Crispin Dye (Unsolved Murder)

For seven years Crispin Dye had been the manager of Australian rock band AC/DC. He was a talented song writer and musician in his own right and during the early 1990s released his first solo album. Shortly before Christmas 1993 Crispin, aged 41, travelled to his mother's home in Sydney to spend the festive period with her. On the night of the 22nd December Crispin went out with friends to celebrate the success of his album. In the early hours of the following morning, after separating from his friends, Crispin was found lying face down on the pavement. He had sustained a head injury and was in cardiac arrest. Two days later Crispin passed away in hospital. Some suspected that Crispin had been the victim of a LGBTIQ hate crime but the NSW police were not so sure. The investigation has been dogged with criticism over the years but several persons of interest have surfaced, including a previously unknown individual in 2023 after a DNA breakthrough.

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Transcript

Crispin Dye

It was Christmas week 1993 and 41 year old Crispin Dye wanted to celebrate. The talented musician, songwriter and producer had released his debut album “A Heart like Mine” the previous year and it had begun to gain traction. It was proving a hit with critics and music fans alike, both at home in Australia and around the world. Crispin released the album under the stage name “Cris Kemp” (Kemp was his mother’s maiden name). 

Previously Crispin had worked for Albert Music, a music publishing and production company, since the mid 1970s. He was involved in supporting numerous artists, including the hugely successful rock band AC/DC. He eventually ended up becoming the band's manager, serving in that role for 7 years, and winning a Gold record for their 1985 album “Fly on the Wall”.

Now it was Crispin’s turn to flex his creative muscles. It must have been very satisfying for him to know the songs he had composed and performed were bringing joy to so many people.

Crispin split his time between Cairns, in the far north of Queensland, and Sydney, New South Wales, where his mother Jean lived. In December 1993 he was visiting his mother for the holiday season and was keen to meet up and socialise with old friends and acquaintances.

Not a lot is known about Crispin’s movements during the early part of Wednesday December 22nd 1993. During the afternoon he withdrew a total of $70 Australian dollars from two separate ATMS, one in Chatswood the other in Paddington. He may have met up with two friends during the afternoon for drinks, though this has never been fully established. At 5pm he telephoned another friend to try and arrange drinks for that evening, though no firm arrangements were made. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 28 December 1993, Crispin rang his mother at 6.30pm and told her that he was planning a night on the town with some friends. 

Between 6 and 7pm Crispin was at the Bellevue Hotel on Hargraves Street, Paddington, just a few km east of the city centre. Here he met a friend and former colleague for dinner and drinks. Crispin got chatting to the waiter and manager of the hotel and made vague plans to meet up with them later that evening.

Crispin and his former colleague then went to the Paddington Inn on Oxford Street in the heart of Sydney, arriving sometime between 8.10 and 8.30pm. Here the pair met some acquaintances, 3 men and a woman, and they all had drinks together. Crispin was seen having a coffee, two schooners of beer, a glass of champagne and water. 

At 10pm Crispin left the Paddington Inn on his own and went to Gilligan's bar, which was situated above the Oxford Hotel on the north western corner of Oxford and Bourke Streets in Darlinghurst. The people he had been with at the Paddington Inn joined him at around 10.30pm, although some of their recollections differed and put the time much later than this, at nearly midnight.

While at Gilligan’s, witnesses saw Crispin speaking to a quote “effeminate male” at the bar and five other men. He consumed more alcohol in the form of wine and beer and was also drinking iced water. Crispin then went downstairs to the Oxford Tavern, which was a known gay bar. 

At 1.30am the friends and acquaintances he had been with all night left Gilligans and went to the Courthouse Hotel which is directly opposite. Crispin stayed at the Oxford Tavern. He was seen by several people in the possession of a black and brown wallet containing money. He also had on his person a pair of country road glasses and some compact discs. 

The friends and acquaintances then left the Courthouse Hotel and made their separate ways home. They did not see Crispin again.

The waiter and manager of the Bellevue Hotel where Crispin had eaten dinner bumped into Crispin outside the Oxford Hotel. Crispin seemed very drunk but happy. They invited him to play pool with them at Flinders Hotel. Crispin agreed and carried on drinking at this establishment. A bar worker at Flinders later said Crispin was talking very loudly and gave the impression he was looking for male company, though he saw no one with him. 

