on 2500 doors near the Templestowe home of Karmein Chan
    - They distributed leaflets appealing for help in the search for the 13-year-old
    - About 200 detectives and uniformed police went to houses in streets bounded by Williamsons Road, Reynolds Road, Blackburn Road and King Street
    - Inspector David Sprague said the kidnapper had planned the crime beforehand and could have been spotted around the Chan’s home
  - Saturday 27 April 1991 – Page 5 – “Search aid”
    - Detectives say they remain confident of finding Karmein Chan, 13, alive
    - They are using a computer to help sift information provided by more than 3000 calls from the public
  - Sunday 28 April 1991 – Page 2 – “The state”
  - Sunday 28 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Cash crisis hits Crime Stoppers”
  - Sunday 28 April 1991 – Page 10 – “Rewards often fall short of crime targets”
    - The $100,000 reward offered in the Karmein Chan kidnapping case seems unlikely to assist the capture of “Mr Cruel”, the man believed to be responsible for the abduction of the Templestowe teenager two weeks ago
    - Of the 89 rewards offered by the State Government since 1963, only five have officially been paid
  - Monday 29 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Karmein hopes fading”
    - Police said yesterday that their hopes of finding Karmein Chan alive had lessened with the end of the school holidays
    - Pupils at PLC will return to school tomorrow
    - 25 detectives have been working full-time on the case
  - Tuesday 30 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Students to pray for safe return of Karmein Chan”
    - 900 students and teachers from PLC in Burwood will begin the new school term today with prayers for the safe return of the missing student Karmein Chan
    - Karmein, 13, is a year-eight student at PLC, which she has attended since 1983. Her sisters, Karly, 9, and Karen, 7, are in years two and five at the school
    - Detectives, who were hoping that Karmein would be released by the end of the school holidays, now hold grave fears for her safety
    - Detectives are working through a list of more than 130 people they believe would be capable of kidnapping children
- “phyllis chan”
  - Wednesday 17 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Parents beg for kidnapped girl’s release”
    - Parents are considering sending their two younger daughters overseas to shield them from the trauma of their sister’s abduction
    - Press conference text
  - Thursday 18 April 1991 – Page 6 – “Police fears grow for kidnapped schoolgirl”
    - Police are searching for a man aged 25 to 35, about 168 to 177 centimetres tall, and of slim to medium build. He was wearing grey runners, a green-grey tracksuit and a balaclava
  - Saturday 20 April 1991 – Page 1 – “Sisters in plea to abductor”
    - Two letters written by Karen and Karly Chan
    - At the bottom of one of the letters, symbols representing the parents, the three children, Mimi the dog and the two family cars
  - Sunday 21 April 1991 – Page 5 – “A man in the dark shatters a happy family”
    - John and Phyllis Chan met and married soon after arriving in Australia from Hong Kong in 1976
    - The Chans own two Ming’s Chinese restaurants
    - Phyllis Chan is 38 years old, John Chan is 40
    - The Chans lived in Bulleen until 1983
    - Karmein Chan, despite her asthma, took tennis lessons at the Camberwell Tennis centre every Saturday for the past year
    - The three sisters took Chinese (assuming Mandarin) lessons once a week
    - John Chan drove Karmein to her tennis lesson at 9AM. About one hour later, her mother collected her in one of the two family’s Mercedes and took her to the Bulleen Plaza shopping centre for breakfast
    - After breakfast, Phyllis Chan took Karmein to the Bulleen Library, where she spent about an hour researching a school project
    - A married couple, friends of Mr and Mrs Chan, collected Karmein. They collected her sisters, too, who had been at Chinese lessons, and took them to the family restaurant in Eltham
    - The sisters ate their meals in the kitchen with their mother and were seen during the afternoon playing outside the restaurant
    - At 6.30PM, a man employed at the restaurant drove the three sisters home
    - The Chans had a housekeeper who sometimes looked after the children
    - Karmein bathed her sisters, changed them into their pyjamas and read them bedtime stories
    - The sisters spent an hour with their father at home before he left for the Eltham restaurant
    - Abductor is believed to have been right-handed
    - Some of the doors and windows of the house were unlocked
    - The abductor forced Karmein and Karly in to the bedroom where they had been watching television. He found the youngest girl, Karen, hunched behind the door.
    - The abductor had his face concealed by a blue or green balaclava
    - The house was not ransacked and nothing was taken
    - By 10.30PM, 14 police cars had arrived at the Chans’ home
    - The abductor did not take Karmein’s asthma pump
    - 25 detectives are working on the case
- “john chan”: None
May 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 1 May 1991 – Page 1 – “Taskforce set up to hunt kidnapper”
    - Police taskforce will hunt down a kidnapper believed responsible for the violent abduction of Karmein Chan and two other Melbourne schoolgirls
    - Operation Spectrum involves 24 members
    - “The memory will be very strong. Karmein was a fairly reserved student. She had very close friends. She was a very positive contributor and a very active member of her form class” — William Mackay, principal of PLC in Burwood
    - The codename, Spectrum, was chosen when police decided that the investigation had to be widespread
    - The state has offered a total of $300,000 in rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper
    - Police are looking for a man 25 to 35, about 168 to 177 centimetres tall, and of slim to medium build. He was wearing grey runners, a green-grey tracksuit and a balaclava
  - Friday 3 May 1991 – Page 5 – “Rumors hurting family, says kidnap girl’s father”
    - On Thursday 2 May 1991, John Chan said that his family was being hurt by claims that his daughter’s abduction was linked to his business deals
    - Patronage at the family’s two Chinese restaurants had dropped off dramatically. Some staff feared for their lives and had even threatened to resign
    - Detectives have discounted any links between the kidnapping and the Chans’ business activities
  - Saturday 4 May 1991 – Page 19 – “Brutal abductor breeds fear with cruelty”
    - Mr Cruel used to be called Mr Cool. His change in nickname came from a mix-up that happened in 1987
    - All three attacks linked to Mr Cruel had occurred during or close to school holidays
    - The abductor tampered with the security gate to gain access to the Chan residence
    - Police are certain he had been watching the house. They believe he knew that the three Chan children were alone
    - He entered the home and gagged and bound the two youngest girls before locking them in a cupboard
    - The younger girls freed themselves and called their father. He sped home, searched the house and called the police
    - No burglary was committed and no ransom demand made
  - Tuesday 7 May 1991 – Page 13 – “Facing up to Victoria’s rising violence”
    - The abduction of 13-year-old Karmein Chan from her home in suburban Templestowe has placed Melbourne in a state of shock and on a security alert
  - Wednesday 8 May 1991 – Page 5 – “Classmates write to family of kidnapped schoolgirl”
    - Karmein Chan’s classmates wrote a touching letter to her family to express their sympathy
    - The letter was from Karmein’s year eight class, 8H, at Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Burwood
    - Karmein’s sisters are in grades two and five at the school
    - A policer taskforce, codenamed Spectrum, has been set up to investigate Karmein’s kidnapping and any links with the abductions of Nicola Lynas and Sharon Wills
  - Friday 10 May 1991 – Page 5 – “Interpol on the alert over Chan kidnapping”
    - Detectives have alerted Interpol and several overseas intelligence agencies in their hunt for the kidnapper of Karmein Chan
    - They have also contacted police in New Zealand and the United States
    - A 25-member police taskforce, called Operation Spectrum, has been set up to investigate Karmein’s kidnapping and any links with the abductions of Nicola Lynas and Sharon Wills
    - Phyllis Chan declared being hopeful that Karmein would be returned in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday
    - A thousand color posters have been produced with pictures of Sharon Wills, Nicola Lynas and Karmein Chan. They will be displayed at railway stations in the City Loop and on Crime Stoppers noticeboards in shopping centres
  - Sunday 12 May 1991 – Page 3 – “KARMEIN CHAN: Crime Stopper calls taper off”
  - Sunday 19 May 1991 – Page 5 – “Don’t shield Chan abductor, police plead”
    - Police believe that a misguided relative or friend could be shielding the abductor of Karmein Chan
    - More than one million homes in Victoria and border areas of South Australia and New South Wales will receive a copy of a pamphlet appealing for information
    - “We believe that [Karmein Chan] is alive” — Senior Sergeant O’Connor
  - Monday 20 May 1991 – Page 2 – “Karmein search reaches borders”
    - Police have extended their search for Karmein Chan to the State’s border
    - More than 5,000 volunteers delivered almost 1.5 million leaflets to houses in Victoria and along the NSW and South Australian borders
  - Wednesday 22 May 1991 – Page 16 – “Billboards to help track kidnapper”
    - About 100 billboard posters will be displayed in prominent places within a week across Melbourne
  - Friday 24 May 1991 – Page 3 – “Sisters blame themselves for Karmein’s fate”
    - The two sisters of Karmein Chan are blaming themselves for her kidnapping; they believe they could have done more to prevent it
    - Mrs Chan said she was praying for hours every day for the safe return of Karmein
    - She hopes to be able to celebrate Karen’s eighth birthday next Friday (31 May 1991)
    - Karly and Karen’s first impression was that the abductor was a gentleman. They feel guilty because they placed their trust in him by getting in the wardrobe believing Karmein would release them after the man had robbed the house
    - A bed was pushed against the wardrobe doors to stop them getting out
    - Posters with details of the kidnapping are to be placed on Melbourne’s Met buses
    - A police information poster will be displayed on video information screens at the Knox, Doncaster and Southland shopping centres
  - Saturday 25 May 1991 – Page 3 – “Crime on rise in suburbs, say police”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”
