Convicted murderer tells of ‘conspiracy’

Cheryl Goodenough | February 9, 2022

A convicted murderer and former editor who accused people of involvement in the fatal Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing says there was a “widespread conspiracy” around the 1973 attack.

William “Billy” Stokes published articles he claimed to be the truth behind the firebombing of the Brisbane nightclub in which 15 people died.

The 78-year-old initially wrote two men convicted of the fatal attack – James Richard Finch and John Andrew Stuart – were not guilty, but later retracted that saying they were responsible with a group dubbed the Clockwork Orange Gang.

Repeatedly asked in the Brisbane Coroners Court on Wednesday for evidence to support his assertions, Stokes referred to a conversation with gang member Thomas Hamilton – who Stokes was later convicted of murdering – and the demeanour of the group.

“It all pointed to them having some involvement,” he said.

Stokes said he had to break ties with the Waterside Workers Federation that was involved with the Port News magazine to publish the articles himself.

“I crippled my own business to do this and I didn’t do that on a whim,” he said.

Coroner Terry Ryan was told Stokes had alleged there was a “widespread conspiracy” because police claimed Garry Dubois was unable to testify because he was on the run during an earlier inquiry, when in fact the two men were together in Boggo Road jail.

Stokes said he didn’t tell anyone in authority Dubois was in custody.

He also refused to answer questions at an inquest in 1980.

“I told the coroner it wasn’t a fair dinkum inquiry,” he told Mr Ryan on Wednesday.

Stokes denied he had published some articles to distract from killing Hamilton and insisted he did not commit the murder he was convicted of.

“I did 16 years for nothing,” he said.

“Finch did 15 years for being part of killing 15 people. Now you tell me how I served a longer time than Finch?”

The inquest into the Whiskey attack was reopened after the firebombing was mentioned in the trials of Dubois and Vincent O’Dempsey, who were convicted of the McCulkin killings.

Those trials heard the killings may have been motivated over fears Barbara McCulkin would try to implicate O’Dempsey in the firebombing.

Mr Ryan is set to determine whether Finch and Stuart who were both sentenced to life over the attack were the only people who caused or contributed to the deaths.

The inquest has been told evidence suggests O’Dempsey – who is expected to be a key witness – wasn’t present or active in starting the fire, but “was involved in organising other people to carry out the attack”.

More than 60 patrons and staff tried to escape the bustling nightclub in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley after two drums of fuel were thrown into the downstairs foyer and set alight about 2am on March 8.

Fifteen people didn’t make it out, dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The inquest continues on Thursday.