Crispin left Flinders at 2.45am and turned left onto Flinders Street. The two employees from the Bellevue Hotel who had been playing pool with him did not see him leave. They left a short time later and did not see Crispin again. 

At 4.00am Crispin was refused service at the Courthouse Hotel. Staff there said Crispin was very drunk and had a complete lack of motor coordination. On being refused service Crispin did not kick up a fuss or appear agitated, he simply sighed and left, turning left onto Oxford Street. 

Ten minutes later the bar worker from Flinders Hotel saw Crispin near a bus stop on Oxford Street opposite Gilligans Hotel. Crispin was said to be walking normally, though obviously intoxicated and talking to himself. It is believed he may have been in search of a taxi to take him back to his mother’s house. This is the last sighting of Crispin.

At 4.35am a man driving to work stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Campbell Street and Bourke Street. He noticed three men on the northern side of Campbell Street, standing around a large object on the ground. The men bent over and began picking it up and moving it around. They then grabbed something from the object and ran off, heading west along Campbell Street on the northern pavement.

It was only then that the witness in the car realised that the object was in fact a man lying face down on the ground. The witness quickly drove off in search of a police station. (Remember this was a long time before mobile phones were commonplace). He travelled down Campbell Street and turned north into Crown Street. Here he saw the three men running west into Goulburn Street. The witness made a turn into Oxford Street where he saw the men again. This time they were walking in a westerly direction along the southern pavement of Oxford street. Soon after the witness arrived at Surry Hills police station and reported what he had seen.

Moments after the three men had fled the scene and the witness driving the car had gone in search of the police station, a man from the Surry Hills  area of the city was walking down a small lane at the back of Kinselas Nightclub. This is on the northern side of Campbell Street close to the intersection with Little Oxford Street and near Taylor Square in Darlinghurst. It is just a five minute walk from Flinders Bar where Crispin had been playing pool just an hour or so before.

On the floor and lying on his stomach was a man, later confirmed to be Crispin Dye. It was dark and the passerby could not clearly see what was wrong. He bent down and touched Crispin which caused him to  grunt. The passerby was unsure what to make of this (I presume he thought Crispin was inebriated). He walked away to find his friend, from whom he had become separated. When the passerby returned a short time later the police were present at the scene. 

The police officers attempted to help Crispin and quickly discovered he was badly injured. There were abrasions to the face, blood was coming out of the nose and the left eye was visibly swollen. The officers looked for identification but could not find a wallet. They did note that several coins ($3.30 in total) were scattered on the ground nearby.

Paramedics arrived to find Crispin about 60cm from the northern curb of Campbell Street. His head was in an easterly direction, his feet westerly. He was alive but in cardiac arrest. He was blue, unconscious, not breathing and there was no cardiac output. The paramedics used a defibrillator and commenced CPR. At 4.50am specialist intensive care paramedics arrived to lend support.

At 5.07am he was taken to nearby St Vincent's Hospital where it was soon discovered that Crispin had suffered a major head injury. He had petechial hemorrhages, facial fractures and was in cardiac arrest. His blood alcohol level was at 0.27% which is very high. (Once the level reaches 0.30% there is a risk of alcohol poisoning and death.) Crispin then underwent cardiac resuscitation, intubation and ventilation. He remained in a coma and at 1.30pm on December 23rd was transferred to the specialist care unit at St George's Hospital in Kogarah. At 6.30pm on Christmas Day his life support machine was turned off and Crispin Dye passed away at age 41. 

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Crispin Wilson Dye was born on June 1st 1952 in Sydney, Australia to parents Jean and Ian. Ian passed away ten years prior to his son's murder.  Crispin had one sibling, a brother, Brenton, who was one year his senior. In 1965, after attending Killara Prep School which was part of Newington College, Crispin graduated to the senior part of the school. Here he demonstrated a passion for the arts, often participating in creative endeavors, including co-composing original music for the school production of “The Tempest”. During his time at the college Crispin was also involved in publishing the school magazine. In his latter years there he was a vocal supporter of his pacifist headteacher who campaigned against conscription for the Vietnam war. In 1971 Crispin commenced studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of New South Wales, where he continued campaigning against the war in Vietnam.

By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, Crispin had begun carving out a niche for himself within Australia’s music industry. One of his most notable roles was managing AC/DC during the height of their global success. Crispin also managed another Australian rock band: Rose Tattoo, and worked closely with Sydney-based band the Easybeats. He was associated with many other artists including singer and guitarist Margaret Roadknight. 

