Revised 08/08 VP Form 287A

STATEMENT

Name: Norman Edward LA THAM

STATES: My full name is Norman Edward LA THAM, I am 64 years of age and I

was born on the REDACTED

1946.

I reside in New South Wales but at the moment I am staying rn

Craigieburn in Victoria.

I own my own business known as Norm LA THAM Tipper I {ire and

employ my son in law to drive the truck.

On the 1 i 11 day of November 2009, I gave a statement to Po,lice .in OI f~ 0 J\ I W\l~ -f.&i \j

Kempsey NSW regarding sexual assaults that occurred in Melbourne in 1959 to J 960

that were committed on me by two male officers at Turana Youth Training Centre.

The two officers were Eric HORNE and a man named WILKIE. I have been informed

that Eric HORNE is deceased.

I have been asked by Police in Victoria to supply details of !he sexual

assaults committed by WILKIE. I have given this a lot of thought and I have hccn able

to describe each incident as best I can with the best possible time frame.

The first incident occurred at the end of May to mid June 1959. I did

describe this assault in my statement that I made on the 1 ?111 of November 2009 at

Kempsey.

About 3 weeks after this, which was about the 211d week of July J 959. I

was in the gymnasium with all the other guys. There would have been about fift v or , 209

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us. Jt was early in the evening when WJLKlE called me out and took me \n the

infirmary. I walked into the infirmary and I heard the door lock behind me. \Jv'll.Kll

told me to take my pants and that off. I stood there for a moment and WJLKIE said.

'You don't want me to help you do you?' So I got undressed and thal ·s when he

raped me. I saw him' take a clear jar which had some sort of gel in it. He put this gel

on his erect penis and then he put his penis in my behind, my anus. He moved his

penis in and out of my behind until he came. When I say 'came' I mean when he

ejaculated. While this was happening it seemed like an eternity but it was about two or

three minutes. He gave me a hand full of tissues and told me to wipe myself. l Te

then took the tissues off me and placed them on this sheet of paper which was on the

infirmary bench, it was like a disposable cover. Anyway he folded this sheet or paper

up with the tissues and took me down to the showers. Once l was in the shower he

reminded me about Poplar House. He was always threatening to send me to Poplar

House which was the maximum security area of Turana. It was one step away t'rorn

Pentridge and it housed the most violent offenders that would cut your throat as quick as

look at you. This is how Poplar House was described to me, l didn't want lo go there

to find out. While J was having my shower, WILKIE went to the incinerator and tossed

the paper and tissues in there. I could smell the smoke. WILKlE came back and told

me that it was lock up time and J went straight to my cell.

About 5 or 6 weeks later, it would have been the last week of August

1959. I remember it was a Friday night because my Uncle, REDACTED brought

me some tobacco and a couple of packets of cigarette papers on his way home from

work. He lived close by REDACTED I was in the gym when my uncle

arrived and WILKIE told me that I had a visitor. It was about ten minutes after rny

uncle left that WILKIE ushered me into the infirmary and said, 'l let you have an after

hours visit so it's time! I. didn't realise what he meant at first until I turned around.

found that he was already getting undressed. I started to cry and he said, ·Don ·1 stun

that again.' He told me to get undressed so l did. Once again he used gel on his erect

penis and put his penis in my behind. He had sex with me until he came and then he

gave me tissues to clean up with. He took me down to the showers and he told me to

have a shower and get dressed which I did. WILKIE then took me back to the gym

and he took the paper and the tissues . with him so I assumed that burned them or

whatever.

210 ~~~~''' 2ote statement of LATHAM, Norman Edward

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The fourth occasion was about two weeks later it would have been about

mid September 1959. I was about.9.30pm I was in bed in my cell when WILKIE came

in and took me to the infirmary. He pulled down my pyjamas and made me bend mer

and Jean on the bench. He used the gel again and put his erect penis into my anus.

moving it in and out until he came. After this he did the same thing, gave me tissues lo

clean myself up with and then took me to the showers. After I had a shower and got

dried he took me back to the cell.

The next time was about 3 weeks after in early October 1959. I was

taken to either the Royal Melbourne Hospital or the Children's Hospital to have an

operation on my nose. The Doctor gave me a local anesectic and began to push and

screw this object up my nostril. It really hurt I pushed the Doctor's hand away and

told him I couldn't go through with it, it was too painful. The following day WJI.J<JF

came into my cell and took me to the infirmary. WILKIE pulled my pyjamas down and

stuck his penis in my bottom again, he always used the gel and he came inside me

again. He always did. Again he gave me tissues to clean up with and then ii was oil

the showers. I had the shower and WILKIE took me back to my cell.

In early December 1959, I absconded from Turana and went and stayed

in a boarding house in Kensington. During the day I would sell papers in the city and

in the evening would go to Newmarket sale yards and wash down the trucks. Once the

trucks were unloaded, they had to be washed. I used the high powered hoses in the

wash out bays to spray out the back of the trucks. l used tell the truck drivers that my

father used to drink and gamble all his pay and mum had no money to pay for the light

bill or food for the other six kids plus me. They used to give me two or three quid

depending on the size of the truck It was a Wednesday, it would have been the last

couple days of December 1959, and I had just finished selling papers when a uniformed

policeman recognised me, as he had picked me up before when l had absconded. 1 le

made two phone calls and found out that I had absconded again so he took me back tu

the Russell Street Police Station. From there I was taken back to Turana. WILKIE

completed the paperwork and after this he took me into the infinnary. He made me

take off my track suit and my undies and he bent me over and put his erect penis into

my behind. He would remind· me about Poplar House while he was penetrating me, 1 Statement of LATHAM, Norman Edward / 7

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Revised 08/08 VP Form 287A

think it was one of his favourite sayings. As soon as he came he would give me the

tissues and then off to the showers. He gave me clean pyjamas and J v,;as taken back to

a different cell this time as someone else had been moved into my old cell while l was

an absconder.