  - Thursday 2 May 1991 – Page 1 – “Chan plea to ‘Mr Kind’”
    - Karmein Chan’s mother has written an emotional letter to her daughter’s kidnapper, pleading with him to set her free
June 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 5 June 1991 – Page 5 – “Chan family may leave Melbourne”
    - The family may move back to Hong Kong
    - Karmein’s parents believe there is nothing left for them in Melbourne
    - Karly Chan has started to sleepwalk while calling out for her missing sister
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said Karly was sleepwalking several times a week. “She will walk into the living area saying ‘Karmein, where are you – have you come home yet?‘”
    - Doncaster-Templestowe City Council is considering the use of a private security firm to patrol the streets
  - Sunday 16 June 1991 – Page 17 – “When a child dies”
    - The Karmein Chan abduction has affected all parents
    - “She (Mrs Chan) doesn’t know what happened. She doesn’t know where her girl is.” — Marion Wishart, mother of six-year-old girl who got murdered in 1982
  - Saturday 29 June 1991 – Page 1 – “The hunt for Mr Cruel”
  - Saturday 29 June 1991 – Page 3 – “Police may seek students’ aid in kidnap hunt”
    - Students may be asked to note suspicious behavior around their schools and homes
    - Police have added 10 detectives to the Spectrum taskforce of 24 to help sift the backlog of leads
    - Details noted by students would be fed into a computer and collated to pinpoint patterns of suspicious activity
  - Saturday 29 June 1991 – Page 5 – “Police aim to win support for anti-crime plan”
  - Saturday 29 June 1991 – Page 115 – “Operation Spectrum: The hunt for Mr Cruel”
    - Warning: defective indexation
    - Police hunting for Karmein Chan’s abductor will increase patrols during school holidays
    - Days after the Chan kidnapping, 24 detectives assembled to find the man thought to be behind three abductions and the rape of an 11-year-old girl from Lower Plenty in 1987. Dubbed Mr Cool then Mr Cruel for the calculated, ruthless nature of his assaults, he carefully plans his crimes. Police are not sure how many assaults he has committed
  - Saturday 29 June 1991 – Page 118 – “Operation Spectrum”
    - Warning: defective indexation
    - The pattern of the attacks has led police to worry the man is losing control, and becoming more desperate and ruthless
    - The Spectrum taskforce has been split into groups of five; four of the groups are working on the theory that the man is a serial offender, while one is considering that it may be a one-off offence
    - Each interviews about three suspects a day
    - There are more than 1000 suspects on computer
    - Most of the taskforce thinks the man is a serial offender
    - There have been hoax calls claiming responsibility for the abduction
    - Most difficult for the taskforce is the inability to relieve the pain of the Chan family
    - Phyllis Chan often talks to the detectives
    - “One of the things this investigation has turned up is how many weirdos there are out there” — George Davis
    - Almost half the people reported missing in Victoria in the past two years were aged 13-18
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 1 July 1991 – Page 1 – “Growing fears for missing Sheree, 6”
    - Sheree Joy Beasley, 6, possibly got abducted in Rosebud at about 2PM on Saturday as she rode home from a local milk bar
  - Tuesday 2 July 1991 – Page 1 – “Police rule out abduction link”
    - Police fear they are dealing with a second dangerous child kidnapper, having ruled out links between the disappearance of six-year-old Sheree Beasley at Rosebud and the abductions of three schoolgirls in Melbourne over the past two-and-a-half years
  - Sunday 7 July 1991 – Page 5 – “Now, a city unsafe for children”
    - Mr Watson-Munro said the abductor appeared to be increasingly losing control. The offender was “clearly someone who has lost his grip in quite a major way”
  - Friday 12 July 1991 – Page 1 – “Two charged over Chan extortion bid”
    - A Pentridge prisoner and a Federal Protective Services officer were charged yesterday in relation to a $15,000 extortion demand for the return of the missing schoolgirl Karmein Chan
    - Inspector Sprague alleged that Mr Chan had been contacted three times. He was required to pay $15,000 with “accompanying menaces” for Karmein’s release
    - Karmein Chan, 13, was abducted at knifepoint from her home in Templestowe on 13 April. Last week, Inspector Sprague expressed fears that she is dead
  - Saturday 13 July 1991 – Page 13 – “Officer bailed”
    - The Protective Services officer charged in relation to the ransom demand for Karmein Chan was bailed yesterday
  - Sunday 14 July 1991 – Page 1 – “Random violence disturbs police”
    - Police figures to be released in a few days will show a surge in major crime over the past 12 months
    - A forensic psychologist, Mr Tim Watson-Munroe, said there had been clear signs of greater community fear, a feeling exacerbated by crimes such as the abduction of Karmein Chan and Sheree Beasley
  - Sunday 14 July 1991 – Page 2 – “Two men charged”
    - Two men were charged in connection with an extortion threat over the Karmein Chan case
  - Sunday 14 July 1991 – Page 4 – “The days when our children could play on the street and we knew they were safe are over”
    - Calendar of crime
      - On 13 April, Karmein Chan, 13, is abducted at knifepoint from her Templestowe home
      - Her sisters, aged nine and seven, are shut in a bedroom cupboard
      - A $100,000 reward is offered for heer return
  - Sunday 14 July 1991 – Page 5 – “Living in the state of high anxiety”
    - Dr Walton says that unlike the abductor of Karmein Chan, who appears to be a sophisticated operator, most criminals are not rational and do not plan their crimes carefully
  - Saturday 20 July 1991 – Page 11 – “Answers to violence”
    - The abductions of schoolgirls Karmein Chan and Sheree Beasley, plus reports of several brutal rapes have sparked widespread concern that Melbourne is no longer safe
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 19 August 1991 – Page 3 – “Karmein photo was used at family’s request: police”
    - Police involved in the hunt for the kidnapped 13-year-old Karmein Chan have defended their use of a five-year-old photograph of the schoolgirl on a poster, saying the picture was used at the family’s request
  - Friday 23 August 1991 – Page 10 – “Searching crowds for the wrong face”
    - Letter from Beverley Flint from Port Melbourne
    - “We will not be the only family who are staggered to learn that we have been searching for a face that existed five years ago and bears little resemblance to the girl who was taken in April 1991. How can this mistake have been allowed to happen?”
  - Sunday 25 August 1991 – Page 1 – “Karmein: recent photo prompts new clues”
    - Two people have contacted police claiming to have seen Karmein, 13, in Alexandra, about a 100 kilometres north of Melbourne, about two weeks after she was taken
    - Police were criticised during the week for releasing a five-year-old photo of Karmein taken when she was only eight
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said police were forced to use the photo provided by the family
    - A spokesman for the Chan family, Mr Paul Williams, said the possible sightings were heartening for the family, who had never given up hope of finding Karmein alive
  - Wednesday 28 August 1991 – Page 12 – “Keeping an eye out for Karmein Chan”
    - Permission of relatives is necessary before photographs of the subject person can be publicly displayed
    - The photograph of Karmein Chan, as initially released, was provided and approved by the family
  - Thursday 29 August 1991 – Page 16 – “Video hope on schoolgirl”
    - Police have released a new photo and video of Karmein Chan in which she bears closest resemblance to the way she looked about the time she was abducted in April
    - The Chan family made the video available after discovering its existence recently
    - Inspector Sprague said the 35-member taskforce was working through a list of 1500 suspects provided by the public
  - Friday 30 August 1991 – Page 6 – “Chan abduction one of a series: police”
    - Police linked Karmein Chan’s kidnapper with up to nine attacks on women and young girls
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said policd were convinced the man dubbed “Mr Cruel” was responsible for the abductions of Karmein, Nicola Lynas and Sharon Wills, but believed his criminal activities go back as early as 1985
    - Inspector Sprague said all attacks had occurred on a Tuesday or Saturday night
    - He also said that seven of the abductions were from homes in the eastern and southern suburbs, but two victims were taken off the street
    - The offender was masked and carried a knife or handgun, and each victim was blindfolded
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 1 September 1991 – Page 3 – “The many faces of Karmein”
  - Sunday 8 September 1991 – Page 20 – “The Chan case”
    - Phyllis Chan contacted a spiritual medium who works on the Bellarine Peninsula
    - The medium believes Karmein Chan is still alive
    - The eldest of three sisters, her disappearance has left her family devastated and it was reported in early June that the Chans were considering returning to Hong Kong
    - “The police couldn’t find Karmein. She could be anywhere, in any house along any street. Sometimes I just drive around for hours, to the country, to Geelong and I see things and I wonder” — Phyllis Chan
    - The Chan family is paying at least two of the psychics who are helping them. One is US-based, one has been in contact by fax from Hong Kong and a third is from Malaysia
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 6 October 1991 – Page 29 – “Another screamer shatters silence”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 12 November 1991 – Page 19 – “Court told of obscene call”
    - A man inadvertently made an obscene telephone call to Phyllis Chan while dialling at random
    - He pleaded guilty to one count of improper use of a telecommunications device
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Thursday 12 December 1991 – Page 1 – “Police talk to Mr Cruel victim in UK”
    - Victorian detectives arrived in London yesterday to re-interview Nicola Lynas
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague revealed that police had 30 suspects who could not be eliminated from their investigation
    - Detectives had interviewed about 600 teachers and 200 bus drivers during the inquiry
  - Monday 16 December 1991 – Page 3 – “Police warn parents after attack on girl, 12”
