Julian Knight (murderer)

2025-04-10T08:13:22Z

2403:5805:E4E0:0:D578:1E1D:4C57:E76: /* Prison life */

{{short description|Australian mass murderer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox murderer
| name = Julian Knight
| image = Julian Knight.jpg
| caption = Julian Knight at the time of his arrest
| birthname = Julian Knight
| occupation = Former staff cadet at [[Royal Military College, Duntroon]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1968|3|4}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[Melbourne, Victoria|Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]]}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| cause =
| penalty = 7 × [[life imprisonment]]<br />Non-parole period of <br /> 27 years
| date = 9 August 1987
| time = 9:29 pm–10:14 pm
| targets = Civilians, police and passing cars in [[Hoddle Street]]
| locations = [[Clifton Hill, Victoria]], [[Australia]]
| fatalities = 7
| injuries = 19
| weapons =
* [[Ruger 10/22]] ([[.22 LR]])
* [[O.F. Mossberg & Sons|Mossberg]] pump-action shotgun ([[12-gauge]])
* [[M14 rifle|Norinco M14]] ([[7.62×51mm NATO|7.62×51mm]])
| motive = Unknown
}}
'''Julian Knight''' (born 4 March 1968)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca/julian-knight-research-file/julian-knight-life.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024001457/http://julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca/julian-knight-research-file/julian-knight-life.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2016|title=Chronology of Julian Knight's Life|date=24 October 2016}}</ref> is an [[Australians|Australian]] [[mass murder]]er. On 9 August 1987, he shot seven people dead and injured 19 during a shooting spree in [[Clifton Hill, Victoria]], Australia, in what became known as the [[Hoddle Street massacre]].

Knight is serving seven [[concurrent sentences]] of [[life imprisonment]] with a non-parole period of 27 years. The judge who sentenced him, Justice [[George Hampel (attorney)|George Hampel]], stated that there were "a number of significant mitigatory factors" and "the fixing of a minimum term in this case is appropriate because of your age and your prospects of rehabilitation."<ref name="vsc-1989">''R v Knight'' {{cite AustLII|VicRp|62|1989}}; [1989] [[Victorian Reports|VR]] 705.</ref> The [[Crown prosecutor]], Joe Dickson QC, "did not contend that a minimum term should not be fixed."<ref name="vsc-1989" />

Knight is incarcerated in the maximum security [[Port Phillip Prison]] in [[Truganina, Victoria|Truganina]] near [[Melbourne]]. He would have been eligible for [[parole]] in 2014 except that the Victorian government passed and approved of legislation which ensures that he is kept in jail until he dies, is in immediate danger of dying, or is so incapacitated that he no longer poses a danger to others. Knight has challenged the validity of the legislation many times, but lost his final appeal to the [[High Court of Australia|High Court]] in August 2017.

== Early life ==
{{BLP sources section|date=July 2018}}
Julian Knight is the eldest of three children. When he was ten days old he was [[adoption|adopted]] by a family with strong army ties.<ref name="vsc-1989" /> Knight moved often as a child, living in [[Melbourne]], [[Puckapunyal]], and also abroad in [[Malaysia]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Singapore]]. In early 1975, Knight's family settled in [[Laverton, Victoria|Laverton]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and he attended Laverton Primary School until the end of 1978. His parents divorced in 1980 when he was 12. He then attended [[Westbourne Grammar School]], [[Fitzroy High School]], and later [[Melbourne High School (Victoria)|Melbourne High School]], a selective secondary school with entry by academic examination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=b.1968: Army Childhood >1985 |url=https://julianknight.com.au/pre-duntroon/b-1968-army-childhood-1985/ |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=JulianKnight.com.au |language=en-AU}}</ref> An entry written by students in the 1985 Melbourne High School [[yearbook]] says: Julian 'Swapo' Knight inherited the role of "cadet unit looney and chief political agitator". While at Westbourne, he was known for his fascination with guns and the military with strong interests in [[Nazi Germany]] and [[World War II]]. In 1986, he attended [[La Trobe University]] to study French, German history, and politics.<ref name="vsc-1989"/>

