Malcolm Naden

In June 2005, Kristy Scholes was found strangled to death in the West Dubbo home of her boyfriend's grandparents. A few days later, her boyfriend's cousin, Malcolm Naden, disappeared from that same home.[5][6] Prior to Scholes' murder, Naden had been named as a suspect in the disappearance of another cousin, Lateesha Nolan, who had been reported missing in January 2005.[7]

In December 2005, police closed Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo after Naden was sighted there. There was an additional confirmed sighting of Naden over the next month near Lightning Ridge. In March 2006, Naden avoided capture at an Aboriginal mission, near Condobolin. In January 2007, police placed an A$50,000 bounty on his capture. By January 2009, Naden was thought to be located near Kempsey, and by August 2010 he was believed to be living in dense bushland near Gloucester and Scone. By early 2011, the police doubled Naden's bounty to A$100,000, and increased it further again to A$250,000 in December.[6]

On 7 December 2011, a police officer from the Tactical Operations Unit was shot by the fugitive during an unsuccessful operation to capture Naden in bushland near Nowendoc. Naden was subsequently charged with the attempted murder of the officer.[8]

Naden was captured on 22 March 2012 in a run-down cabin approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Gloucester by heavily armed officers from the Tactical Operations Unit[9] in a night operation,[10] and charged with the murder of Scholes.[11] He faced court later that day and was refused bail.

On 14 April 2012, Naden was escorted from Goulburn Correctional Centre to Dubbo, where he assisted police by identifying a site at Butlers Falls, south of Dubbo. It was suspected that the remains of his cousin, Lateesha Nolan, are buried at that site,[12] but no remains had been found at that time.[13] Naden was later charged with the murder of Nolan and 14 counts each of burglary and theft committed while on the run.

In early December 2016 Police disclosed that remains were found at a location near the site investigated years earlier, which DNA testing confirmed belong to Ms Nolan.[14]

In 2013, Naden pleaded guilty to 18 offences including the murders of Scholes and Nolan.[15] He received a minimum prison sentence of 21 years for Nolan's murder, but was given a life sentence for the murder of Scholes. Other charges included the attempted murder of the police officer in 2011, breaking and entering offences and the indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl.[16] Justice Derek Price said Naden had shown no remorse and there was a high risk he would reoffend because he has threatened to kill again, stating that "Life outside of prison is not an option for you". Naden said "thank you, your honour" after the sentence was handed down.[13]

On 24 November 2013, while serving out his sentence, Naden was bashed by second cousin Dean Nolan, a relative of Lateesha Nolan, who was serving out a 24-year sentence at the time. Nolan, armed with a handle off a sandwich toaster, attacked Naden cracking several blows to Naden's head before being apprehended by prison staff. Nolan was later sentenced to an additional 12 months to his 24-year sentence for the attack on Naden, which he claimed was retribution for the heartache Naden had caused to his family.

A dramatised version of the capture of Naden was aired on television on the Seven Network on 11 September 2013. This special television event, an episode of The Force: Behind the Line, presents the full story of "Strike Force Durkin", providing an insight into the fugitive that previously the viewers were not aware of. It re-aired on 13 September 2013 and again on 21 June 2016.