Despite being often associated with rock acts Crispin’s passion was for love songs. He was a gifted singer and played piano and guitar beautifully. His life cruelly ended just as his debut album was beginning to receive significant airplay and commercial success. In the aftermath of Crispin’s murder his mother Jean Dye told the Sydney Morning Herald that her son was quiet, non-violent and creative. Music was his life. Others described Crispin as a fun-loving, friendly and decent man. Gentle and kind are also words friends chose to expound on Crispin’s character.

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, whom Crispin had been influential in bringing to the band after the death of Bon Scott in 1980, said he was devastated at the news. The band's lead guitarist Angus Young told the media that Crispin was a great guy and that he couldn't believe what had happened to him.  

A post-mortem was carried out by Dr Liliana Schwartz on December 27th 1993. The injuries sustained by Crispin included fractures to the left zygoma, left mandibular condyle and both orbital plates. There was also damage to the greater horns of the thyroid cartilage. Crispin had experienced a traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and the cause of death was given as head injury. 

The left side of the head and face had been struck three times. One blow had impacted just left of the left eye, another on the bridge of the nose and one on the left side of the forehead above the eyebrow. There was also bruising around the mouth and a scratch on the left side of the jaw. 

The murder weapon was believed to be a blunt instrument and, based on a square shaped abrasion above the left eyebrow, a baton or a cricket bat may have been used. 

There were also minor injuries such as bruises and scratches on the limbs, including the left hand and both shins. These latter wounds may have resulted when Crispin fell to the hard ground.

The post-mortem examination showed that at his time of death Crispin had acute bronchopneumonia and acute pancreatitis. 

The New South Wales (NSW) police response to the attack on Crispin started within minutes of him being found. 

The witness who had been stopped at traffic lights when he had seen  three men standing around Crispin's body described them as being Pacific islanders. This term is commonly used to describe people from 16.01  Melanesia, (e.g Solomon Islanders, Solomon Islands) Micronesia, (e.g Marshallese from the Marshall Islands) and Polynesia (e.g New Zealand Maori, New Zealand), though it can refer to any people from any island in the Pacific.

Several other witnesses reported seeing these men in the vicinity. These included a security guard from the Courthouse Hotel, a married couple, and two men who had been threatened by three men just a couple of days before Crispin’s murder. All the suspects looked to be aged 17-20 and around 5 ft 11, 180 cm with slim to medium build. Two of the men had shoulder length hair and were wearing shirts with baggy trousers. The other wore a baseball cap, t-shirt and grey knee length shorts.

The police drove around the area with the witness to see if they could spot the men. Bus drivers were quizzed to see if they remembered any passengers who resembled the suspect descriptions. Unfortunately the three individuals had disappeared. Though there is no direct evidence that the men standing over the body had attacked Crispin, in all likelihood these three young males were involved in his death, as they made no attempt to help the man and have never come forward to the auhtorities. They remain suspects in this case. 

Within days Task Force Barcoo was established to investigate Crispin's murder. Detective Senior Constable Deanne Stanley asked for anyone who had seen Crispin in Darlinghurst or Paddington late on the evening of December 22nd or early the following morning to come forward. Descriptions of the three young suspects were released, together with computer generated images. These composites were put together using new technology, far more sophisticated than previous software programs. The images were based on information from several witnesses. Two versions of one of the suspects were created as there was uncertainty over the description.

One of the many controversies surrounding the murder of Crispin Dye concerns the motive. From early on in the investigation many of Crispin’s friends believed he had been the victim of a hate crime and that he had been targeted because of his sexuality. Trying to define Crispin’s sexuality is difficult as he had not spoken publicly about it. Having said that, the evidence seems to suggest that Crispin was gay or bisexual.

In 2022 a Special commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes was established.  (In the UK we typically use LGBTQIA+ but I will use LGBTIQ in this episode, as this is what the inquiry was titled). I will go into more detail about this inquiry later. At the inquiry a friend of Crispin who spoke said he believed Crispin was gay or bisexual though he was not “out”. He did not frequent the gay scene but had told his mother about his sexuality shortly before his death. Another friend who had known Crispin since 1973 said he knew he had relationships with men but may also have had relationships with women. Crispin had confided in this friend that he was worried that people wouldn't buy his music if they knew he was gay. Crispin added that people in the music business didn't know he was gay. Yet another good friend said he was aware that Crispin was gay and didn't think he had relationships with women. He also confirmed that Crispin had told his mother shortly before his death that he was gay.