    - Police have urged parents to ensure their children are safe following an attack on a 12-year-old girl who woke to find an intruder in her bedroom early yesterday
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said that although there were similarities in the attack, there were many differences from the modus operandi of Mr Cruel
  - Sunday 29 December 1991 – Page 8 – “[…] the kidnapping of Karmein Chan symbolised every parent’s worst nightmare”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 25 January 1992 – Page 3 – “Order for Chan caller”
    - The man who made an obscene telephone call to Phyllis Chan got placed on a one-year community-based order with the condition he seek psychiatric therapy
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1992
- “karmein chan”:
  - Tuesday 17 March 1992 – Page 3 – “Chan blackmail charge”
    - A man charged with blackmailing the parents of Karmein Chan appeared in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court yesterday
    - He has been charged with demanding $15,000 from John Kamon Chan, Karmein’s father, on Tuesday 9 July 1991
  - Wednesday 18 March 1992 – Page 6 – “Blackmail claim”
    - A government security officer and a convicted murderer in Pentridge blackmailed thge parents of Karmein Chan
    - Mr John Kamon Chan was told ove rthe phone to pay $15,000 or his daughter would be delivered to him in a casket
  - Sunday 29 March 1992 – Page 1 – “Mr Cruel ‘breakthrough’”
    - Police investigating the abduction of Karmein Chan said last night they had achieved a major breakthrough in the hunt for her kidnapper, known as “Mr Cruel”
    - More than 50 “ancillary arrests”, involving charges of child pornography, attempted extortion and blackmail, have been made
    - Sources said taskforce detective had now established links in 12 abductions, assaults and rapes
    - Some believe the activities of Mr Cruel may go back to the 1970s but a definite pattern was not established until the early 1980s
    - Dubbed Mr Cruel because of the calculating nature of his attacked and his demonstrated knowledge of forensic evidence, police believe the man they are hunting is between 35 and 45 and may have begun his criminal activities in his early twenties
  - Sunday 29 March 1992 – Page 17 – “The night that changed a city”
    - Phyllis Chan probably has the unbridled sympathy of every parent in Melbourne. She has lived through a year of torment for which the only cure is Karmein’s return
    - In the weeks after her daughter’s abduction Mrs Chan agreed to most requests for media interviews
    - The Chan slowly lost hope in the police investigation and started contacting mediums and clairvoyants
    - Now, the Chans feel they have nothing to gain by speaking to journalists
    - Phyllis Chan used to sleep in Karmein’s bedroom, under her daughter’s pink bedspread. She thought that through sleeping there she might get close to Karmein’s subconscious “to see if she is alright”
    - The light in the bedroom was on 24 hours a day in case Karmein came home and a bag filled with her clothes was ready
    - John Chan still runs two lucrative Ming’s Chinese restaurants as well as a number of other business enterprises
    - Recently, Phyllis Chan forced herself to return to work, not in her restaurants, but starting her own importing business
    - Friends of the Chans do their best to rebuild their marriage which suffered immensely
    - Karmein remains very much a part of the family
    - Inspector David Sprague has described Mr Chan as “squeaky clean”, saying there was no suggestion he was involved in anything connected to his daughter’s disappearance
  - Sunday 29 March 1992 – Page 18 – “The night that changed the city (continued)”
    - Forensic psychologist Ian Joblin says the worst part of the Chan’s loss is that they have been denied the usual process of grief
    - Darryl Kerr last saw Karmein when she came to his home a week before her disappearance to celebrate his son’s second birthday
    - As Karmein’s godfather, he was the first person the Chans contacted after her abduction and in the ensuing months he spent almost every day and night with Phyllis and John
    - He says that if they knew for sure Karmein was dead, they could begin re-build their lives
    - Karen and Karly Chan have been strongly affected by their sister’s loss and their schoolwork has suffered
    - Karmein used to cook their meals, read them bedtime stories, corrected their homework, bathed them and put them to bed
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 11 April 1992 – Page 20 – “Agony and hope of the waiting family”
    - It was about 8.30PM on a Saturday night, 13 April 1991, that Karmein Chan got abducted
    - It was the first day of school holidays and Karmein had been babysitting her two younger sisters, aged nine and seven
    - Police immediately suspected the kidnapper could have been the same man who abducted Sharon Wills and Nicola Lynas
    - On Sunday 5 May 1991, it was reported that police believed Karmein had been murdered
  - Sunday 12 April 1992 – Page 1 – “Mr Cruel executed Karmein: police”
    - Police believe the killer of missing schoolgirl Karmein Chan executed her by shooting her several times in the head
    - Police yesterday continued their search for the rest of the skeletal remains of the body
    - It was found buried in a shallow grave in a remote paddock in Thomastown on Thursday 9 April
    - Karmein’s godfather, Mr Darryl Kerr, said Mrs Chan was resting last night after being told about the body on Friday
    - The Homicide Squad is working closely with the 30-member Spectrum taskforce
  - Sunday 12 April 1992 – Page 2 – “Karmein search ends at grave”
    - Only weeks after her disappearance, detectives from the Spectrum taskforce speculated Karmein had already died from an asthma attack at the home of her abductor
    - Karmein’s family, her friends and the police knew in the back of their minds there would be no happy ending
    - The discovery of Karmein’s body precedes a planned public plea today or tomorrow, when the Chans would have begged her abductor to return her remains to them
    - It is unlikely the body would have been found, had the abductor not chosen an isolated State Electricity Commission site in Thomastown for a grave that was recently disturbed by earthworks
    - Judging from the state of decomposition, it is believed Karmein was murdered nearly a year ago
    - After interviewing previous victims, detectives have established the Melbourne suburb where Karmein’s abductor lives, details about his house and his personal background
    - It is understood Mr Cruel told some of his victims he was himself the victim of sexual assault as a child
    - Police sources now say the same man is believed responsible for sexual assaults in the bayside area, including Hampton, since the late 1970s
    - Karmein’s abductor snatched her between 8.30PM and 9.30PM
    - The remains were found by a man walking his dog at 4.45PM on Thursday; he discovered a human skull about 20 metres from the eastern side of the creek
    - Police also found a number of bones and yesterday continued to sift through soil looking for more bone fragments
    - The whole body has not been located and no clothes have been found
    - Chief Inspector Peter Halloran said the area had been used for land filling in the past 12 months. The top surface was recently flattened, bringing the skull to the surface
    - Police will stay at the grave site for another week
  - Monday 13 April 1992 – Page 4 – “Karmein possibly shot in panic”
    - Police believe the kidnapped schoolgirl Karmein Chan may have been killed after she saw her attacker while being held hostage
    - The kidnapper told one of his other victims: “My freedom is more important than your life”
    - Police believe the body became exposed after the area had recently been graded and flattened
    - Twenty-eight taskforce detectives are working in conjunction with homicide squad detectives in the search for clues
  - Tuesday 14 April 1992 – Page 5 – “Flood of calls on ‘Mr Cruel’”
    - Police have received about 200 telephone calls from the public after releasing a profile for Mr Cruel
    - The man is described as very intelligent and obsessive about cleanliness
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said police divers would search the creek today
  - Sunday 19 April 1992 – Page 3 – “Man held over girl ‘abduction’”
    - Police interviewed a 35-year-old man last night after a six year-old girl was found in the rear of an ice-cream van after allegedly being abducted from outside her Essendon home
  - Wednesday 29 April 1992 – Page 13 – “Child pornography ban is not all that simple”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 3 May 1992 – Page 3 – “KARMEIN: Scientists continue testing”
    - Scientists testing the skeletal remains believed to be those of Karmein Chan say it may take two more weeks before the body is positively identified
  - Monday 4 May 1992 – Page 1 – “Chan family prays for Karmein’s soul”
    - At the weekend, Mrs Chan, Karly, 10 and Karen, 8 gathered for the first time at the wasteland in Thomastown where Karmein’s body was found last month in order to pray for her soul
    - Before them was a platter of meat and fruit, surrounded by burning incense, a bunch of chrysanthemums, and a color picture, propped up against a pile of rocks
    - Mrs Chan and her daughters placed some of Karmein’s favorite fruits on a tray of pork and placed it beside the grave
    - A pair of Karmein’s shoes and a dress were burnt in a silver tin along with colored paper
    - “I believe that my daughter’s soul will not rest in peace until the man who so callously and viciously murdered her is found” — Phyllis Chan
  - Tuesday 5 May 1992 – Page 12 – “Pornography used in child corruption”
  - Monday 11 May 1992 – Page 5 – “Funeral on Saturday for Karmein Chan”
    - A funeral service for the murdered Templestowe schoolgirl Karmein Chan will be held on Saturday 16 May 1992 at 10.30AM in the Bulleen Baptist Church on the corner of Marcus and Thompsons roads, Lower Templestowe, followed by cremation at Fawkner
    - It is believed that Karmein’s school, the Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Burwood, wishes to conduct its own service
    - Detectives have placed about six people from 40 suspects on a top-priority list
  - Tuesday 12 May 1992 – Page 3 – “Police ask doctors to aid ‘Mr Cruel’ hunt”
    - Victorian police have sent letters to all of the state’s 10,000 registered doctors asking them to consider breaking patient confidentiality to assist in the hunt for the child kidnapper dubbed Mr Cruel
    - The letter was signed by the president of the Medical Board of Victoria, Dr Bernard Neal, Detective Inspector David Sprague, and the forensic physicians Dr Edward Ogden and Dr Simon Young
