logo
Horrific new details emerge of how burlesque dancer died while she tried to flee flames engulfing her home - as cops name prime suspect accused of masterminding bungled arson attack and why it happened

Horrific new details emerge of how burlesque dancer died while she tried to flee flames engulfing her home - as cops name prime suspect accused of masterminding bungled arson attack and why it happened

Daily Mail​5 days ago
Tobacco wars kingpin Kaz Hamad and his 'buffoon' hitmen are being hunted by Victorian police for the bungled murder of Melbourne woman Katie Tangey.
Ms Tangey, otherwise known as Vivien May-Royale, died in the targeted house fire in Truganina, in Melbourne's west, in the early hours of January 16.
She made a desperate triple-0 call shortly after 2am, telling the operator she couldn't get out of the burning house in Dover Street.
Ms Tangey then desperately tried to escape the inferno through a window on the top floor of the home, but she became trapped and burnt to death in the flames.
On Monday, Victoria Police offered a $500,000 reward for anyone who could help bring Ms Tangey's killers to justice.
Two men who started the blaze are still on the run, but police have now publicly admitted for the first time that they believe Hamad ordered the bungled firebombing.
'I'm six months into the investigation now and what I can say is this - yes, he's involved,' Homicide Squad Detective Inspector Chris Murray said on Monday.
'From the information we have, the illegal tobacco trade is front and centre as to why this incident occurred.
'We know there was a theft of (Hamad's) commodities, being illegal tobacco and we know that he sought retribution.
'Unfortunately... the two buffoons who committed this act targeted the wrong address.'
Inspector Murray said he was not suggesting Hamad deliberately targeted Ms Tangey, but his alleged tasking of the job was ultimately behind the crime.
'We know he's overseas. We're all ears,' he said. 'In fairness, I'd say even he would be disgusted as to what's transpired here.
'If he's got any sense of decency, I'm sure he can get us on the phone and let us know the two individuals who actually did this.
'They should be held accountable. They should be held responsible and brought to justice so we can give some closure to Katie's family.'
Detectives refused to reveal who they believe was Hamad's real target for the firebombing on the night Ms Tangey died.
'We're very confident that we know the motive,' Det Insp Murray said.
'We're fairly solid on the motive now. We're fairly solid on what's transpired. Our focus is to identify those two individuals who committed this act.
'Others can be held accountable in various other ways, but we want to identify those two because they are solely responsible, in my view, for killing Katie.'
Inspector Murray described the horror Ms Tangey faced in her final agonising moments alive.
'(Ms Tangey) was a completely innocent individual who had nothing to do with this illegal tobacco trade at all,' he said.
'(She) was asleep in bed, in the early hours. One can only imagine how scared she must have been.'
In a fresh twist, it was revealed an anonymous phone call was made to Crime Stoppers in which police were given a pseudonym or nickname linked to the attack.
Police are now asking that person to contact them again in the hope they may be able to provide more information.
Detectives earlier released an image of a man, described as slim, Middle Eastern, and aged between 25 and 30, whom they wish to speak to about the tragedy.
'Detectives are particularly keen to hear from anyone who recognises the man in the image or has any further information on the nickname provided in the call to Crime Stoppers,' a police statement added.
In June, police raided a home in Dandenong in relation to the crime and seized a phone.
Ms Tangey had been house sitting with her brother's golden retriever, Sunny, who also died inside the three-storey townhouse.
Her brother Ethan Tangey and his wife Brooke were just days into their honeymoon when the fire took place.
CCTV captured the vehicle in which the killers fled the scene, travelling north on Forsyth Road in Truganina at approximately 2.12am.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man appears in court after couple's death in fire
Man appears in court after couple's death in fire

BBC News

time12 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Man appears in court after couple's death in fire

A man who has been charged with the murder of a couple who died in a house fire has appeared in Greener, 77, and 83-year-old Sheila Jackson died at their home in South John Street, St Helens, Merseyside on 15 Owens, 46, of no fixed address, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Saturday after he was charged with two counts of murder and arson with intent to endanger has been remanded into custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Everton: Police appeal for witnesses after arson attack
Everton: Police appeal for witnesses after arson attack

BBC News

time44 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Everton: Police appeal for witnesses after arson attack

Police are searching for the identity of a man who reportedly threw a brick at a house window, poured petrol inside, and set it alight while somebody was services were called to an attempted arson attack at a property on Roxburgh Street, Everton, on Friday evening at 22:20 Police said a male was reportedly seen getting off a scrambler bike to carry out the attack, before cycling off towards Hale Road in the company of another Fire and Rescue Service removed the occupant from the property and extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported. "This is a totally reckless act, especially with the recent incident where two people sadly lost their lives to such a mindless act," said Ch Insp Ben Wayment."Let me be clear, arson puts the lives of residents in serious danger."Anyone with information is being asked to contact the police. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Nothing has been done to tackle violence against women – son of murdered artist
Nothing has been done to tackle violence against women – son of murdered artist

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Nothing has been done to tackle violence against women – son of murdered artist

The son of an artist who was murdered in a random attack as she walked her dog has said 'nothing has actually been done' to tackle violence against women. Claire Knights, 54, from Upstreet near Canterbury, was walking back from a beach near Minnis Bay in Kent when she was ambushed, sexually assaulted, and beaten to death by a stranger on August 23 2023. Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25-and-a-half years in February – but on Friday, judges sitting at the Court of Appeal increased his minimum term to 31 years, having found his original sentence 'unduly lenient'. The court heard Van-Pooss had been dismissed from his job the day before Ms Knights' murder for upskirting a woman at the pub where he worked, and is believed to have camped out overnight on the beach at Minnis Bay waiting for a lone woman to attack, The Times further reported. Ms Knights' son, Elliott Knights-Sloane, now 26, found his mother's body hidden in a dyke two days after she was reported missing. He told The Times: 'No son should have to find their mum in such a situation. 'I felt crushed that her life was taken away in such horrific circumstances. 'She was an incredible mum, a role model for me. She was just coming back from the beach.' Mr Knights-Sloane further told The Times he 'really struggled' with the lack of public outcry surrounding his mother's murder, adding: 'Why aren't people more incensed that someone can be walking their dog and that this can happen to them?' Reflecting on how the issue of violence against women and girls appears to have dropped down the agenda, he said: 'Nothing has actually been done to change anything. 'There's nothing that makes any women safer, or solves anything, other than telling them, 'You shouldn't be out on your own. Don't walk the dog. Look at what you're wearing.'' Also speaking to The Times, criminologist David Wilson warned that 'overkill' – when an assailant uses disproportionate force to control and overpower a victim, potentially resulting in death – is on the rise. 'Now, it's relatively common,' he said. 'What has changed is the mainstreaming of misogyny. 'A lot of young men are influenced by incel culture, the toxic manosphere, the sense of entitlement that women should be available to them, that they should take what is naturally theirs — to overpower and have sex with them.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store