the Shark Arm Case
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The Shark Arm case refers to a series of incidents that began in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, on 25 April 1935 when a human arm was regurgitated by a captive 3.5-metre tiger shark, subsequently leading to a
murder investigation Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include Search and seizure, searching, interviews, interrogations, Evidence (law), ...
and trial.


Discovery of the arm

In mid-April, a tiger shark was caught from
Coogee Beach Coogee Beach may refer to: *Coogee, New South Wales, beach in Sydney, NSW, Australia *Coogee, Western Australia Coogee is a southern coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn. History The suburb takes its ...
and transferred to the Coogee Aquarium Baths, where it was put on public display. Within a week, it became ill and vomited in front of a small crowd, leaving the left hand and forearm of a man bearing a distinctive tattoo floating in the pool. Before it was captured, the tiger shark had devoured a smaller shark. It was this smaller shark that had originally swallowed the human arm.


Investigation

Fingerprints A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surf ...
lifted from the hand identified the arm as that of former
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
and small-time criminal James "Jim" Smith (born in England in 1890), who had been missing since 7 April 1935. Smith's arm and tattoo were also positively identified by his wife, Gladys Smith, and his brother, Edward Smith. Smith led a high-risk lifestyle, as he was also a police informer. Examination revealed that the limb had been severed with a knife, which led to a murder investigation. Three days later, the aquarium owners killed the shark and gutted it, hampering the initial police investigation. Early inquiries correctly led police to a Sydney businessman named Reginald William Lloyd Holmes (1892–1935). Holmes was a fraudster and smuggler who also ran a successful family boat-building business at Lavender Bay. Holmes had employed Smith several times to work
insurance scams Insurance fraud is any act committed to defraud an insurance process. It occurs when a claimant attempts to obtain some benefit or advantage they are not entitled to, or when an insurer knowingly denies some benefit that is due. According to the ...
, including one in 1934 in which an over-insured pleasure cruiser named ''Pathfinder'' was sunk near
Terrigal Terrigal is a coastal town in the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the local government area. History Terrigal was first settled in 1826 by European Settler John Gray, ...
. Shortly afterwards, the pair began a
racket Racket may refer to: * Racket (crime), a systematised element of organized crime ** Protection racket, a scheme whereby a group provides protection to businesses or other groups through violence outside the sanction of the law * Racket (sports equ ...
with Patrick Francis Brady (1889–1965), an ex-serviceman and convicted forger. With specimen signatures from Holmes' friends and clients provided by the boat-builder, Brady would forge cheques for small amounts against their bank accounts that he and Smith then cashed. Police were later able to establish that Smith had been blackmailing Holmes. Smith was last seen drinking and playing cards with Patrick Francis Brady at the Cecil Hotel in the southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla on 7 April 1935 after telling his wife he was going fishing. Brady had rented a small
cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...
in Taloombi Street, Cronulla at the time Smith went missing. Police alleged that Smith was murdered at this cottage. Port Hacking and Gunnamatta Bay were searched by the Navy and the Air Force, but the rest of Smith's body was never found. This caused problems for the prosecution when Brady was eventually brought to trial. Brady was arrested on 16 May and charged with the murder of Smith. A taxi driver testified that he had taken Brady from Cronulla to Holmes' address at 3 Bay View Street, McMahons Point on the day Smith had gone missing, and that "he was dishevelled, he had a hand in a pocket and wouldn't take it out... it was clear that ewas frightened." Initially, Holmes denied any association with Brady but four days later, on 20 May 1935, the businessman went into his
boatshed Boatsheds are generally lockable wooden sheds, often brightly colored, that were originally built to securely store small private boats and bathing materials directly on beaches. They are similar in appearance to beach huts (or "bathing boxes"), wi ...
and attempted
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
by shooting himself in the head with a .32 calibre
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
. However, the bullet instead flattened against the bone of his forehead and he was merely stunned. Revived after falling into the water, he crawled into his speedboat and led two police launches on a chase around
Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
for several hours until he was finally caught and taken to hospital.