  - Saturday 16 May 1992 – Page 3 – “Chan funeral”
    - More than 850 people are expected to attend the funeral service for Karmein Chan in Lower Templestowe today
    - The service will be held at the Bulleen Baptist Church, at the corner of Marcus and Thompsons roads, from 10.30AM. The service will be followed by cremation at Fawkner
  - Sunday 17 May 1992 – Page 1 – “Child porn network linked to Mr Cruel”
    - Detectives investigating thge murder of Karmein Chan have uncovered a child pornography industry operating in Melbourne which encouraged paedophiles and other sex offenders to trade information on future victims
    - The police now believes more than one person may be linked to Karmein’s death and that she may have fallen prey to a group involved in child pornography
    - Karmein’s killer or killers videotaped schoolgirls who had been abducted and raped
    - The Chan investigation has led to more than 50 arrests
  - Sunday 17 May 1992 – Page 3 – “The pain a killer left behind”
    - The police had not come to pay their respects. A command post had been set up in a house across the road from the church and mourners were filmed and photographed by police
    - In her pain, Mrs Chan cried out for her dead daughter, over and over. Mr Chan’s seemingly lifeless form stared ahead. Their two daughters, looking lost and bemused, took their places with the Chinese choir to sing ‘The Color Song’. It was one they has learned in church with Karmein
  - Monday 18 May 1992 – Page 3 – “Chan report denied”
    - Child pornography rings uncovered by the Spectrum taskforce were not connected with the murder of Karmein Chan, Detective Inspector David Sprague, said yesterday
  - Thursday 21 May 1992 – Page 3 – “Karmein Chan service”
    - About 700 students and teachers from the Presbyterian Ladies’ College yesterday attended a memorial service for the murdered schoolgirl Karmein Chan, at Scots Church, Melbourne
  - Thursday 21 May 1992 – Page 11 – “Abduction murders in Melbourne”
  - Sunday 24 May 1992 – Page 6 – “Schoolyard safety begins in the home”
  - Sunday 24 May 1992 – Page 9 – “Should doctors treat and tell?”
  - Friday 29 May 1992 – Page 18 – “Minister rebuked over Beasley investigation”
    - The mother of the murdered six-year-old Rosebud girl Sheree Beasley has called the Pol.ice Minister, Mr Mal Sandon “insensitive” for his comments following the funeral of Karmein Chan. She said she was devastated to hear that the hunt for her daughter’s killer was receiving less police attention than the investigation into the kidnapping and murder of Karmein Chan
  - Sunday 31 May 1992 – Page 20 – “The view from the top cop”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 7 June 1992 – Page 6 – “Revealed: our child porn merchants”
    - The police child exploitation unit and the Spectrum taskforce investigating the Mr Cruel crimes have uncovered a wealth of child pornography material
    - “A lot of people believe these child abusers are doing this photographic stuff for their own purposes,” said Mrs Joan Gill, the president of People Against Child Exploitation. “But it’s a very, very lucrative business, as lucrative as drugs, if not more so”
  - Friday 26 June 1992 – Page 16 – “Call to Chans was ‘random’”
    - A man who made an obscene call to the father of the murdered teenager Karmein Chan had selected the telephone number at random
    - He said he was very distressed to learn from police the identity of the person he had contacted
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 17 August 1992 – Page 6 – “Faces of 12 whose murderers are at large”
    - Abducted schoolgirl Karmein Chan, who was 13 when she disappeared and whose remains were found in a shallow grave at an SEC terminal station site, near the corner of High Street and Mahoney’s Road, Thomastown, on 9 April. She had been shot three times in the head. The Spectrum taskforce was established to catch a man, dubbed Mr Cruel, who is believed responsible for Karmein’s murder after her abduction on 13 April last year and the abductions of Nicola Lynas in 1990 and Sharon Wills in 1988
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 17 October 1992 – Page 3 – “Police widens search for Mr Cruel’s lair”
    - Detectives from the Spectrum taskforce have checked about 3000 houses in more than 10 suburbs
    - They have been trying to match the configuration of houses with the descriptions of the inside and outside of the house given to them by the kidnap victims
    - Detectives checked about 500 homes in Coolaroo this week
  - Monday 19 October 1992 – Page 49 – “Danger at the gates”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 22 November 1992 – Page 14 – “Uni man on porn charges”
    - A former Melbourne University administrator charged with peddling child pornography is due to appear in the Prahran Magistrates Court on Tuesday
    - It was alleged in a court bail application in April that he used the university’s computer system to store the list of 169 clients to whom he allegedly distributed child pornography
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 4 December 1992 – Page 5 – “-”
    - Indexation issue
  - Friday 4 December 1992 – Page 15 – “Man gets 2 and a half years’s jail for attacking girl, 5”
    - A man who indecently assaulted a five-year-old girl at a Doncaster shopping centre on 18 May this year was sentenced to jail by a County Court judge yesterday
    - Sunday 6 December 1992 – Page 3 – “Death of a daughter”
      - On Tuesday, Kylie Gill, 8, was abducted at about 3.30AM from the bedroom she shared with her sister in her Springvale South home
      - Her body was found in a gutter just around the corner of her home, in Wardale Road, after possibly being thrown from a moving car
    - Sunday 13 December 1992 – Page 1 – “Mr Cruel probe – US link”
      - Victorian police have sought the help of comvicted kidnapper and killer in a desperate bid to get a new lead on “Mr Cruel”
      - The man, Richard Sterrett, a 29-year-old engineer from South Carolina, is being held in a hospital for the criminally insane
      - Like Mr Cruel, he kidnapped several young girls before shooting one of them dead
      - When Spectrum detectives first heard about Sterrett, they thought he might have been Mr Cruel. But Sterrett has never been to Australia
      - Sterrett usually waited until his wife went to visit family who lived interstate, then hired a car and drove about 120 kilometres to South Carolina, where he bought a trading magazine and telephoned people advertising furniture or household appliances
      - He then went door to door searching for a suitable victim. He then produced a gun, hid her in his car and drove back to his home
      - He kidnapped nine or ten girls aged between 12 and 17 over a two-year period. He kept the girls for four or five days and sent them home
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 25 January 1993 – Page 3 – “Mr Cruel house hunt”
    - Detectives searching for Mr Cruel have doorknocked 5000 houses in Melbourne’s northern suburbs
    - Police this week will release sketches of the house interior drawn by at least one of the abducted girls
    - Detectives are convinced the house is close to or directly under a busy aircraft flight path
    - Detectives from the Spectrum taskforce have visited houses located around Coolaroo
  - Sunday 31 January 1993 – Page 1 – “Mr Cruel hunt: Have you seen this room?”
    - Mr Cruel’s bedroom has been reconstructed from a description by one of the girls he kidnapped
    - Beige or cream carpet, peach full-length curtains, double bed with peach bedhead, orange lamp base, lemon lampshade with thin white vertical stripes, light walls and a white door
    - The bathroom has a basin beside the shower
    - Two Spectrum detectives got in touch with Andrew Watts from a company specialized in aerial surveys named Qasco. They looked at aerial photographs, hoping to identify locations where Mr Cruel’s lair may be
    - According to civil aviation people, planes fly as low as 600 metres over Coolaroo
    - Police know that Mr Cruel must have lived not far from where the girls were abducted because of the time they spent on the floor of his car
    - Mr Watts told journalists that the detectives had examined Coolaroo and Campbellfield in particular
    - He also said detectives were after houses with right-hand drives and a few steps
    - They seemed convinced that the kidnapper lived in Coolaroo, Westmeadows or Campbellfield
    - In the past 18 months, police searched 15 suburbs, reviewed 30,000 houses and entered 3,000 of them
  - Sunday 31 January 1993 – Page 10 – “Who knows or covers for a killer?”
    - The man who killed Karmein Chan may have a band of loyal friends and family concealing his identity. In similar crimes overseas it was not unusual for the immediate family of offenders to deliberately protect them
    - The psychological profile of Mr Cruel indicated that he led a normal existence, perhaps having a family, and was possibly well liked
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 7 February 1993 – Page 14 – “Letters to the editor – SPECTRUM: Criticism has devastated police morale”
    - The taskforce checked with the army, the SEC, Water Board, Federal Airports Corporation, VicRoads, quarries, Melways, the City of Whittlesea and every aerial photo mapping and survey company in the Yellow Pages
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 31 March 1993 – Page 3 – “Charges expected on the killing of Sheree”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 12 April 1993 – Page 1 – “Why Mr Cruel has to be caught”
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague had spent the night celebrating the arrest of a vicious Melbourne rapist and devoted the next day to gardening and relaxing with his family. After a quiet evening chatting with his wife and children, he went to bed early, only to be woken up by a phone call alerting him to the kidnapping of 13-year-old Karmein Chan
    - Police wonder whether it was just coincidence that Karmein was abducted the day after Operation Challenge – set up to investigate the Lynas kidnapping – was being scaled down
  - Monday 12 April 1993 – Page 10 – “Mr Cruel coincidences the police can’t ignore”
    - The cramped taskforce office on the 14th floor of the St Kilda Road police complex is home to 40 people
    - The taskforce has been at the forefront of new techniques, with detectives trying out laptop computers while following up leads, typing reports on the road and later having the information fed into the main computer which now contains about 80 million words
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 20 June 1993 – Page 8 – “Mr Cruel hunt continues: police”