From the 1970’s onward Sydney had seen a rise in crimes targeting members of the LGBTIQ community and it was thought that Crispin may have fallen victim to hatred and homophobia. There was also a view held by some that the police did not investigate hate crimes as vigorously as they should due to homophobia in their own ranks. NSW had only decriminalised sex between gay men in 1984 and there was a feeling amongst many in the gay community that violence targeting LGBTIQ people was often not properly investigated.

Police have said that they were aware of Crispin’s sexuality from early on in the investigation but they saw no evidence of a hate crime. They believed the motive was robbery. This was based on the fact that Crispin's wallet was missing. He had been seen with a wallet earlier in the night and witness statements described three suspects taking something from his unconscious body.  The area was a known hotspot for robberies and muggings. A police spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald on January 3rd 1994 that the attack on Crispin had been spontaneous and he had not been selected for any particular reason. It would appear police surmised Crispin had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I will come back to the debate concerning motive a little later.

About a month into the investigation another image of a suspect was released. This had been compiled by FACE (Facial automated composition and editing). The previous three images were still in circulation but this had been put together after an investigation into another violent incident that had taken place on Brougham Street, Woolloomooloo, just an hour or so before the attack on Crispin. Woolloomooloo is about a 20 minute walk north of where Crispin was found lying in the street. A man had been attacked and robbed and the crime bore striking similarities to Crispin's case.

The suspect in this incident was described as a Pacific Islander, aged 20, He was 5 ft 11 or 180 cm with a medium, muscular build. He had a medium to dark complexion, and had collar length black dreadlocks.

He was wearing a collared shirt, baggy jeans and a baseball cap, possibly with a “Chicago Bulls” or “New York Yankees” logo. Another man was sought who was believed to be with the suspect. He was described as Mediterranean in appearance, 6ft 183cm with a thin build. As we shall soon see, the release of this image did bear fruit.

As well as chasing down suspects the police had several exhibits in evidence from the crime scene to examine, such as the clothing Crispin had been wearing that night. This included blue denim jeans, brown belt, denim shirt, white t-shirt, maroon shoes and maroon socks.

Feces were found on the shoes and jeans and blood was found on the front of the t-shirt. This latter item was sent for testing and it was confirmed the blood belonged to Crispin. No shoe prints or trace evidence were said to have been found on the clothing. None of the items were sent for DNA testing. This would not happen for a further three decades.

On January 9th a wallet was handed in to a police station in Cairns after it had been found in a bin. The wallet contained Crispin’s drivers license, Metway Bank card, Medicare card and other business cards and papers belonging to Crispin. This turned out to be a red herring as this wallet had  been reported missing by Crispin before he traveled to Sydney.

A fortnight later on January 21st 1994 a small package was received by Crispin's brother Brenton at Crispin's home in Cairns, Queensland. Inside the package was Crispin's health care card and Ansett frequent flyer card. They had been handed into an Ansett travel office in Sydney on December 23rd and posted back to Queensland. The member of staff who took in the cards and posted them was never traced. These items were sent for fingerprinting but with no result. 

The following month a wallet was handed in to an inner city legal centre in Sydney containing Crispin's Medway bank card. The man who handed in the wallet claimed he had picked it up by mistake in a McDonald's restaurant. The wallet also contained a Filipino passport belonging to a man known as NP221 and loan agreement for another individual known as I320. Eventually after much detective work it was discovered that I320 had gifted the wallet to NP221. NP221 had then found Crispin's Medway card in the street and put it inside the wallet. NP221 worked at Mcdonalds. After investigation NP221 was discounted as a person of interest in the case. 

The actual wallet Crispin was using when he was murdered is thought to be a black “Artex” wallet bought for him by his brother. This has never been found. 

A coronial inquest into Crispin’s death took place in 1995 and the case has been reopened several times over the years as new information has come to light. As a result there have been several persons of interest put forward by NSW police at various points over the course of the investigation.

The following lead never really led to a person of interest but I will briefly give some details. In May 1994 the Drug Enforcement Agency told detectives investigating the murder of Crispin Dye about an informant who had shared with them some pertinent information. The informant told of a young man “Robbie” who said he had witnessed the assault on Crispin Dye on December 23rd 1993. “Robbie” claimed that he knew or could find out the identities of two of the men. He alleged the assault had been motivated by hatred of the LGBTIQ community. After investigation it was concluded that Robbie did not actually have information that could help solve the case.