== Military career ==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=May 2023}}
Knight joined the [[Australian Army Cadets]] aged 14 and served in two cadet units, the [[Norwood Secondary College]] Cadet Unit and the Melbourne HSCU. He later enlisted in the [[Australian Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] at the age of 17 while still in high school, serving as a trooper in the [[4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse|4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse Regiment]], an armoured reconnaissance unit. Knight entered the [[Royal Military College, Duntroon]] on 13 January 1987 at the age of 18. While a military career had long been a dream, he performed poorly at studies and gained good results only in weapons expertise exercises. Knight was advised to leave the army in July 1987 after an incident in which he stabbed his superior, a sergeant, while drinking.<ref name="vsc-1989" />

==Hoddle Street massacre==
{{main|Hoddle Street massacre}}
On the evening of Sunday, 9 August 1987, Knight began firing two rifles and a shotgun on [[Hoddle Street, Melbourne|Hoddle Street]] in the [[Melbourne]] suburb of [[Clifton Hill, Victoria|Clifton Hill]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Moor|first1=Keith|title=Insight editor Keith Moor reconstructs the terrible events of the Hoddle St massacre|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/insight-editor-keith-moor-reconstructs-the-terrible-events-of-the-hoddle-st-massacre/story-e6frg6n6-1226445139187|access-date=28 September 2015|work=[[The Australian]]|date=17 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712165852/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/insight-editor-keith-moor-reconstructs-the-terrible-events-of-the-hoddle-st-massacre/story-e6frg6n6-1226445139187|archive-date=12 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cowan|first1=Jane|title=Hoddle Street killer won't be forgotten|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-08-09/hoddle-street-killer-wont-be-forgotten/635402|access-date=28 September 2015|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=10 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920041038/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-08-09/hoddle-street-killer-wont-be-forgotten/635402|archive-date=20 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The shootings resulted in the deaths of seven people and serious injury to nineteen others.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lawrence|first1=Tess|title=Confrontation with a killer|url=http://www.theage.com.au/good-weekend/gw-classics/confrontation-with-a-killer-20140901-10b964.html|access-date=28 September 2015|work=The Age|date=16 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712070948/http://www.theage.com.au/good-weekend/gw-classics/confrontation-with-a-killer-20140901-10b964.html|archive-date=12 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> After a [[police chase]] lasting more than thirty minutes, Knight was apprehended in nearby [[Fitzroy North, Victoria|Fitzroy North]] and arrested for the shootings.<ref name="julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca">{{cite web|url=http://julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca/julian-knight-research-file/hoddle-street-massacre.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024004927/http://julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca/julian-knight-research-file/hoddle-street-massacre.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2016|title=The Hoddle Street Massacre|date=24 October 2016}}</ref>

During the trial, it was asserted that Knight had a [[personality disorder]] with [[Hysterical personality disorder|hysterical features]].<ref name="vsc-1989" /> Knight plead guilty to 7 counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder, and was sentenced to seven [[concurrent sentence|concurrent]] terms of [[life imprisonment]] with a non-parole period of 27 years.<ref name="vsc-1989" />

The Hoddle Street massacre has been the subject of several books, and two Australian TV documentaries: [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC TV]]'s ''Hoddle Street'' (1988)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schwartz|first1=Larry|title=Television's tough gig|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/televisions-tough-gig/2008/02/13/1202760378813.html?page=fullpage|access-date=28 September 2015|work=The Age|date=14 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404074512/http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/televisions-tough-gig/2008/02/13/1202760378813.html?page=fullpage|archive-date=4 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48IXtyHoQSM |title=Hoddle Street 1988 |date=2015-07-09 |last=Documentary Australia |access-date=2025-01-06 |via=YouTube}}</ref> and [[Channel 9 (Australia)|GTV Channel 9]]'s ''Hoddle Street'' (2007).

== Prison life ==
Knight is an inmate in the protection section of the maximum security [[Port Phillip Prison]] near Melbourne. He has initiated many legal challenges to the [[Victoria Government]] while imprisoned. Knight's challenges often concern events and occurrences arising during his imprisonment and his dissatisfaction with prison management and prison discipline. He has spent twelve years of his sentence in high-security management facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://aussiecriminals.com.au/high-profile-criminals/julian-knight-the-hoddle-street-massacre/ |title=Julian Knight- the Hoddle Street Massacre | Aussie Criminals and Crooks |access-date=23 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308115743/http://aussiecriminals.com.au/high-profile-criminals/julian-knight-the-hoddle-street-massacre/ |archive-date=8 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Sentence ===