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague is leaving the Spectrum taskforce, being promoted to chief inspector as officer-in-charge of the detective training chool at Russell Street
    - The taskforce is to be scaled down from 31 members to a core group of 8 to 10 police
    - Senior Sergeant Steve Fontana remains in the taskforce so there is no loss of momentum or continuity
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 4 July 1993 – Page 12 – “Pool deaths are as tragic as any other”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1993 – May 1994
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1994
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 5 June 1994 – Page 4 – “Tip on killer to win reward”
    - Police are set to pay two women part of the $100,000 reward offered for information that led to the conviction of the Frankston triple murderer, Paul Charles Denyer
    - Information to Crime Stoppers had lead to 2004 arrests and 9825 serious charges including murder, armed robbery, rape, serious assault, burglary, drug trafficking and firearms offences
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1994
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1994
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 14 August 1994 – Page 6 – “Chasing the Mr Cruel connection”
    - Observation: Illustrative photo of Karmein Chan is the one displayed on her grave
    - Changes to the law through the Crimes (Amendment) Act have altered fingerprinting laws in Victoria and police is taking advantage of it. In the two months the increased powers have been in force, police have taken nearly double the number of prints
    - Police hope the new fingerprinting laws will help them identify some of Victoria’s worst criminals, including “Mr Cruel”
  - Sunday 21 August 1994 – Page 37 – “1989/1994 – The first 5 years”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1994 – October 1994
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1994
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 23 November 1994 – Page 7 – “Prisoner denies inventing Beasley story for own ends”
    - A Pentridge prisoner serving a life sentence for killing a policeman yesterday denied he had made up a story about Mr Robert Lowe admitting he committed sexual acts on six-year-old Sheree Beasley
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1994
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 11 December 1994 – Page 11 – “Temples to Mammon in city’s richest suburb”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1995
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 27 January 1995 – Page 5 – “Clue in Chan attack”
    - Police hunting the man who attacked and robbed Mrs Phyllis Chan on Monday 23 January 1995, the mother of Karmein Chan, said they were looking for a red getaway car, possibly a Holden Commodore
    - Police said a tartan briefcase, believed to contain about $3000 in takings from Mrs Chan’s Eltham restaurant, and a pair of earrings were taken in the robbery, which occurred at 12.30AM on Monday outside Mrs Chan’s rented Bulleen home
    - Police are not linking the crime with the abduction of Karmein
  - Sunday 29 January 1995 – Page 1 – “Karmein’s mother faces new terrors”
    - Karmein Chan’s mother leaves hospital tomorrow with her head shaved, bandaged and covered by a beret to celebrate the Chinese New Year with friends at her Eltham restaurant
    - Skipper, her guard dog German shepherd has been poisoned and died
    - The dog had been bought for safety reasons, mostly to protect her two daughters (they were also transfered from PLC to another private school)
    - Ms Phyllis Lam (she has reverted to her maiden name) suffered head injuries that required surgery, 60 stitches and blood transfusions
    - She may not be able to keep managing her restaurant alone, working 14-to-16-hour days
    - It is the restaurant she renamed Ying’s (after her Chinese given name) to bury the bad memories of its former operation as Ming’s restaurant
    - She and her brother, Mr Ken Lam, a Hong Kong businessman, borrowed heavily to keep the restaurant running after Karmein’s abduction
  - Sunday 29 January 1995 – Page 2 – “New fear for Karmein’s mother”
    - Ms Lam’s former husband, John Chan, is somewhere in China
    - Phyllis Ngan Ying Lam is now 42 years old
    - She fought to repay massive debts after her husband of 15 years left
    - Phyllis and her brother formed a new company, Five K. P.
    - For a long time after Karmein’s abduction, very few customers visited the restaurant, even people that used to come there regularly
    - After the attack, she awoke at the General Repatriation Hospital to see surgeon Dr Neil Strugnell, a fellow parishioner of the Bulleen Baptist Church, where she was baptised in August 1993
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1995 – March 1995
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1995
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 30 April 1995 – Page 5 – “Schools enrol guards after sex attacks”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1995 – September 1995
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1995
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 24 October 1995 – Page 5 – “Chan tells of blood splashed on attacker”
    - Phyllis Lam yesterday wept after describing to a court how she fought her attacker when she was assaulted and robbed outside her Bulleen home earlier this year
    - A former employee – Mr Kai Sing “Billy” Chan – is charged with six offenses. He struck Phyllis Lam seven times with a “sharp instrument such as a machete or cleaver”, causing deep wounds to her head and forearm
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1995
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1995
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 10 December 1995 – Page 6 – “Prison fails to lock up killers”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1996
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1996
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 18 February 1996 – Page 23 – “Crime and punishment”
    - Barry Hawkins does not expect either of the major parties to raise violence and crime as a campaign issue. But it is an issue never too far from the thoughts of Mr and Mrs Hawkins. Living in an area deeply affected by the disappearance and murder of teenage schoolgirl Karmein Chan, the Hawkins family say theyr are probably on the cautious side when it comes to the activities and the whereabouts of their three primary school aged daughters.
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1996
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1996
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 13 April 1996 – Page 19 – “Cruel legacy”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1996
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1996
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 23 June 1996 – Page 46 – “Prophetable business”
    - The mother of murdered Melbourne schoolgirl Karmein Chan turned to psychics to find a trace of her daughter before the body was found a year after she was abducted from the family home in 1991
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1996 – February 1997
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 12 March 1997 – Page 5 – “Sex offender claims police stalked him”
  - Sunday 23 March 1997 – Page 5 – “Crimes information rewards go begging”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 4 April 1997 – Page 25 – “They’re safe at school… aren’t they?”
    - The spectre of the Karmein Chan abduction and murder has haunted the collective consciousness of Melbourne. After her abduction, some schools and kindergartens in the eastern suburbs introduced elaborate security systems to safeguard students from strangers.
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1997 – June 1997
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 1 July 1997 – Page 15 – “The misery of waiting for news of Jaidyn”
  - Thursday 3 July 1997 – Page 12 – “Abduction haunts a generation with fear”
    - “I thought I had seen everything in my time as a policeman. I didn’t think anything would shock me, but this [Karmein Chan’s abduction and murder] did” — Inspector David Sprague from Spectrum taskforce
  - Tuesday 22 July 1997 – Page 1 – “I’m Karmein’s mother, attack victim pleaded”
    - Phyllis Lam yesterday told a County Court jury she thought an attacker who hit her in the head outside her home had come to kill her
    - Judge John Hassett said there was no suggestion that there was any connection between Karmein’s abduction and this offense
    - He also said Mrs Lam was not related to Mr Kai Sing “Billy” Chan, 43, of Edmonton Place, East Doncaster
  - Tuesday 22 July 1997 – Page 12 – “Mother pleads to attacker”
  - Wednesday 23 July 1997 – Page 4 – “Tears in court over attack on Chan”
    - Mrs Phyllis Chan, the mother of murdered schoolgirl Karmein Chan, yesterday wept as she described struggling with an attacker in a bid to keep her daughter’s passport
  - Thursday 31 July 1997 – Page 2 – “Chan robbery jury still out”
    - A County Court jury will resume deliberations today in the trial of a man accused of robbing and assaulting Mrs Phyllis Chan, the mother of murdered schoolgirl Karmein Chan
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 1 August 1997 – Page 10 – “Man found guilty in Chan attack case”
  - Tuesday 5 August 1997 – Page 3 – “Former Chan employee jailed”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 13 September 1997 – Page 3 – “Police keep file open on Karmein”
    - The deputy state coroner, Mr Iain West, returned an open finding on the murder of Karmein Chan
    - It has been more than six years since Karmein was taken at knifepoint by a masked intruder from her Templestowe home in April 1991. Her body was found in Thomastown a year later. Her skull had been pierced by bullets
    - The investigating Spectrum taskforce passed the case to the homicide squad
    - Important: Alternative abduction timeline
      - Saturday 13 April 1991 – 5.45pm: A staff member drove the three Chan sisters home where Mr Chan keptthem company until about 6.30pm
      - Saturday 13 April 1991 – 6.30pm: John Chan leaves his home to go work in his restaurant in Eltham
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1997 – November 1998
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1998
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 7 December 1998 – Page 1 – “Biggest rewards offered in Victoria”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1999 – August 1999
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1999
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 26 September 1999 – Page 14 – “Who killed Prudence?”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None

