Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence, third time is a pattern.
Ron Iddles claims old crook, Alfred Hugh Gay named Norman Lee as Mr. Cruel. Alf stated to Ron that his friend Normie had confessed to killing Karmein Chan, and that he had been to his house and that it matched the description of Mr. Cruel’s detention house but none of Alf’s story stacks up. Coincidentally , it is Alf himself that has connections to every crime site location.
Alfred Gay was married in 1958, on his wedding certificate his address is 28 Brunei St, West Heidelberg, which is just streets away from the Darebin Creek Trail. In court transcripts (1974), Alf said that he had recently sold a property on Khartoum St, Richmond, and moved to the Frankston area. Sands and McDougall online lists a property at Khartoum Street under his brother's name so they both owned a property on the same street or Alf was living in his brother's home just prior to receiving his prison term for the MSS Robbery. The location of this property is one street away from the entry to the Main Yarra Trail. In his brother's will documents (1985) Alf’s noted his address is 11 Charles St, Richmond. Sales data indicates this property was sold in 1987 and at the time of his arrest in 1989, his address was at Tubb St, Bittern. It is known that he resided at that address from 1989-1991 and most likely the address he listed on his bail documents. The address locations at Richmond and Heidelberg are situated very close to the trail paths of the Main Yarra Trail. Most residents of Richmond would be familiar with the Yarra River and the trail that runs alongside it. Many people of that area surely would have spent many hours swimming and exploring the river tracks but delving a little deeper into Alf’s background reveals something a more disturbing.
Alf’s home in Bittern:
Online databases available today provide us with a portal into the past and using these tools to trace Alf’s family members and address locations from 1950-1980s we can piece together his connections to the suburbs of Melbourne. Alf’s had many family members who had currently lived or had at some point lived very close proximity to the crime locations, Alf had a strong family presence in Richmond, Heidelberg, Preston, Reservoir, Eltham, and Lower Plenty.
The first visual map presents a bird eye view of Mr. Cruel's confirmed crime sites relative to those property locations. Alf’s known residential addresses and his relatives' residential address locations are pinned with a blue marker.
Following is a closer more detailed inspection of each property location and his relative's employment background. This information is available via online databases that are available to the public.
Gay ( Cvil Engineer)
Adelaide St, Ringwood
Adelaide St no longer exists and is now the location of Eastland Shopping Centre which is situated in the Mullum Mullum Trail and just streets away from Hillcrest Cres, where Sharon was abducted.
Stanley Grove, Canterbury (1954-1963)
The Stanley Grove address backs onto the Anniversary Trail and is minutes from Monomeath/Chaucer Ave where Nicola was abducted.
Gay ( 1939 - 2015) (P.M.G. technician)
Mayston St, Hawthorne East
Rosslyn Ave, Seaford
Fortescue Ave , Seaford
The Mayston St address is right on the rail line that follows on from the rail line at the end of Marlowe St / Chaucer Ave where Mr. Cruel swapped cars and drove away with Nicola. <2km This relative, a PMG technician moved from Hawthorne to Seaford which is a neighbouring suburb of Bittern.
Gay (Repatriation Officer)
Old Eltham Rd, Lower Plenty
This address is on the same road of the Lower Plenty assault at the top of Bonds Rd. It is unknown the exact location of the home where the assault occured . It is an assumption that would be closer to Bonds St which would place this relative just doors away from the Lower Plenty victim
Gay (1920 - 2002) (S.S.B. Lift Driver)
Alexander St, Thomastown
This Alexander St address is just streets away from the Thomastown Electrical Terminal Station where Karmein’s body was found.
Gay (1923-1989)(textile worker)
6 Carrington Rd, Reservoir
This is the most interesting address due to the fact that the end of this street connects to Edgar Creek. Carrington Rd continues on to Elizabeth St - where a witness describes a man in Ute wielding a gun in the air the night Karmein Chan was abducted.
“I head a gunshot” witness account
https://www.mrcruel.blog/mr-cruel/carrington-rd-reservoir
Gay (1903- 1980) (Shoemaker)
Stanley Place, Ringwood
At the Back of Bayswater Secondary College where Mr. Cruel released Sharon Wills runs the Heathmont Rail Trail which follows back to the Rail line near Ringwood East Station. This address is opposite the Ringwood East Station.
Gay (1922- December 15, 2010)
7 Oxford St, Box Hill (1948)
17 Whittens Lane, Doncaster (1974-)
The home on Oxford St, Box Hill is situated near the Gardiner Creek Trail which leads directly to the Presbyterian Ladies College, Burwood which both Nicola and Karnien attended at the time of their abductions. The walk from Oxford St to the College along the trail would take just under one hour in total. The address at 17 Whittens Lane, Doncaster listed in 1974 online directories, backs onto the Koonung Creek Trail which passes by the Boroondara Tennis Club where Karmien played tennis and then onto the main Yarra Trail. The end of Whittens Lane also connects to the Koonung Creek Trail that crosses through the Koonung Creek Linear Park directly to the Doncaster Zone Substation, a 5 minute walk in total.
Gay
Harrison St , Box Hill
This address is located directly beside the Doncaster Zone Substation which is situated on the Koonung Creek Trail.
Gay (Brother) (-1985)
Khartoum St, Richmond
3 Holly St, Preston
Alf’s older brother passed away in St Kilda on the 14th of April 1985 . He bequeathed a property to Alf by will - address unknown. The Holly St property has since been demolished . Sales data indicates it was sold in April 1995. Interestingly, this house is situated on an entry to the the Darebin Creek Trail that runs through Thomastown and all the way down to to the Yarra Bend.
Eltham connections
- Gay (Engineer) Bird St, Eltham
- Gay (Railway Employee) Main Rd, Eltham,
- Gay, Main Rd, Eltham,
- Gay, Cecil St and Napoleon St, Eltham
These property locations are situated in the Main Eltham Village which may be relevant to the case. Karmein got off the bus every day on Main St, Eltham and the Chan family restaurant was located in Eltham.
It’s quite a coincidence that Alf has a strong family connection to the areas of interest. The most disturbing is the possibility that he had a relative who had lived just doors away from the Lower Plenty case and another who was living close by to where the witness claims he heard a gunshot and seen a man wielding a gun. The end of the street runs directly to the same spot. The witness literally would have walked past this property .
There is also Gay listed on Chaucer Cres, the street that Mr. Cruel had stashed his getaway car in the abduction of Nicola Lynas . The family link has not been verified.