Murdered madam's daughter wants new inquiry
The daughter of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn, shot dead almost 40 years ago, wants an independent inquiry into her mother's unsolved murder.
She claims the case has been covered up for too long.
Ms Finn was shot four times in the head in June 1975 and there have long been allegations of police and political involvement in her notorious execution-style murder.
Her daughter Bridget Shewring has asked State Attorney-General Michael Mischin to take the case from WA Police, claiming they were not trying to solve it.
She claimed key evidence was lost or removed and witnesses ignored or intimidated, which compromised the investigation.
"How am I to know if there is any prospect of justice for my family when it appears that … negligence may have ruined any chance we have," she wrote.
Ms Shewring said it was getting even more important for authorities to act before key witnesses or suspects died.
Ms Shewring was 13 when her mother, dressed in a satin pleated ball gown, was killed in her car near Royal Perth Golf Club.
That night, Ms Finn, 33, sent her daughter to bed early and her lover Rosalie Black went out because a man was expected at their South Perth home for a private business meeting.
Police arrive at Shirley Finn's South Perth home.
Who he was and whether he arrived is a mystery but Ms Finn's body was found the next morning in her white Dodge Phoenix.
Ms Finn was one of three madams said to have a monopoly of Perth brothels and reportedly paid bribes for police protection while others were raided.
When she died, the flamboyant vice queen had a $100,000 tax bill and rumours abounded that she threatened to name people if she could not get help to pay it.
Detectives search near Royal Perth Golf Club in June 1975 for clues to the murder.
A royal commission into alleged police corruption in WA's prostitution industry was held five months after her murder and concluded claims police were "on the take" were a nonsense.
Ms Shewring also forwarded her request to Police Minister Liza Harvey and hopes the Government will ask police from another State to look into the case.
She said losing her mother that way at age 13 was "horrendous" and she wanted justice for her mum and her family.
Police Det-Insp. Casey Prins, from the special crime squad, said today that the investigation into Ms Finn’s murder was open and ongoing.
“WA Police remain committed to resolving this offence,” he said. “As the investigation remains open, all documentation will remain with WA Police.”
Anyone with information about the murder is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