Sydney Morning Herald

From 01 November 1977 to 31 December 1990
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”
  - January 10 1980 – Page 3 (not sure it’s related to Karmein’s father)
  - November 1 1980 – Page 101 (not sure it’s related to Karmein’s father)
  - October 31 1989 – Page 31 (not sure it’s related to Karmein’s father)
January 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 15 April 1991 – Page 5 – “Man who kidnapped girl, 13, may have struck before”
    - Wrong: In all three cases, the abduction occurred during school holidays
    - The parents had been working since about 6.30PM at their Chinese restaurant in the neighbourhood and had left Karmein in charge of the younger girls
    - The sisters have not been abused verbally or physically
    - The abductor is believed to 25 to 35 years old, of medium to slim build, 170-180 centimetres tall
  - Tuesday 23 April 1991 – Page 4 – “Kidnap reward”
  - Wednesday 24 April 1991 – Page 10 – “Police door-knock in hunt for abducted girl”
    - More than 200 police began a 3000-house door-knock last night
    - A caravan has been set up in the Chan’s road
- “phyllis chan”
  - Tuesday 16 April 1991 – Page 4 – “Plea for schoolgirl”
  - Wednesday 17 April 1991 – Page 9 – “Police, family make kidnap plea”
    - “I think that if he [the abductor] is caught, a lot of people will be shocked. They will have known him as an intelligent, quiet – maybe even introverted – man.” — Dr Paul Wilson, Criminologist
    - 16 detectives assigned to the case
  - Saturday 20 April 1991 – Page 1 – “Two little girls plead with a kidnapper: let our sister go”
    - 25 officers assigned to the case
    - Karen and Karly Chan are being cared for by relatives between regular visits to their mother and father, who are understood to have their family doctor staying at their home
May 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 1 May 1991 – Page 16 – “School prays for a lead to finding Karmein safe”
  - Wednesday 22 May 1991 – Page 2 – “Fear in the home spreads as another child attacked”
    - A seven-year-old girl was dragged from her bedroom early yesterday by an intruder and sexually assaulted
    - A man was arrested on five charges last night concerning the attack
    - The latest attack occurred at 3.20AM in Mildura
    - The girl was taken from her bedroom and assaulted in the family car, which was parked in the driveway
  - Monday 27 May 1991 – Page 8 – “Huge public response as the hunt intensifies for Karmein Chan”
    - It has been more than 6 weeks since Karmein Chan got abducted
    - The police manhunt involved the public, business groups and Karmein Chan’s family
    - Police is about to plaster posters of Karmein Chan across buses and trams
    - Last week, more than 100 donated billboard posters were put up
    - 5000 volunteers delivered almost 1.5 million leaflets
    - A 200-man police door-knock campaign has been carried in the area surrounding the Chan’s Templestowe home
    - Police have received more than 5000 calls from the public
    - Last week, Phyllis Chan wrote an open letter to her daughter’s abductor
    - Last month, Karmein’s two sisters, Karen, 7, and Karly, 9, also wrote open letters to her kidnapper
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 24 June 1991 – Page 2 – “Chans try contacting kidnapper”
    - In an open letter published in The Sunday Herald-Sun, Karmein’s mother, Phyllis, tells the abductor he can write to a private postal address
    - He must decipher a code in the letter to discover the address, using information known only to Karmein and her family
    - To break the code and find the postal address, the abductor has to ask Karmein the name of family friends in Hong Kong
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said yesterday the attempt to make private contact had taken him by surprise
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 1 July 1991 – Page 2 – “Search fails to reveal any trace of girl, 6”
    - A six-year-old girl feared abducted was still missing last night after an extensive search of the Mornington Peninsula area south of Melbourne yesterday
  - Friday 12 July 1991 – Page 3 – “Blackmail calls claim”
    - A prisoner and a Federal Protective Services officer were charged yesterday with making ransom demands on the family of the kidnapped schoolgirl Karmein Chan
  - Friday 19 July 1991 – Page 4 – “Jail counterfeit inquiry widens”
    - Police last week charged a Pentridge prisoner with allegedly making blackmail threats to the family of Karmein Chan
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 30 August 1991 – Page 8 – “New leads”
    - The abductor of Karmein Chan may have struck as many as nine times, always on a Tuesday or Saturday night
    - Detectives believe Mr Cruel has attacked eight or nine women in Melbourne since 1985
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 7 September 1991 – Page 11 – “Still no Karmein after 5 months”
    - Despite an investigation unprecedented in scale in Victoria, the case is no closer to solution
    - Last week, Mrs Chan asked a clairvoyant for help
    - Detective Inspector David Sprague said this week that there were still thousands of leads to be followed up
  - Saturday 28 September 1991 – Page 5 – “Body found in drain may be missing girl”
    - A partly decomposed body found in country Victoria on Thursday night could be that of Sheree Beasley, the schoolgirl abducted in Rosebud
    - The body was found by two horse riders in a drain at Red Hill
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1991
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 6 December 1991 – Page 4 – “Murderer in Chan hoax”
    - A convicted murderer yesterday admitted demanding $15,000 from John Chan
    - He made six phone calls from Pentridge prison in July in which he threatened to kill Karmein Chan if the money was not paid to an associate
  - Monday 16 December 1991 – Page 3 – “Mr Cruel kidnap link to bedroom intruder”
    - An intruder who tried to tie up a 12-year-old girl as she slept in her family home may have been trying to abduct her
    - Detectives said they were keeping an “open mind” about whether the incident was linked to Melbourne’s notorious kidnapper dubbed “Mr Cruel”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 13 April 1992 – Page 3 – “Chan may have seen attacker”
    - Karmein Chan may have been executed after she saw her attacker
    - The kidnapper told one of his victims: “My freedom is more important than your life”
    - The man is described as Caucasian, aged between 30 and 50, about 175 cm tall, with a small pot belly, fair hair and possibly wearing glasses
  - Friday 17 April 1992 – Page 11 – “Mr Cruel had deep effect on psyche of Victorians”
    - Ten days ago, John and Phyllis Chan were considering whether to attend a police press conference about the kidnapping of their daughter
    - The police held the anniversary press conference a day early, on Saturday 11 April 1992, without the Chans
    - The victim had been shot several times in the head and was thought to have lain undisturbed for about a year. No clothes were found
    - The persona of “Mr Cruel” only began to take shape after schoolgirl Nicola Lynas, 14, was kidnapped from her home at Canterbury in July 1990
    - The abduction had striking similarities with the kidnapping of Sharon Wills, 10, from her home at Ringwood in December 1988
    - The first kidnap victim was held for 18 hours, assaulted and dumped wearing a green garbage bag
    - The second was held for 50 hours, assaulted and dumped wearing a blanket
    - Karmein Chan and Nicola Lynas both attended Presbyterian Ladies’ College but did not know each other
    - Mr and Mrs Chan made a number of heart-rending pleas for their daughter’s release
    - Mrs Chan said on the Hinch program in May: “If you are not helping, then shut up. Do not make it difficult for me. Everybody’s got a mouth and they can talk about what they want. But if they have got a heart theyr can figure out that [the rumours] are not fair on me and my family”
    - “Only a mother could understand how it feels to lose a child. It is like being stabbed and then having your heart bleed inside you” — Phyllis Chan
    - The sufferings of the Chans have been the stuff of regular media updates…thrice-daily prayers to St Jude (patron saint of lost causes) and Mrs Chan sleeping in Karmein’s immaculately kept bedroom
    - The Chan couple once rushed to a Victorian country town after a reported sighting of Karmein
    - Mr Cruel is thought to be Caucasian, aged between 30 to 50, with no marked accent, about 175 centimetres, of slim to medium build and possibly a small pot belly, fair to sandy hair and eyebrows, possiblywears glasses and may occasionally be unshaven or have a beard with ginger colouring
    - Mr Cruel probably has steady employment, is likely to be in the “low to middle-management area” or higher, is very intelligent and uses the keywords, “bozo”, “worry wart” and “missy”
  - Sunday 19 April 1992 – Page 2 – “Man questioned on missing girl”
    - Police were interviewing a 35-year-old Melbourne man last night after a six-year-old girl was found in the rear of an ice-cream van
    - The father-of-three was arrested in Essendon about an hour after the girl went missing
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 4 May 1992 – Page 3 – “Karmein’s family pray to bring her spirit home”
    - Mrs Chan walked to the area in Thomastown where her eldest daughter’s body was found and burst into tears. When she composed herself, she took Karly and Karen to the site, which had been marked with a pile of rocks and stick, and started a 30-minute ceremony to encourage Karmein’s spirit back to their home
    - During the ceremony, a pair of Karmein’s shoes and a dress were burnt in a silver tin, and some Chinese money was buried. They finished by laying a trail of strips of paper back to the family car to encourage the spirit home with them
    - The Chans have placed tributes to Karmein in the Melbourne Age today: “Our darling daughter, you were snatched from us so very suddenly. We have searched and searched, we have cried and cried, how we wish you are back with us now. But God is great, he will comfort us and give us strength. Karmein, you are safe with God now. We love you, we miss you. Forever in our hearts you will be remembered. Some day we shall meet again. Rest peacefully dearest Karmein. Mum and Dad”
    - “Our dearest sister, we miss you heaps. We think of you every day sister Karmein. Thank you for being our big sister. We love you, we love you, we love you. Till we meet again from your loving sisters Karly and Karen”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 6 June 1992 – Page 76 – “-”
    - Indexation issue
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
October 1992
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 23 October 1992 – Page 3 – “Two-city abductor theory”
    - Police hunting for a man who abducted two young Sydney women are checking possible links with Melbourne’s “Mr Cruel”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
November 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
December 1992
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Friday 29 January 1993 – Page 67 – “Police describe child-killer’s house”
    - Warning: Date discrepancy
    - A huge police search of 30,000 house has failed to find the one where the killer of Karmein Chan took his victims
    - Police have released details of the house in the hope that someone may be able to identify it
    - Two previous victims gave details of the bathroom, bedroom and exterior of the house where they were taken
    - They told police planes flew over it
    - The Spectrum taskforce has questioned more than 5,000 people but is satisfied with none
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
March 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Sunday 28 March 1993 – Page 141 – “Helping children confront their fears”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1993
- “karmein chan”
  - Tuesday 13 April 1993 – Page 4 – “Children’s bogyman: Mr Cruel still eluding police”
    - “We have gathered a lot of information in the two years [since Karmein’s abduction], but at this stage we haven’t any firm suspects” — Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Fontana
    - Police is confident that they can apprehend the abductor without him striking again
    - Sergeant Fontana said Karmein’s abduction and murder had “really destroyed” the Chan family’s life
    - The Spectrum taskforce has made more than 60 arrests for various crimes, including sex and child pornography offences
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1993
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1993 – May 1994
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1994 – December 1995
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
January 1996
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 6 January 1996 – Page 13 – “A doctor’s dilemma”
    - The AMA has indicated doctors should break confidentiality in extreme cases. The Victorian AMA issued a directive to its members to co-operate with police investigating the abduction and murder of Melbourne schoolgirl Karmein Chan.
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
February 1996 – March 1996
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
April 1996
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 13 April 1996 – Page 35 – “Still searching for Mr Cruel”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1996 – April 1997
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
May 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 24 May 1997 – Page 31 – “Family under siege”
    - Karmein Chan’s kidnapping in Melbourne by a “Dr Cruel” in 1991 caused police immense frustrations. Her killer has never been found.
    - Note from TCS: Yes, “Doctor Cruel”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
June 1997
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
July 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Wednesday 23 July 1997 – Page 5 – “Murdered girl’s mother tells of struggling with attacker”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
August 1997
- “karmein chan”: None
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None
September 1997
- “karmein chan”
  - Saturday 13 September 1997 – Page 10 – “Coroner leaves Karmein case open”
- “phyllis chan”: None
- “john chan”: None

The Canberra Times

April 1991
- “karmein chan”
  - Monday 15 April 1991 – Page 3 – “Kidnapping ‘may be the third’”
    - A 13-year-old girl abducted from her home on Saturday night might have been taken by a man believed to be responsible for two previous schoolgirl abductions
    - Inspector Sprague said it was believed the man broke into the Chan house between 8.30pm and 9pm, locked Karmein’s sisters, aged seven and nine years, in a bedroom and took her from the house and possibly to a waiting car
    - The sisters had not been abused verbally or physically
  - Tuesday 16 April 1991 – Page 5 – “Fears increase for Karmein”
    - Police fear the stress of the abduction could spark a serious asthma attack in Karmein, who has no medication and is also recovering from a bout of glandular fever
  - Wednesday 17 April 1991 – Page 20 – “Kirner makes personal appeal to abductor: let child go”

Photo analysis

Karmein Chan laughing in front of a car

Description, findings

Karmein Chan is standing in front of a white car
She appears to be laughing
The photo has not been mirrored as the number 5 visible on a black and white sticker installed on the bottom-right corner of the windshield is in the expected orientation
There are two persons on the photo
- Karmein Chan wearing a white hoodie
- Another unidentified individual wearing a jeans jacket
The car is believed to be either a 1974 Holden Monaro or a 1977 Ford XC Falcon
- Mirrors shape matches
- Engine hood lines & vent position matches
- Windshield curvature & seal matches
Location is currently unknown
- Reflection in the windshield and white bollards in the background suggest an urban park
  - The white color often signifies general park infrastructure rather than specific regulatory enforcement, as opposed to red or yellow bollards, which may indicate stricter restrictions or emergency access points
- The car is believed to be parked
  - Option 1: along the curb
  - Option 2: in a parking area
- The lawn in the background seems to follow an upward slope
- That lawn seems well maintained
- A path blocked by at least 3 white bollards follows that lawn to the right
- The presence of at least two more trees can be infered from the shadows visible on the lawn, possibly planted along a path or a road
Car registration(rego) sticker analysis reveals some important details
- the photo has been taken sometime between May of 1985 and May of 1990
- the car has been registered in May, in Victoria, Australia
- the photo probably has been taken during a weekend or a public holiday in Victoria, Tasmania or adjacent states (South Australia, New South Wales)
- Karmein Chan got sick with glandular fever in October 1989
  - That photo was likely taken between May of 1985 and September of 1989 in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia or New South Wales

Vehicle identification

1974 white Holden Monaro

1977 white Ford XC Falcon

Location

Top view – The reflection of 1+ building(s) is visible on the windshield

Windshield reflection

A beige/brick colored building with a lawn, bushes and a blue fence on top of a beige wall

Rego sticker analysis

Rego sticker appears to be from VIC, black, with a white 5 on dark/black background

Sample VIC rego sticker. Color indicates year, number indicates month

Rego stickers can be inspected here: https://stickthisdecals.com.au/registration-labels/vic/
The rego sticker visible on the windshield is dark/black, which places it somewhere between 1985 and 1989