On the 20th anniversary of the Hoddle Street massacre, the judge who sentenced Knight, Professor [[George Hampel (judge)|George Hampel]], stood by the sentence he gave him.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ross|first1=Norrie|title=Hoddle St judge firm on Knight|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/hoddle-st-judge-firm-on-knight/story-e6frf7kx-1111114141748|access-date=28 September 2015|work=Herald Sun|date=9 August 2007}}</ref>

Shortly before Knight became eligible for parole in 2014, the Victorian Parliament passed the ''Corrections Amendment (Parole) Act 2014'' (Vic), which amended the ''Corrections Act 1986'' (Vic) to prevent the [[parole board]] from ordering Knight's release "unless satisfied, amongst other things, that Mr Knight is in imminent danger of dying or is seriously incapacitated and that, as a result, he no longer has the physical ability to do harm to any person."<ref name="hca-2017">''Knight v Victoria'' {{cite AustLII|HCA|29|2017}}.</ref>

=== Legal challenges ===
On 7 September 1992, Knight appeared before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal seeking a review of a decision where he was refused [[AUSTUDY Scheme|AUSTUDY]] assistance with his university studies while imprisoned.<ref name="aat-1992">''Re Julian Knight and Secretary to the Department of Employment, Education and Training'' {{cite AustLII|AATA|273|1992}}.</ref> On 22 October 2001, Knight appeared before the [[Supreme Court of Victoria]] in his first Supreme Court case against the prison authorities, seeking an [[injunction]] ordering the return of documents prepared for the inquest into the death of a prisoner who had hanged himself in 2000. The documents were returned in court that day and the application was dismissed.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

On 4 July 2002, Knight appeared before the [[Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal]] (VCAT) with a complaint regarding an abuse of human rights where prison officers removed items "of a political nature" from his cell. The items removed were a collection of business cards, pamphlets and sheets of paper. One sheet of the paper had a large picture of [[Adolf Hitler]] in uniform. A second had a picture of Hitler with [[Nazism|Nazi]] insignia and [[Skull and crossbones (military)|skull and cross-bones]], and others only the insignia. The cards featured slogans such as "Stop the Asian invasion", "We just hate all queers", "[[White power]]" and "Dial-a-racist" with contact details.<ref name="vcat-2002">''Knight v CORE'' {{cite AustLII|VCAT|731|2002}}.</ref>

Along with the posters and paperwork, a large number of [[contraband]] items were found in Knight's cell, such as blades, sharpened knives, [[white supremacist]] literature, war literature, medication bottles, a leather belt, two television remote controls, an extension lead, a can opener, [[bale hook]]s, permanent markers, computer disks{{spaced endash}} many containing information relating to prison security and staff, [[pornographic]] material, [[sandpaper]], masking tape, prison manuals, staff pictures, [[Totalizator Agency Board|T.A.B.]] betting information, and prison and staff rosters. Knight's application was dismissed, even though many of the seized items were returned to him.

On 21 August 2002, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking an injunction ordering that prison management and staff cease inspecting and withholding legal mail sent to or by the plaintiff. The application was dismissed. On 2 September 2002, Knight appeared before VCAT seeking access to various prison documents under the ''[[Freedom of Information Act 1982]]'' (Vic). On 9 September, Knight appeared before the VCAT seeking, "Full access to the daily staff rosters for HM Prison Barwon since the 1st May 2001" under the Freedom of Information Act. The application was affirmed.<ref name="vcat-2002" />

On 7 October 2003, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking injunctions in regards to opening of private legal mail, prison disciplinary hearings, conditions in [[solitary confinement]] cells and Knight's security classification and imprisonment in Barwon Prison's high security Acacia wing. Supreme Court Judge Justice [[Philip Cummins]] said of Knight's application: "I consider that ordinary tax-payers should not be fixed with the burden of these proceedings. Accordingly, in each instance I order that the costs of the proceedings of the respective defendants be paid by the plaintiff."<ref name="vsc-2003">''Knight v Minister for Corrections'' {{cite AustLII|VSC|413|2003}}.</ref> The application was dismissed. On 11 November 2003, Knight appeared before the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking an extension of time against a decision of VCAT. The application was dismissed with costs awarded against the applicant.

On 26 November 2013, Knight made a 94-page submission to the Defence Abuse Response Task Force (DART). In 2014, he initiated court proceedings in the [[ACT Supreme Court]] against the Commonwealth of Australia seeking [[damages]] for the [[Hazing|bastardisation]] he allegedly suffered whilst at Duntroon.