Second murder

In early June 1935, Holmes decided to cooperate with the police in investigating the murder of Smith. He told Detective Sergeant Frank Matthews that Brady had killed Smith, dismembered his body and stowed it into a trunk that he had then thrown into Gunnamatta Bay. He then claimed Brady had come to his home, showed him the severed arm and threatened Holmes with murder if he did not receive £500 immediately. Holmes also admitted that after Brady had left his home, he travelled to the Sydney coastal suburb of Maroubra and discarded Smith's arm in the surf. On 11 June 1935, Holmes withdrew £500 from his account and late in the evening left home, telling his wife he had to meet someone. He was also very cautious as he left his home, accompanied by his wife to the door of his Nash sedan. Early the next morning, he was found dead in his car at Hickson Road,
Dawes Point Dawes Point is a suburb of the City of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The R ...
. He had been shot three times at close range. The crime scene was made to appear that Holmes had committed suicide, but forensic police had no doubt that he was murdered. Holmes had been due to give evidence at Smith's
inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
later that morning. Holmes was cremated at Northern Suburbs Crematorium on 13 June 1935. He left an estate valued at over £34,000 in 1935.


Coroner's inquest

The
Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
's inquest into Smith's death began on 12 June 1935 at the City Coroner's Court led by Mr. E.T. Oram, the same day Holmes was found dead in his car with gunshot wounds to his chest. Although Holmes was the inquest's star witness, he was never offered
police protection The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
before his testimony could be heard. Forensic evidence was examined by Professor Sydney Smith. The lawyer serving Brady, Clive Evatt KC (1900–1984), claimed to the coroner that there was not enough substance to begin the inquest. Evatt argued that an arm "did not constitute a body", and that Smith, minus his arm, could still be alive. The case is still unsolved. The inquest's most important witness, Holmes, was then dead; the case against Brady fell apart due to lack of
evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...
. ''The Shark Arm Murders'' suggests that Smith was killed by Brady on the orders of gangland figure Edward Frederick ("Eddie") Weyman, who was arrested while attempting to defraud a bank with a forged cheque in 1934 and later during a bank robbery, apparently due to information Smith had given to the police. Smith had been exposed as a police informant, and therefore would have been a target for assassination. The police charged Brady with the murder of Smith, although he was later acquitted. For the next 30 years, Brady steadfastly maintained that he was in no way connected to the murder of Smith. He died at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney on 18 April 1965, aged 76.


Cultural references

The investigation into the murder of Smith and his severed arm became legendary in Australia's legal history. It inspired the TV play ''
The Grey Nurse Said Nothing "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" is a television play written by Sumner Locke Elliott. It was based on elements of the Shark Arm case but is mostly fictitious. The play was screened in the US in 1959 as an episode of '' Playhouse 90''. It was perform ...
''. In his 1995 book ''The Shark Arm Murders'', Professor
Alex Castles Alexander "Alex" Cuthbert Castles (7 March 1933 – December 2003) was an Australian historian and author who specialized in Australian legal history. He is the author of a number of published books in Australia as well as the author of numerous a ...
claims that Holmes took out a contract on his own life to spare his family the public disgrace of conviction.
Alex Castles Alexander "Alex" Cuthbert Castles (7 March 1933 – December 2003) was an Australian historian and author who specialized in Australian legal history. He is the author of a number of published books in Australia as well as the author of numerous a ...
. ''The Shark Arm Murders''. Wakefield Press, Australia. 1995 ().
Bill Bryson also mentions this case in his book ''Down Under'' (known as ''In a Sunburned Country'' in the U.S.), but wrongly implies that the arm belonged to a swimmer who was eaten by the shark. The Shark Arm Case was the basis of a 2003 episode of ''
CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
''. This case was also featured on Season 5, Episode 2 of the popular YouTube series "Buzzfeed Unsolved". It was also basis for the season 4 episode 15 of comedy crime series ''
Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...
'' (The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Episode).


See also

* List of unsolved murders


Further reading

* Vince Kelly. ''The Shark Arm Case''.
Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...
, Australia. 1963 & 1975. (). * Peter Luck. ''A Time To Remember''. Mandarin Press, Australia, 1991. pages 274-275, 'The Shark Arm Case'. (). *
Alex Castles Alexander "Alex" Cuthbert Castles (7 March 1933 – December 2003) was an Australian historian and author who specialized in Australian legal history. He is the author of a number of published books in Australia as well as the author of numerous a ...
. ''The Shark Arm Murders''. Wakefield Press, Australia. 1995. (). * Phillip Roope & Kevin Meagher. ''Shark Arm''.
Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...
, Australia. 2020. ().


References


External links

* (CC-By-SA)
History of Coogee Aquarium Baths

Cold Case Jury website which shows the real-time verdict of readers on the Shark Arm case
{{Australian crime 1930s in Sydney 1935 murders in Australia Coogee, New South Wales Male murder victims People murdered in Australia Unsolved murders in Australia Murder in Sydney