The first real person of interest was identified following the FACE computer image created in response to the separate robbery in Woolloomooloo. If you remember, this had occurred an hour before the attack on Crispin. This man, referred to as NP128, was arrested on June 14th 1994 on an unrelated matter. While under interview he admitted witnessing an assault whilst he was walking along Little Oxford Street in the early hours of Thursday December 23rd 1993. 

NP128 said he was in the company of another man I327 and some other people from Redfern. Redfern is a suburb just to the south of the centre of Sydney. NP128 had good knowledge of the timing and location of the assault without being informed of these details by police. NP128 claimed he had seen five men assault Crispin after which he had run off to smoke marijuana.

The man NP128 said he was with that night, I327, was interviewed and gave a similar version of events. I327 died in March 1994.

In July 1994 NP128 was interviewed again but now gave a different account. He now said he had been mistaken and had been thinking of another incident. He wasn't in Sydney on the night of December 22nd to 23rd he was a seven hour drive away in the town of Moree, NSW. Family and friends provided him with an alibi which backed this story up. At the 1995 inquest State Coroner Derrick Hand said he didn't believe NP128’s story, but there wasn't sufficient evidence to tie him to the murder of Crispin 

Dye. The Submissions of Counsel Assisting (a report from the lawyers) dated 22 August 2023 from the Special Commission Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes states that there are inconsistencies with the alibis given by friends and family of NP128.  

In a letter written to the special commission of inquiry, retired detective Geoffrey Knight, who had taken a lead role in the investigation, said he was committed to the belief that the man known as NP128 was responsible, either on his own or with others, for Crispin’s death. In his view at the very least he was present and a witness with knowledge of what had happened. 

The second person of interest, NP127, came on the radar via a tip given to police on May 14th 1994. According to this information NP127 had boasted about assaulting and robbing gay men in Sydney with an accomplice, known as NP227. Two men believed to be NP127 and NP227 approached a police informant in the Kings Cross area of Sydney looking to buy Rohypnol in order to drug gay men and rob them when they were unconscious. NP127 was also a suspect in a murder from April 1994. 

NP227 died of a drug overdose in June 1994 and ultimately police could not find sufficient evidence to connect NP127 with Crispin's murder. NP127 did bear a resemblance to the suspect description but other than that there was nothing to indicate he had been involved.

In January 1996 NSW police received information about a third person of interest in the case. Whilst on remand for two separate murders at Long Bay Correctional Centre, 22 year old Richard Leonard had been heard by a fellow inmate discussing the murder of Crispin Dye. In March 1996, through a covert operation, Leornard, whilst using a ouija board, was recorded seemingly making a confession to the assault on Crispin Dye. Leonard claimed another man was with him at the time of the assault.

According to the confession, while out in Darlinghurst Leonard saw a man he assumed was gay and attacked him with a mental baton. He only found out through newspapers several days later that the man had died. The man who was with Leonard was questioned and while he corroborated some of the story he said the man Leonard assaulted had been wearing shorts and had short hair. This did not match the description of Crispin Dye who was wearing jeans and had long hair.

Leonard was subsequently convicted of the 1994 murders of Steven Dempsey and Ezzedine Bahmad. The latter, a taxi driver and father of 6 was murdered by Leonard in a violent frenzy while Leonard was on LSD. The former was a member of the gay community. After murdering Stephen and dismembering him Leonard stored his remains in a refrigerator, often taking them out to display in his living room. In sentencing, the judge said Leonard had been motivated by anti-gay bias.

Over the next few years police looked hard at Leonard for Crispin’s murder. At one point it looked like charges might be made against him. However in 1999 it came to light that in the early hours of December 27th another man was assaulted on Bourke Street in Darlinghurst. This is just a stone's throw from where Crispin was attacked. It turned out this was the assault Richard Leonard had been referring to. He was dismissed as a person of interest and in 2001 it was confirmed no charges would be brought against him in connection with Crispin's murder. 

A new person of interest came to light three decades after Crispin's murder in the summer of 2023. The roots of this development started many years earlier. In 2005 the case was reviewed by the NSW Unsolved Homicide Team. It was unable to solve the case but put forward several recommendations. Only one was ever taken up, which was the implementation of a reward, though in truth this did not materialise until 2014. 100,000 Australian dollars was put up for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. DS Mark Willing said that there were people out there who knew what had happened to Crispin.

