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The 'why' behind the book

The novel Blood Ties Bloody Lies was born out of a long-held frustration with “authority figures” who tell half-truths and apply a bias that is in their interests.

This frustration was reinforced having met, the late Andrew Mallard’s sister and her campaign to get his conviction overturned for the brutal murder of Jeweller, Pamela Lawrence. Later it was proven to be Simon Rockford, who died in jail.

I also had an interest in the cases of John Button and Darryl Beamish (a Deaf-mute) who were both wrongfully convicted of crimes committed by serial Killer Eric Cooke. Who terrorised the Western suburbs of Perth.

I recall my own memory of the events in the early 1960’s over concern at home about a serial killer loose and my Father assembling his .22 rifle and placing it next to the bed.

T J Ward

Estelle Blackburn - a passion for pursuing injustice and truth

I was fortunate to meet Estelle Blackburn while she was in Perth filming a documentary. We discussed parallels between her investigative work and my novel. She kindly agreed to provide the Foreword to the book:

I am an investigative journalist with a passion for pursuing injustice and truth. I agreed to write the foreword to Blood Ties – Bloody Lies because it has a similar theme to my award-winning book Broken Lives.

Broken Lives is about the notorious serial killer who changed the fabric of society in Perth, Western Australia – a city in which, in the early nineteen sixties, people never locked their cars or houses. A once innocent and carefree Perth became frightened, insular and under siege.

My research uncovered many inconsistencies and purposely hidden evidence in two cases – the conviction of John Button for killing his girlfriend by running her down and the conviction of Darryl Beamish for a gruesome axe murder. When finally apprehended, Eric Edgar Cooke confessed to both murders in great detail that only the perpetrator could know. Yet the justice system could not admit its error. Button’s and Breamish’s bios and photos are in the Appendix to this book.

While Blood Ties – Bloody Lies is a fictional story of secrets and lies, it is a believable account of choosing your friends wisely and how prejudice and injustice impact on those around them. I resonate strongly with the character Kate, the Community Legal Aid lawyer and her actions, as they mirror my journey in uncovering the truth, in my case the wrongful convictions of John and Darryl and malfeasance by both police and judiciary in prosecuting their cases.

Not only is Blood Ties – Bloody Lies a good read, but also a cautionary tale about knowing when to tell the truth and when to speak up before events change beyond the point of no return. It shows how prejudice and injustice can divide a community. Yet when eventually called to account, the community healed those wounds.

I thoroughly recommend the book to you.

Estelle Blackburn

Note: Estelle Blackburn has earnt many awards for her investigative work, notably; the Order of Australia medal, the 2001 Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism, the WA Premier’s Book Award and WA Woman of the year for 2005.

T J Ward

The men who inspired the story

In the Preface to the book, I refer to the wrongfully convicted people that inspired this story and cannot end the story without acknowledging those who have been victims of the justice system at the hands of Eric Edgar Cooke, which brought them all together. The victim’s names and four stories and photos are below:

Serial killer Eric Cooke’s victims included: Jillian Macpherson Brewer, 22; Brian Weir, 29; John Sturkey, 19; George Walmsley, 54; Shirley Martha McLeod, 18; Constance Lucy Madrill, 24; Patricia Vinico Berkman, 33; and Rosemary Anderson, 17.

Eric Cooke was sentenced to death by hanging and was hanged at 8 a.m. on 26 October 1964. (the last person to be hanged in Western Australia).

Darryl Beamish

Darryl was a profoundly deaf teenager when charged with the 1959 axe murder of glamorous 22-year-old socialite and MacRobertson chocolate heiress Jillian Macpherson Brewer. It took some doing to get a signed confession from a semi-literate “deaf-mute.” A Detective wrote the confession and Darryl told to copy the notes and sign it. Darryl served 15 years before having his conviction quashed after serial Killer Eric Cooke confessed to the killing.

John Button

In February 1963 19-year-old Button argued with 17-year-old girlfriend Rosemary. She started to walk home. Button followed in his car but Anderson refused to get in and continued walking. Button later drove on to find Anderson lying injured and unconscious by the road. He took her to the surgery of a local physician, who summoned an ambulance to transfer her to hospital, where she died. The physician also called police, who took Button to Central Police Station after a short review of the site where Anderson had been injured. Button had a stutter, which police interpreted as nervousness. He was refused access to his parents or a lawyer and was hit at least once by a police officer. After 22 hours of interrogation he confessed to killing Anderson. Button was charged with wilful murder, for which he could have been executed, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge of manslaughter, for which he was sentenced to 10 years. His conviction was also quashed after serial Killer Eric Cooke confessed to the killing.

Eric Edgar Cooke

Eric Cooke was born with a hare lip and a cleft palate, for which he had one operation when he was three months old and another when he was 3 years old. Surgical operations to repair the deformities were not totally successful and left him with a slight facial deformity, and he spoke in a mumble; these handicaps made him the target of bullying at school. His alcoholic father was violent and regularly beat Eric and he suffered brain damage as a result.

T J Ward

The 'why' behind the book

Andrew Mallard was wrongfully convicted in 1995 of the murder of Pamela Lawrence, a Mosman Park Jewellery shop owner. Andrew was sentenced to life imprisonment at the age of 32. Almost 12 years later, after two Supreme Court appeals and finally an appeal to the High Court, his conviction was quashed and a retrial ordered. Andrew was released from prison in 2006. At the time, the Director of Public Prosecutions stated; “that Mallard remained the prime suspect and that if further evidence became available he may still be prosecuted. Andrew was paid compensation by the WA state government. Later in 2006, police conducted a ‘cold-case’ review of the Lawrence murder. As a result, they uncovered sufficient evidence to charge already convicted murderer Simon Rochford with the murder of Pamela Lawrence and eliminate Mallard as a suspect. After being publicly named as the suspect, Rochford committed suicide in Albany Prison.

Tragically, Andrew Mallard’s life was ended in April 2019. He was killed by a hit and run driver while crossing Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

T J Ward

The Character called Scooter

Scooter, who has Down’s syndrome, is one of the characters in Blood Ties Bloody Lies. To some his quirky nature might be over the top. However we shouldn’t be too quick to judge him.

We all filter what we say and what we do every day, whether we realise it or not.

This can be more of a challenge for kids with Down’s Syndrome who appear to have no social filters and might say what’s on their mind or act out things without intent. Where those things might be inappropriate based on the context or situation in which the social interaction occurs.