Foretold: Australia's Whiskey Au Go Go Fire - Part 5

Episode 118

In Part 5 of our Whiskey Au Go Go series, the investigation takes a dramatic turn when John Stuart's own brother, Danny, decides to turn him in to police. Was it an attack of conscience, or was Australia's largest-ever reward too tempting to ignore?

As detectives close in, a backyard barbecue descends into absolute chaos, a mysterious Englishman named "Doug" repeatedly vanishes as police take John Stuart into custody. 

Then they catch his closest friend, James Richard Finch.

Police say Finch confessed to carrying out the deadly firebombing after being recruited by Stuart. Finch insists the confession was fabricated. With two suspects, two wildly different stories, and allegations of police misconduct already beginning to surface, the case becomes even more complicated.

By the end of the episode, investigators believe they've solved Australia's crime of the century—but decades of controversy are only just beginning.

Sources for this episode include Geoff Plunkett's excellent book, The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century, along with contemporary reporting and historical records. If you'd like a much deeper dive into the case, we highly recommend the book.

As always, keep your exits clear and your fire escapes free of storage.

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SOURCES:

• Plunkett, Geoff. The Whiskey Au Go Go Massacre: Murder, Arson and the Crime of the Century. Big Sky Publishing, 2018.
• Siganto, Talissa. "Whiskey Au Go Go fire bombing witness told by police to change her statement, inquest hears." ABC News Australia, June 16, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/qld-whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-witness-police-statement/100220474
• "Murdered Because She Knew Too Much: The Untold Story of the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire." 7NEWS Spotlight, YouTube, June 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH4kz5dbj8g
• Australian Associated Press. "Police were warned Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go would be burned down, inquest told." The Guardian, May 11, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/11/police-were-warned-brisbanes-whiskey-au-go-go-would-be-burned-down-inquest-told
• Cavallaro, Ebony. "Whiskey Au Go Go inquest reveals new evidence into fatal nightclub fire." Nine News Australia, February 3, 2022. https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/whiskey-au-go-go-inquest-new-evidence-in-queensland-1973-nightclub-fire-that-killed-15-people-20220203-p5yegq.html
• "From the Archives: The Deadly Whiskey Au Go Go Nightclub Fire." Brisbane Times, March 7, 2019. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/from-the-archives-the-deadly-whiskey-au-go-go-nightclub-fire-20190306-p5127e.html