From this it appeared that police had not given up on solving the case. This was significant because around this time the Australian Institute of Criminology conducted research which questioned whether NSW police had thoroughly and sufficiently investigated certain deaths between 1976 and 2000. As a result of this research Strike Force Parrabell was set up by NSW police to look into a total of 88 unsolved deaths of gay men highlighted by the researchers to potentially display LGBTIQ bias.36.43 In other words they may have been victimised because of their sexuality. 

In 2018 the NSW police acknowledged their own and wider society's acceptance of what was commonly referred to as “gay bashing” and violence targeted towards gay men and other members of the LGBTIQ community. They added that some individuals had indeed been murdered because of their sexuality. 

Crispin Dye’s death was one of the cases studied by Strike Force Parrabell. It was said in this instance there was insufficient evidence to establish bias in the crime. They could not be sure a stranger could identify Crispin as being a member of the gay community just by looking at him. It was also said that from the evidence Crispin’s sexuality could not be confidently defined.

The debate surrounding LGBTIQ hate crimes continued and in April 2022 a Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes was established. It examined crimes from 1970 right through to 2010. The Special Commission had been recommended following a NSW parliamentary inquiry into gay and transgender hate crimes.

Under the auspices of Supreme Court Justice John Sackar one of the many unsolved deaths the inquiry examined was that of Crispin Dye. What was discovered was truly extraordinary. 

The inquiry discovered that no items from the crime scene, namely the clothes that Crispin had been wearing when he died, had ever been sent for DNA analysis. The police argued that in 1994 the technology was not up to scratch and testing would have been affected by other substances like the blue dye in the jeans. Due to technological limitations any information they were able to glean would only be useful if they had a suspect to test it against which they didn't at the time. However in the years after the initial investigation when the case had been reviewed no forensic testing had taken place. As recently as 2019 a forensic review had been recommended in the case but had not happened.

In February 2023 five items from the crime scene were submitted for testing. DNA from two individuals was located on the back pocket of Crispin's denim jeans. One of the profiles belonged to Crispin but the other was of an unknown male. Trace DNA from at least two people was also found on the jeans.

After running the unknown DNA profile through the national DNA database, the inquiry was alerted in June 2023 to a new person of interest. The sample matched a DNA profile taken from a crime scene in Glenwood, a suburb in north west Sydney. The incident, which was reported as a break and enter, occurred on February 10th 2002. The DNA sample had been taken from blood left on fragments of a smashed window.

The man who had left the blood was arrested at the scene. He had quite an extensive criminal history, including an arrest for assaulting someone with a metal bar on December 30th 1993 in the Mount Druitt suburb of Sydney. (This was just a week after Crispin was murdered). Five days later on January 4th 1994 the man assaulted a German tourist near the Kings Cross area of the city. This new person of interest was referred to by police as NP252. He could not be brought in to be questioned about the murder of Crispin Dye as he had died by suicide at the end of 2002 before investigative proceedings concerning the break-in had been completed. 

The inquiry found that while forensic evidence proved that NP252 had physical contact with Crispin on the night he was murdered, it was unclear whether NP252 played a role in his death. They were unable to draw any conclusions in this matter.

The inquiry could only rue the fact that this DNA evidence was not found earlier. 

The inquiry found other oversights and failures within the investigation into Crispin’s murder.

During the testing of evidence in 2023 human hairs were found on Crispin's white t-shirt. These had been missed by the original investigation. A partial DNA profile was taken from them and run through the national DNA database. There were no matches. The sample is too degraded to withstand further testing but it is hoped that in the near future technological advances will allow for this. 

In February 2023 the inquiry became aware of two paper notes that had remained undiscovered in the top left pocket of Crispin's denim shirt. One was a yellow post in note which contained a name and phone number. This person was a friend of Crispin who had met up with him during his stay in Sydney. The friend was completely unaware that this note existed until he was told in March 2023.

The other note was a thicker piece of white card with “Davidoff Cool Water" written on it. This was folded inside the yellow post and had a brown stain which looked like blood on it. It was later proved to be Crispin’s blood. These items should have been found by the police on first inspection back in 1993 and sent for fingerprint and forensic analysis. 