Karmein Chan and her two sisters on a boat

Description, findings

Karmein and her two younger sisters, Karly and Karen are standing close to one another on what appears to be a boat
In the background, the skyline of a modern city with several skyscrapers
Behind Karmein Chan, a structure looking like a bridge crosses the water, but stops in the middle, like a bridge to nowhere
- This is in fact the Hong Kong Macau port
- It is located next to the Shun Tak center
- The Shun Tak center opened in 1984 and Karmein Chan looks fairly young on that photo, which places it somewhere between 1984 and 1987
Photo seems to have been taken from the lower deck

Location

The Shun Tak center right next to the Hong Kong Macau Port

The Shun Tak center is located on Hong Kong Island, in the Sheung Wan district

Recreation of the picture using Google Earth 2025

Photo was likely taken from where the red mark is located

Karmein Chan birthdays

Saturday 5 November 1977 (birth)
Sunday 5 November 1978 (1yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Monday 5 November 1979 (2yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Wednesday 5 November 1980 (3yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Thursday 5 November 1981 (4yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Friday 5 November 1982 (5yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Saturday 5 November 1983 (6yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Monday 5 November 1984 (7yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Tuesday 5 November 1985 (8yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Wednesday 5 November 1986 (9yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Thursday 5 November 1987 (10yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended
- Next school holidays:
Saturday 5 November 1988 (11yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended Sunday 2 October 1988
- Next school holidays: Friday 23 december 1988
Sunday 5 November 1989 (12yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended Sunday 8 October 1989
- Next school holidays: Saturday 23 December 1989
Monday 5 November 1990 (13yo)
- Previous school holidays: Ended Sunday 7 October 1990
- Next school holidays: Saturday 22 December 1990
Next birthday: Wednesday 5 November 2025 (48yo)

Speculative timelines

Disclaimer: This section is almost entirely speculative and might be partially or totally wrong. It shouldn’t be considered accurate or a source of truth in any way.

Warning: This section deals with strong violence against children, do not read if you are sensitive to this topic.

While we refrained from using explicit or graphic language, the nature of the events related below is traumatic. The goal here is not sensationalism, but to look for particular details that might have attracted someones attention on the night of 13 April 1991.

Sensitive sentences are masked and must be clicked to be read.

Parameters presentation

Perpetrator: Cruel/Mafia/Other
- Who abducted Karmein Chan?
Compliance: Total/Partial/None
- How compliant was Karmein Chan?
Lair: Yes/No
- Did Karmein Chan entered her abductor’s lair?
Face reveal: Yes/No
- Did Karmein Chan see her abductor’s face?
Asthma: Yes/No
- Did Karmein Chan suffered an asthma-related medical episode during her abduction?
ECI: Yes/No
- Is the Edgars Creek Incident linked to Karmein Chan’s abduction?
Phone line: Cut/Intact
- Was the phone line disabled at the Chans house?
Stolen items: Yes/No
- Were there stolen items (clothing, money, records…)?
Behavior: Rough/Gentle
- Was the abductor rough or gentle with the 3 Chan sisters?
Graffiti: Yes/No
- Was the red Toyota Camry owned by John Chan spray painted during his daughter’s abduction?
Car used: Holden Commodore Vacationer/Ute/Other
- Which car was used by the abductor?
Weapon: Knife/Gun/Knife+Gun/None
- What type of weapon(s) did the abductor carried?

Scenarios matrix

Scenario KC003 is considered as ideal from the abductor’s point of view

Maps

Map 1 – Potential route to lair

Map is 2024 Google Maps

We speculated the abductor’s lair is located in Fawkner

A: Chan House in Templestowe
B: Ming’s Restaurant in Eltham
C: Potential murder site
D: Burial site
E: Potential location of the abductor’s lair. Probably not accurate, but in the right greater area.

Map 2 – Potential murder site

Map is ©Melway edition 20 – 1990

Edgars Creek accessed from Jenkin Street (cf. Edgars Creek Incident)

Map 3 – Potential burial site access

Coming North

Map is ©Melway edition 20 – 1990

Coming South

Map is ©Melway edition 20 – 1990

Scenario KC001

This scenario is the one we currently consider as being closer to the truth.

Parameters

Scenario	Ideal	Current
Code	KC003	KC001
Perpetrator	Cruel	Cruel
Compliance	Total	Partial
Lair	Yes	No
Face reveal	No	No
Asthma	No	Yes
ECI	No	Yes
Phone line	Cut	Intact
Stolen items	Yes	Yes
Behavior	Gentle	Gentle
Graffiti	Yes	Yes
Weapon	Knife	Knife + Gun
Duration	Up to 1 week	Less than 12 hours
Karmein status	Alive	Not alive

Perpetrator: The criminal known as Mr Cruel abducted Karmein Chan
Compliance: Partial. Karmein resisted her abductor while in his vehicle, after putting some distance between him and her sisters
Lair: No, Karmein Chan didn’t go to the abductor’s lair
Face reveal: No. Karmein Chan didn’t see the face of her abductor
Asthma: Yes, Karmein Chan suffered a asthma-related medical episode
ECI: Yes. The man holding the gun in the Edgars Creek Incident was Mr Cruel
Phone line: Intact. Might be because of the complexity of the intercom system installed in the Chan residence or because of Karmein being too agitated
Stolen items: Yes, clothes

Overview

7.30PM John Chan leaves his home to go to work with his wife Phyllis at their restaurant
7.40PM The abductor tampers with the electric gate and spray paints the red utility car of the family
8.15PM Karmein is in her bedroom with her two younger sisters Karly and Karen
8.20PM The abductor enters the Chan house via one of the windows of the living room
8.40PM Karmein and Karly unexpectedly bump into the abductor while on their way to the kitchen
9PM The abductor looks around for clothes he could take for Karmein to wear once they are back at his lair
9.30PM The abductor decides to leave the house
9.35PM The abductor walks Karmein to his vehicle parked further down Church Road
9.40PM – 10.20PM Karmein Chan has a asthma-related medical episode during the 40 minutes drive to the abductor’s lair
10.30PM See The Gilbert Road Incident section
11PM The abductor drives towards Thomastown
11.30PM Karmein Chan is left near the Thomastown SEC Terminal Station

Saturday 13 April 1991

7.30PM

John Chan leaves his home to go to work with his wife at their restaurant in Eltham.

John Chan during one of the press conferences he gave with his wife after Karmein’s disappearance

7.40PM

The abductor tampers with the electric gate and spray paints a message on the red utility car of the family.

Asian drug dealer!

Pay

back

More

Anon more to come

In this context, anon means “at another time” or “again”.

The red Toyota Camry was parked within the perimeter of the property, not on the street

8.15PM

Karmein and her two younger sisters Karly and Karen gather in her bedroom after their baths to read bedtime stories and watch a TV documentary about Marilyn Monroe.

8.20PM

The abductor enters the Chan house via one of the windows of the living room and starts inspecting every room of the house. Hearing noise coming from the bedrooms located on the Eastern side, he goes North-West first towards the guest bedroom.

Floorplan sourced from publicly available real estate data

1 Point of entry into the Chans residence
2 Abductor possibly grabs a knife from the kitchen
3 The sisters watch TV in Karmein’s bedroom
4 Karmein and Karly bump into the abductor in the hallway while going to the kitchen
5 Karen and Karly are tied and locked in a wardrobe (center bedroom)
6 Karmein and her abductor leave through the kitchen sliding door
7 John Chan finds Karen and Karly cowering in the laundry room

The Chan house has been demolished in 2024

8.40PM

Karmein and Karly unexpectedly bump into the abductor while on their way to the kitchen. Busy looking for a way to disable the phone line, he is not ready and has to improvise a bit.

He ties the younger sisters and lock them in a wardrobe.

Karmein and Karly met the abductor in the hallway

9PM

The abductor looks around for clothes he could take for Karmein to wear once they are back at his lair (E), but Karmein is uncooperative, slowing him down.

9.30PM

Unable to properly handle Karmein and willing to keep the situation under control, the abductor decides to leave the house. The phone line is intact, but extra clothing is taken. He realizes things are not going as smoothly as planned.

He didn’t notice Karmein’s asthma medication left by the side of her bed, a detail that will cause great trouble later.

Karmein and her abductor left through the kitchen sliding door

9.35PM

He walks Karmein to his vehicle parked further down Church Road, his hand firmly around her neck and his long knife concealed.

Once in the car, they leave Templestowe and (potentially) follow the dark blue itinerary shown on Map 1.

9.40PM – 10.20PM

The 40 minutes drive to his lair is a disaster. Karmein becomes increasingly agitated, argumentative, screaming, trying to open the passenger door, honking the horn twice and even pulling the parking break at one point, sending the car over a curb.

The abductor is unable to control the chaos and decides to pull over in a quiet street (C) of Reservoir near Edgars Creek (see Map 2, pink dot). He tries to calm Karmein down, without success.

Worse, due to the extreme stress caused by the situation, Karmein’s is having difficulties breathing. Her abductor notices it and asks her to calm down, as “he won’t hurt her as long as she does as instructed”.

The situation escalates and

Karmein is now going through a full blown asthma attack. She is gasping for breath, wheezing and sweats profusely. Her abductor is unable to help her and can only watch the situation unfold. Karmein ends up unresponsive.

10.30PM

The abductor checks

Karmein’s pulse and finds out her heart is barely beating.

In a state of shock, the abductor drives his vehicle down Edgars Creek.

He then takes

the limp body of Karmein down to the river, sets her face up in the grass. He tries to revive her, without success. Unaware of her medical condition, he didn’t prepare for it.

10.45PM

The abductor checks

Karmein’s pulse once more: her heart is still beating, but she is clearly struggling to remain alive. Her face is now extremely pale, almost blue. Her breath is short and labored.

He once again tries to get her to breathe properly, maintaining her in a seated position while pouring a bit of fresh water on her forehead.

Concerned that someone

might come their way and witness what’s happening, the abductor decides to try to keep the situation under his control. He gets his .22 caliber gun from his vehicle, rolls Karmein on her belly, then proceeds to shoot her three time at the base of her neck.

