Scott Johnson’s family match police’s $1m reward offered for suspected gay hate murder
The family of Scott Johnson, who was killed in a suspected gay hate crime in Sydney more than 30 years ago, will match the $1 million reward offered by NSW Police to bring those responsible for his death to justice.
Mr Johnson, an American mathematician who was based in Sydney, was discovered at the base of a cliff below a gay beat
near Manly’s North Head in December 1988.
His death was initially ruled to be a suicide, however, in a rare third inquest in 2017, then-coroner Michael Barnes found the 27-year-old fell from the cliff “as a result of actual or threatened violence” by people who
attacked him over his sexuality.
Steve Johnson — who has spent decades fighting to have his brother’s death reinvestigated – said he hoped the $2 million reward would help bring the killer or killers to justice.
“I have been greatly encouraged by the recent progress in the investigation, and truly honoured by the reception Scott’s case has had with the community,” Mr Johnson said.
“Please, do it for Scott, do it for all gay men who were subject to hate crime, and now, do it for yourself.”
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans said the greatest challenge for police investigating the case was “the wall of silence” that they had been faced with for over 30 years.
“At this time, we are currently following some very specific lines of inquiry,” he said.
“We believe that given t
he culture of gay hate at that time, the events surrounding Scott’s death would have likely been bragged about.”
“There are two potential groups with information: those who were involved and those they told. Now is the time for them – or anyone who has information – to come forward.”
The unsolved homicide unit reviewed Mr Johnson’s death as
part of a number of suspected gay-hate murders that were in some cases inadequately investigated by police.
The 2018 review found 27 gay men were likely to have lost their lives to homophobic killers during a violent period of Sydney’s history in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Homophobic youths were known to be launching attacks on gay men at coastal areas around Sydney, including
Bondi, Tamarama, and Manly, to “
assert masculinity or as gang initiation.”
The violence reached a bloody crescendo in the late 1980s — around the same time Mr Johnson’s body was found — and had been fuelled by a “moral panic” triggered by the HIV epidemic, the review found.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, meanwhile, said the $2 million reward is the first time such an offer had been made in the state’s history.
“It has been 31 long years in Scott’s family’s pursuit of answers, and the dedication to their brother is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking,” Mr Fuller said.
“Steve has never wavered in his fight for justice; dedicating his time and efforts to Scott’s honour, and today, he stands before you to offer his own money in hope that detectives get the elusive pieces to this puzzle.”
Mr Johnson, who lives in the United States, said he had returned to Sydney to support the efforts of detectives.
The reward will be for new information and will be in addition to the $1 million reward that Commissioner Fuller announced in December 2018.
www.theaustralian.com.au