It was also found that other evidentiary exhibits from the original investigation had gone missing. This included a set of keys found on Crispin when he died and the Ansett frequent flyer and bank cards that were handed in. There was confusion surrounding the record keeping and labeling of other items. For example one of the wallets that was handed in to police had been labeled the “deceased’s wallet” but as we learnt earlier it was not the one he had used that night. Due to poor labelling a baton found amongst the exhibits was erroneously thought be the murder weapon but had in fact been purchased by police to compare with the wound patterns on Crispin's head.

With all this in mind, Counsel Assisting Peter Gray and Meg O’Brien told the inquiry that there had been an “extraordinary failure” not to find and test evidence.

Other points of criticism the inquiry leveled at the investigation included the following:

In 1993 a paper note was found on Crispin’s person which had the name of a man followed by the word (parents) in brackets. This turned out to be a man Crispin had met in a sauna over the previous few days or so before his death. The man was called by police on Christmas Eve 1993 but no records of this call exist and the man was never asked to give a statement. The original of this note had been lost.

Information passed on to the police over the years was not chased up. This included information given by one time person of interest Richard Leonard's father.  In another example of this a witness statement given by a woman named Janet, was found during 2023. In February or March 1995 she had been with a group of women when the topic of Crispin Dye’s murder came up. One of the women, known as NP253, claimed she knew who had killed him. This lead was never followed up. Janet passed away in 2020 but it was said that the identity and whereabouts of NP253 is known to police.

A letter submitted to the Special Commission of Inquiry by retired Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Knight who had played a leading role in the initial investigation looked to rebut some of the criticisms leveled at the police. Crispin’s sexuality was looked into as a possible motive. There was no evidence that Crispin’s behaviour had suggested he was gay to his attackers, which made robbery the most likely motive. Regardless of motive, the police officers involved in the investigation carried out their job with no prejudice regarding Crispin's sexuality.

While he agreed there had been oversights he stated that all police officers acted with integrity and with the intention of bringing those responsible to justice. He noted that during the 1995 inquest the coroner had praised the toughness of the investigation and the work of the NSW police force. There had been no criticisms of the police at that time.

The inquiry examined whether LGBTIQ bias was a factor in the crime. Arguments that point to this are as follows:

1. The location. Oxford Street is well known for its gay pubs and clubs. In the 1990’s it was a hotspot for attacks and robberies of gay people.
2. The fact that at least three men are suspected to be involved suggests a gang element to the crime. 
3. An organised hate group was active in the area at the time responsible for similar attacks.
4. Crispin was intoxicated when he was assaulted. If the objective had simply been to incapacitate him and to rob him then why use such excessive force.
5. Some of the persons of interest involved in the case have displayed clear LGBTIQ bias in alleged comments they have made. This includes NP128, NP127.
6. Number 6 Many of Crispin's friends had viewed it as a hate crime from the start. 

The police themselves have said that robbery doesn't preclude bias.

Professor of Policing and Social Sciences at the University of Tasmania, Nicole Asquith, told the inquiry that most LGBTIQ hate crime was opportunistic. With this in mind there is the possibility the attackers viewed members of the gay community as an easy target to rob. Likewise it could also be that after targeting Crispin and assaulting him the attackers took the opportunity to rob the dying man. The way motivation and bias interact is complex and not straightforward. 

While the motivations of those that assaulted Crispin Dye were unknown the inquiry found there was “objective reason” to suspect LGBTIQ+ bias.

As the Special Commission closed in November 2023 the grief and devastation experienced by many New South Wales families was recognised by the inquiry. Over the previous 18 months the inquiry had looked at 22 unsolved deaths of gay people and concluded that 14 could be classified as homicides. In a further 6 cases there was “objective reason” to suspect homicide. In all 20 deaths there was an “objective reason” to suspect LGBTIQ bias. As in the case of Crispin Dye there were other examples of new leads being generated in cold cases as a result of the inquiry. It is hoped that other states in Australia will implement similar special commissions of inquiry in an attempt to heal old wounds and move forward  especially considering there has been a rise in violence and opposition towards the LGBTIQ  community in recent years. 

Crispin Dye was an amazingly creative and kind person who at the age of 41 had already done so many interesting and fun things with his life, which was cut short just as a new chapter was beginning. This is definitely a case where there are numerous people out there who know who is responsible. Unfortunately both Crispin's mother and only brother have now passed but it is not too late to bring some peace to his many friends who continue to miss him.

If you have any information about the 1993 murder of Crispin Dye you can call New South Wales Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Sources

https://tinyurl.com/y7krpzfy