Naked City

One of the underworld's old guard passed away quietly this year.Charlie Wootton didn’t need to be well known to be well respected in shadows occupied by hard men, controlling Melbourne’s illegal gaming industry long before the glittering behemoth of Crown casino.Though he posted death notices paying tribute to notorious crooks killed in the gangland war, Wootton was determined to keep a low profile, never mentioning the names of the celebrities and politicians who would attend his illegal gaming dens.Today, his son Robert Wootton talks to John Silvester in an unusual episode of Naked City. Unusual because decades ago, those same gaming houses run by Charlie Wootton were the target of Sly’s father, a respected gaming detective by the name of Fred Silvester.
Further reading/listening
The singing detective, Naked City, season one.
John Silvester's latest story – 'Greed and hubris: The inside story of a legal scandal.'
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On April 21, 1976, six bandits raided the Victoria Club where Melbourne’s biggest bookies were settling their accounts with cash. No one knows the exact figure, but the take was supposed to be in the vicinity of $15 million.Just after the armed robbery, and a few kilometres away at a pub in the suburb of Windsor, Greg Carroll was meeting his brother, Ian Revell Carroll.Greg remembers the smirk on his brother’s face when news of the robbery broke while they tucked into lunch.What he didn’t know was that his brother was one of the six bandits behind one of Australia’s most notorious, and successful, heists.Today, Greg speaks to John Silvester about the genius of the stick-up and then, the curse of the Great Bookie Robbery.
For more:
Gregory M Carroll's book '11 Minutes'
A tour of the Naked City: Melbourne's crime secrets revealed by John Silvester.
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A couple of months ago we held a night for subscribers to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, a conversation with John Silvester, hosted by crime and justice reporter Erin Pearson.
We recorded the whole thing and so for today’s episode, we bring you this special episode with Sly.
In the conversation, Sly shared how he became a journalist and then all the highlights from his long career – from the gangland war in Melbourne and his dealings with Carl Williams, how a Christmas card from Mark "Chopper" Read sparked a long relationship, and what was so different about Erin Patterson, who was convicted - and since appealed - of the notorious mushroom murder case.
You too can have access to nights like this by becoming a subscriber.
Background reading, watching and listening:
Sly’s latest column – ‘You’re gunna get it’: How police stared down a double-murderer and prevented further carnage
A tour of the Naked City: Melbourne's crime secrets revealed by John Silvester
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Brian Coghlan is laid back, an asset he was able to use in his workplace. As a prison officer, he quickly learnt that being seen as a good guy around bad people was the key to life behind bars.For 26 years at Port Phillip Prison, he dealt with the worst society had to offer – sex offenders, serial killers and manipulative mass murderers who knew they were destined to die in jail.He spent most of those years working in the top-level protection unit that housed the likes of Peter Dupas, Julian Knight, Raymond "Mr Stinky" Edmunds and the Bega schoolgirl killers.Coghlan decided very early to deal with each inmate on the basis of how they behaved in jail, not what they did to get there.In this episode, he talks to John Silvester about the tricks to surviving in jail, as an inmate and as a prison officer, and his unique insight into some of the country’s worst inmates.

Background reading/viewing
John Silvester's full story on Brian Coghlan – 'Dealing with Victoria's most notorious killers'.
John Silvester's latest column – '$500 to firebomb: How crime gangs are outsourcing Melbourne’s Bar Wars.'
Foreign Correspondent, ABC, 'The man from Tobasco: The story of Carlos Cabal Peniche.'
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Barry Michael was a professional boxer who made his name in the ring as a smart and brave fighter with a kit of wicked body punches.Alphonse John Gangitano, a mobster who preferred a king hit to a fair fight, was in the corner of the talented Lester Ellis when Michael took Ellis’ world title.The trouble was, Gangitano wanted the title back.In today’s episode of Naked City with John Silvester, Michael recounts what happened when Gangitano ambushed him in a Melbourne nightclub, and what happened when "Sly" took him on in the ring.

Background reading
John Silvester’s story on Barry Michael.
All of John Silvester’s stories and columns.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.