Bandali Michael Debs (born 18 July 1953) is an Australian convicted

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

currently serving four consecutive terms of

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

plus 27 years for the murder of two

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victor ...

officers in August 1998 and for the 1997 murder of teenager Kristy Harty. Debs was detained at

HM Prison Barwon HM Prison Barwon or informally Barwon Prison, an Australian high risk and maximum security prison for males, is located from the township of Lara, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The facility is operated by Corrections Victoria. The priso ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. On 12 December 2011, Debs was convicted of the April 1995 shooting murder of New South Wales sex worker Donna Ann Hicks. He is portrayed by Australian actor

Greg Stone Gregory "Greg" Jonathon Stone (born 23 June 1961 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage. Early life Stone was born in Perth, Western Australia to parents Roy and Jennifer Stone a ...

in the telemovie '' Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here''.

Personal life

Debs was born Edmund Plancis on 18 July 1953. While Debs has avoided discussion about his childhood, in a newspaper report in 2003 his brother claimed he and Debs were tortured as children; there is no firm evidence for this claim. Debs, from

Narre Warren Narre Warren ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 38 km southeast of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Narre Warren recorded a population of 27,689 at the 2021 ce ...

, a south eastern suburb of Melbourne, was employed as a

tiler Tiler is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Brian Tiler (1943–1990), English footballer * Carl Tiler (born 1970), English footballer * Ken Tiler (born 1950), English footballer * Rebekah Tiler (born 1999), British weightli ...

. He fathered five children, the youngest of whom, Joseph, was found dead due to a suspected

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

at a house in Greensborough in December 2003.

Silk–Miller police murders

In February 2003, Debs was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment with no minimum term for the murders of two Victoria Police officers, Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller at

Moorabbin, Victoria Moorabbin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Moorabbin recorded a population of 6,287 at the . Most of the e ...

on 16 August 1998. Jason Joseph Roberts, who police alleged was an accomplice and who was 22 at the time of sentencing, was also convicted of the police murders and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years. This decision was quashed and Roberts was acquitted by a jury in July 2022.

Murder of Kristy Harty

On 20 June 2005, police charged Debs with the murder of teenager Kristy Mary Harty, who was murdered at Beaconsfield, Victoria, Upper Beaconsfield on 17 June 1997. Harty was

soliciting Solicitation is the act of offering, or attempting to purchase, goods and/or services. Legal status may be specific to the time or place where it occurs. The crime of "solicitation to commit a crime" occurs when a person encourages, "solicits, r ...

for sex along the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

when she met with Debs. The pair drove to a secluded bush track in Upper Beaconsfield where they had

unprotected sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer se ...

. Harty was later murdered; cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the back of her head. Her semi-naked body was found lying face down by bushwalkers.

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

tests revealed that

semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is a bodily fluid that contains spermatozoon, spermatozoa which is secreted by the male gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic animals. In humans and placen ...

located on the body of Harty was a match for Debs. In May 2007, Debs was convicted of the murder of Harty and sentenced to a third consecutive term of life imprisonment. In sentencing Debs, Justice Kaye remarked:

Your murder of Ms Harty was entirely
senseless ''Senseless'' is a 1998 American buddy comedy science fiction film directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Greg Erb and Craig Mazin. The film stars Marlon Wayans and David Spade alongside Matthew Lillard, Brad Dourif, Tamara Taylor ...
, needless and wanton. The evidence discloses beyond any doubt that this was not a case of a sexual encounter in which, in the heat of the moment, feelings or passions may have led to a spontaneous and irrational act of violence. Rather, and quite to the contrary, this was, most clearly, a callous, craven and senseless murder in cold blood of an entirely innocent, defenceless and vulnerable young woman. The evidence leads to the inevitable conclusion that you murdered Kristy Harty for no other reason than for the sheer sake of it.

Murder of Donna Anne Hicks

Donna Anne Hicks was shot dead in April 1995 in

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

. She had been drinking at the Colyton Hotel, after which she got into a four-wheel drive, which matched a car owned by Debs. Having been entered into a DNA database of criminals, Debs was subsequently linked to the case through

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

. On 30 September 2008, New South Wales Homicide detectives interviewed Debs and raided his previous address in Sydney. On 12 December 2011, he was found guilty of Hicks' murder in the New South Wales Supreme Court, and he was sentenced to a fourth consecutive life-term sentences for the murder. While in the court hearing for Jason Robert's 2022 re-trial for the Silk–Miller police murders, Debs admitted that he did indeed kill Hicks.

Prison life

While imprisoned, Debs has undertaken psychology classes, life skills and computer training and is employed as a prison carpet cleaner. He has been considered a suspect in numerous other murders, such as that of

Sarah MacDiarmid Sarah MacDiarmid (born 15 November 1966) was a 23-year-old Scottish-Australian woman who disappeared from Kananook railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 11 July 1990. She is presumed murdered, although no trace of her body has ev ...

References