=== Vexatious litigant ===
In February 2003, it was estimated the many legal challenges by Knight had cost the Victorian Government over [[A$]]250,000, and approximately $128,000 had been spent since October 2001 on external legal advice to deal with Knight's legal appeals and Freedom of Information requests.

On 19 October 2004, Knight was barred from launching any further legal action in Victoria's courts for ten years, with a judge declaring him a [[vexatious litigant]].<ref name=banned> [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/19/1097951666370.html?from=top5 Hoddle Street killer banned from court] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222141543/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/19/1097951666370.html?from=top5 |date=22 December 2006 }}, [[The Age]], 19 October 2004</ref> He was the 13th person to be declared a vexatious litigant in Victoria since 1930, and the first prisoner. Knight is still able to make requests under the ''Freedom of Information Act''. On 19 June 2008, Knight made a submission to the Victorian Parliament Law Reform Committee's Inquiry into Vexatious Litigants.<ref>[http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/lawreform Submission VL/14] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208002957/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/LAWREFORM/ |date=8 December 2008 }}</ref>

In June 2009, Knight sued Victorian Attorney-General [[Rob Hulls]] to force him to appear before the Supreme Court and to remove his status as a "vexatious litigant". He also claims the status "is being used as an instrument of oppression by [[Corrections Victoria]]" and says his request for access to a personal computer in his cell was denied.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Houlihan|first1=Liam|title=Julian Knight's evil bid |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/julian-knights-evil-bid/story-e6frf7jo-1225734444474|access-date=28 September 2015|work=[[Herald Sun]]|date=14 June 2009}}</ref>

=== Requests for rehabilitation ===
On 26 June 2007, Knight told the Supreme Court of Victoria he wants access to rehabilitation programs in prison to improve his chance of parole. He also sought permission to write a letter of "apology and explanation" to one of his victims.<ref>{{cite news|title=Angry victims reject Knight's apology| url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/angry-victims-reject-knights-apology-20070626-kmz.html|access-date=28 September 2015|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=27 June 2007}}</ref> The court heard prison authorities intercepted a letter Knight tried to send to one of his victims. He was charged with two prison offences and spent six days in solitary confinement. Knight told the court a letter of apology did not fit the prison guidelines for a prohibited letter, stating, "A letter of apology constitutes a facet of my rehabilitation and on a small measure of making amends for my actions," he told the court. Knight was given leave by the Court to proceed with his case.<ref name=ninemsnlaw>[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=79717 Law to stop criminals contacting victims] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630003648/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=79717 |date=30 June 2007 }}, [[NineMSN]], 22 August 2007</ref>

==See also==
*[[Martin Bryant]]
*[[Port Arthur massacre (Australia)|Port Arthur massacre]]
*[[List of rampage killers]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* ''R v Knight'' {{cite AustLII|VicRp|62|1989}}; [1989] [[Victorian Reports|VR]] 705
* ''Re Julian Knight and Secretary to the Department of Employment, Education and Training'' {{cite AustLII|AATA|273|1992}}
* ''Knight v CORE'' {{cite AustLII|VCAT|1769|2002}}
* ''Knight v CORE'' {{cite AustLII|VCAT|501|2003}}
* ''Knight v CORE'' {{cite AustLII|VCAT|712|2003}}
* ''Knight v Minister for Corrections'' {{cite AustLII|VSC|412|2003}}
* ''Knight v State of Victoria'' {{cite AustLII|VSC|459|2003}}
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/07/1065292590463.html Mass killer Knight loses legal fight], [[The Age]], 8 October 2003
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/09/1068329422110.html Hoddle Street mass killer faces court curb] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123174815/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/09/1068329422110.html |date=23 November 2007 }}, [[The Age]], 10 November 2003
* [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/24/1069522534826.html Even Julian Knight is entitled to basic human rights], [[The Age]], 25 November 2003

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Julian}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian criminals]]
[[Category:Australian adoptees]]
[[Category:Australian mass murderers]]
[[Category:Australian people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:Australian prisoners sentenced to multiple life sentences]]
[[Category:Criminals from Melbourne]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:People educated at Melbourne High School]]
[[Category:People from the City of Wyndham]]
[[Category:People with personality disorders]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:Vexatious litigants]]

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Julian Knight (murderer)