11PM

The abductor is about to drive his vehicle back up into Jenkin Street, but notices a man walking in his direction from Elizabeth Street. He scares him off by shooting one round in the air (See The Gilbert Road Incident section).

He quickly starts the engine and drives towards Thomastown.

11.30PM

See Map 3 for details.

If coming North, the abductor probably parked his vehicle all the way down the path giving access to Edgars Creek (D) from Lincoln Drive in Thomastown (see Map 3).

If coming South, the abductor probably drove his vehicle closer to the burial site due to the presence of commercial buildings close by.

He then carries

Karmein’s body wrapped in a blanket and plastic tarp in his arms to her burial site.

Things to look for

Detail 1: White Holden Commodore Vacationer / late 80s ute driving erratically in
- Templestowe
- Eltham
- Montmorency
- Briar Hill
- Greensborough
- Watsonia North
- Bundoora
- Thomastown
- Reservoir
- Preston
- Coburg North
Detail 2: Unusual loud noise at around 11PM near Edgars Creek in Coburg North
Detail 3: Unusual late night activity around Lincoln Drive in Thomastown

Weaknesses, unknowns, questions

Weakness 1: According to this scenario, the abductor spent two hours at the Chan residence. This seems like a long time compared to what was achieved (phone line left intact, victims were not adults),
Question 1: When did the abductor really entered the Chans house?
Question 2: What happened once the abductor was inside the Chans house (granular timeline)?
Weakness 2: If a gunshot was fired at Edgars Creek near Jenkin Street, how comes nobody reported hearing it?
- .22 caliber is relatively quiet
Question 3: What was the entry point to the SEC Terminal Station in Thomastown (North, South, other)?
Question 4: Coming North towards the SEC Terminal Station, the abductor would have had to get over one wire fence. Coming South, he might have had to deal with one or two closed gates depending on his entry point. How did he do that?

Scenario KC002

Parameters

Scenario	Ideal	Current
Code	KC003	KC002
Perpetrator	Cruel	Cruel
Compliance	Total	Partial
Lair	Yes	Yes
Face reveal	No	Yes
Asthma	No	Yes
ECI	No	No
Phone line	Cut	Intact
Stolen items	Yes	Yes
Behavior	Gentle	Gentle
Graffiti	Yes	Yes
Weapon	Knife	Knife + Gun
Duration	Up to 1 week	Up to 1 week
Karmein status	Alive	Not alive

Perpetrator: The criminal known as Mr Cruel abducted Karmein Chan
Compliance: Partial. Karmein resisted her abductor while in his vehicle, after putting some distance between him and her sisters
Lair: Yes, Karmein Chan went to the abductor’s lair
Face reveal: Yes. Karmein Chan saw the face of her abductor
Asthma: Yes, Karmein Chan suffered a asthma-related medical episode
ECI: No. The man holding the gun in the Edgars Creek Incident wasn’t Mr Cruel
Phone line: Intact. Might be because of the complexity of the intercom system installed in the Chan residence or because of Karmein being too agitated
Stolen items: Yes, clothes

Overview

7.30PM John Chan leaves his home to go to work with his wife Phyllis at their restaurant
7.40PM The abductor tampers with the electric gate and spray paints the red utility car of the family
8.15PM Karmein is in her bedroom with her two younger sisters Karly and Karen
8.20PM The abductor enters the Chan house via one of the windows of the living room
8.40PM Karmein and Karly unexpectedly bump into the abductor while on their way to the kitchen
9PM The abductor looks around for clothes he could take for Karmein to wear once they are back at his lair
9.30PM The abductor decides to leave the house
9.35PM The abductor walks Karmein to his vehicle parked further down Church Road
9.40PM – 10.20PM 40 minutes drive to the abductor’s lair
10.30PM Karmein Chan arrives at the abductor’s lair
She remains trapped in the detention premises for up to one week
Something happens that makes it impossible for her abductor to let her go alive
In this scenario, Karmein ended up seeing the face of her abductor, possibly during an asthma-related medical episode

Details to look for

Detail 1: White Holden Commodore Vacationer / late 80s ute driving erratically in
- Templestowe
- Eltham
- Montmorency
- Briar Hill
- Greensborough
- Watsonia North
- Bundoora
- Thomastown
- Reservoir
- Preston
- Coburg North
Detail 2: Karmein’s abductor might have tried to buy asthma medication

Weaknesses, unknowns, questions

Weakness 1: According to this scenario, the abductor spent two hours at the Chan residence. This seems like a long time compared to what was achieved (phone line left intact, victims were not adults),
Question 1: When did the abductor really entered the Chans house?
Question 2: What happened once the abductor was inside the Chans house (granular timeline)?
Weakness 2: Karmein becoming uncooperative after leaving her home, it might have been difficult for the abductor to enter his lair stealthily
Question 3: Could you buy asthma medication without a prescription in 1991?
Question 4: Was the abductor suffering from asthma himself?
Question 5: What was the entry point to the SEC Terminal Station in Thomastown (North, South, other)?
Question 6: Coming North towards the SEC Terminal Station, the abductor would have had to get over one wire fence. Coming South, he might have had to deal with one or two closed gates depending on his entry point. How did he do that?

Scenario KC003

This scenario is the ideal one from the abductor’s point of view, how he expected things to go.

Parameters

Scenario	Current
Code	KC003
Perpetrator	Cruel
Compliance	Total
Lair	Yes
Face reveal	No
Asthma	No
ECI	No
Phone line	Cut
Stolen items	Yes
Behavior	Gentle
Graffiti	Yes
Weapon	Knife
Duration	Up to 1 week
Karmein status	Alive

Overview

Perpetrator: The criminal known as Mr Cruel abducted Karmein Chan
Compliance: Total. Karmein was totally cooperative
Lair: Yes, Karmein Chan went to the abductor’s lair
Face reveal: No. Karmein Chan didn’t see the face of her abductor
Asthma: No, Karmein Chan didn’t suffer a asthma-related medical episode
ECI: No. The man holding the gun in the Edgars Creek Incident wasn’t Mr Cruel
Phone line: Cut
Stolen items: Yes, clothes
Duration: Karmein Chan would have been held captive for up to one week
Karmein status: Karmein would have been released in a quiet location, alive

Scenario KC004

In this scenario, some sort of mafia (possibly vietnamese) is responsible for Karmein Chan’s fate.

Parameters

Scenario	Ideal	Current
Code	KC003	KC004
Perpetrator	Cruel	Mafia
Compliance	Total	Total
Lair	Yes	No
Face reveal	No	No
Asthma	No	No
ECI	No	No
Phone line	Cut	Intact
Stolen items	Yes	No
Behavior	Gentle	Rough
Graffiti	Yes	No
Weapon	Knife	Gun
Duration	Up to 1 week	Less than 1 hour
Karmein status	Alive	Not alive

Perpetrator: Karmein Chan has been executed by a mafia; most certainly related to her father’s businesses (refusal to pay “protection” money, refusal to launder dirty money, refusal to store illegal goods, …)
Compliance: Total. Karmein wouldn’t have been able to resist a killer sent by a mafia
Lair: No, everything would have been done inside the Chan residence. No abduction
Face reveal: No
Asthma: No
ECI: No
Phone line: Intact. The mafia wouldn’t have felt the need to cut the phone line
Stolen items: No
Graffiti: The mafia is not known to leave messages as a signature

Overview

7.30PM John Chan leaves his home to go to work with his wife Phyllis at their restaurant
8.15PM Karmein is in her bedroom with her two younger sisters Karly and Karen
8.30PM The abductor enters the Chan house via one of the windows of the living room
8.40PM Karmein and Karly unexpectedly bump into the abductor while on their way to the kitchen
9PM The abductor executes Karmein Chan
9.05PM The abductor leaves the house
It is clear that line of events does not match what happened at the Chan residence

Scenario KC005

This scenario is almost identical to KC001; the main difference is the emphasis put on the face reveal rather than a potential asthma-related medical episode.

Parameters

Scenario	Ideal	Current
Code	KC003	KC005
Perpetrator	Cruel	Cruel
Compliance	Total	None
Lair	Yes	No
Face reveal	No	Yes
Asthma	No	No
ECI	No	Yes
Phone line	Cut	Intact
Stolen items	Yes	Yes
Behavior	Gentle	Gentle
Graffiti	Yes	Yes
Weapon	Knife	Knife + Gun
Duration	Up to 1 week	Less than 12 hours
Karmein status	Alive	Not alive

Perpetrator: The criminal known as Mr Cruel abducted Karmein Chan
Compliance: None. Karmein resisted her abductor
Lair: No, but we consider the abductor’s lair was located in Fawkner
Face reveal: Yes. Karmein Chan saw the face of her abductor
Asthma: No, Karmein Chan didn’t suffer a medical episode in that scenario
ECI: Yes. The man holding the gun in the Edgars Creek Incident was Mr Cruel Karmein Chan didn’t go to the abductor’s lair

Overview

Saturday 13 April 1991
- 7.30PM John Chan leaves his home to go to work with his wife Phyllis at their restaurant
- 7.40PM The abductor tampers with the electric gate and spray paints the red utility car of the family
- 8.15PM Karmein is in her bedroom with her two younger sisters Karly and Karen
- 8.20PM The abductor enters the Chan house via one of the windows of the living room
- 8.40PM Karmein and Karly unexpectedly bump into the abductor while on their way to the kitchen
- 9PM The abductor looks around for clothes he could take for Karmein to wear once they are back at his lair
- 9.30PM The abductor decides to leave the house
- 9.35PM The abductor walks Karmein to his vehicle parked further down Church Road
- 9.40PM – 10.20PM The 40 minutes drive to the abductor’s lair in Fawkner is a disaster. The situation escalates to a point of no return
- 10.30PM See The Gilbert Road Incident section
- 11PM The abductor drives towards Thomastown
- 11.30PM Karmein Chan is left near the Thomastown SEC Terminal Station

Media reviews

Shocking Australian True-Crime Stories

Title: “Dirty Dozen – Shocking Australian True-Crime Stories”
Reference: ISBN 978-1-74066-572-8
Media: Printed book
Release date: 2003
Author: Paul Anderson
Link