0 I 71h · · I 9 0 n t 1e . occas10n, 1t was ear y January 1. 6 , I was in my cell and

WILKIE came and got me. He took hold of my pyjama sleeve and 1old me rn cornc

with him. He took me to the infirmary and he pulled my pyjama pants down. I said .

'No not this again, I've had enough!' WILKIE then hit me real hard from behind with

his open feft hand across my left ear. WILKIE said, 'Remember Poplar House down

the road .' WILKIE then proceeded to penetrate my behind with his erect penis until

he crune. Every time this would really hurt . After this it was the tissues and off to

the shower then back to my cell.

J absconded agam about three days after this. J went to the same rB5ll boarding house and went back working at the sale yards and se!!ing papers. L___J

- absconded with me this time and shared the room with me. told the

owners of the boarding house that we were brothers and that we had been kicked nu! o I"

home. Jn the 211d or 3rd week of February J 960~and I were walking back l'rom

the sale yards when a divisional van drove slowly past. ~ panicked and ran · oil

and that's when the Police got suspicious and blocked his path. They grabbed him and

came back for me. They took us to Russell Street and handed us over to the

Detectives, they were suspicious about the money we had on us. They reckon that

here had been quite a few break~in's and they wanted to know which one's we had

done. I said straight out that we had done none whatsoever, . that we had worked for the

mon~y, that we had worked hard. I wouldn't tell them where we were working. as if l

absconded again they would know where to look for me. I told the detective that if

they had done his job properly and charged these arseholes that raped us. meaning

myself, he wouldn't have to do paperwork and chase abscondees. I said this because he

told me that he had better things to do. The detective grabbed a big black bakelite !Vi.e

phone and smashed me across the right cheek and jaw. This knocked'bff my chair and

onto the floor. I got up dazed and really sore, I was really wild. l grabbed the nearest

thing which was one of those old Remington typewriters and hit the detective on the

head with it, cutting his head really bad. I got taken back to Turana that night or early 212 statement of LATHAM, Norman Edward

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Revised 08108 VP Form 287A

hours of the morning. Eric HORNE raped me pretly well straight away after they told

him what I had done at Russell Street. The very next night I was in bed, WlLKJE

took me out of the cell and took me up the infirmary and penetrated my behind again.

Same thing, he put gel over his erect penis and put it in my anus. As he was mm·ing in

and out of me he was telling me what he had heard that 1 had done al Russell Street.

He asked me if! wanted to end up with the others at Poplar House. J told that I didn't

and he told me to shut up in future. After this he gave me tissues and told me to clean

up. He took me down to the shower. I had a shower and he locked me in a single cell

for the night.

The last incident occurred about the first week of March 1960. WILKI!'

came and got me from my cell and took me to the infirmary. On the way WILKIE told

me that tobacco had been left at the front desk for me. When we got to the infirmary,

he pulled down my pyjamas and forced me to bend over and he used the gel again on

his penis. He penetrated my behind again and did so until be came. He handed me

tissues and told me to clean myself up. He took me to the showers and aner that he

took me back to the cell.

. The next day my uncle came to visit and bought me some tobacco and

cigarette papers. I mentioned that it was strange that he would bring in tobacco mo

days running. My uncle said he didn't know about the tobacco Jell for me on the

) previous day. I found out that WILKIE had bought tobacco in with him. I knew he

never smoked so J gave his tobacco to some other kids. I did this because I realised

what it was for, to pay me off

There were no more incidents with WILKIE. I did think it was going to

happen again because WILKIE called me up to the office. J thought 'here we go again·

but he started handing me my belongings and I thought that I was being transferred out

to a boys home at Bayswater.

beginning of June I 960.

This wasn't the case and l got out of Turana in the

Every time WILKIE sexually assaulted me it hurt like hell and I certain I)

did not give him permission to assault me in anyway.

Statement or LATHAM, Norman Edward ;£~ Page 5 of 6

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Revised 08/08 VP F orm 287A

I was constantly threatened by WILKIE to be sent to Poplar House and

after seeing what happened at Russell Street, I was too scared to say anything in fear of

being belted or sexually assaulted. O j q 1 ~ •

This statement has been read to me by Detective Senior Constable BENHAM and I

have found it to be true and correct.

(Norman Edward LA THAM)

Statement taken and signature witnessed by me 11t 1 : n7 PM on 13/04/201 0 at Sexual Crimes Squad

REDACTED

John' RAGLtTS Detective Leading Senior Constable 24069

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I hereby acknowledge that this statement is true and correct and I make it in the belief that a person making a false statement in the circumstances is liable to the penalties or perjury.

///]d~ /..~ .. .. ........... .. ~~~ .

(Norman Edward LA THAM)

Acknowledgment made and signature witnessed by me "t 1 -no Pl\A "" P.lnLl l'Jnrn at Sexual Crimes Squad

REDACTED

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John RAGLUS Detective Leading Senior Constable 24069

214 Statement of LA THAM N 0 rma n Edward Page 6 of 6

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