Part of the series on Australian criminals

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International Criminals by nationality

Douglas John Edwin Crabbe (b. 1948) is an Australian murderer currently detained in Darwin for a multiple murder which occurred when he rammed his 25 ton Mack truck through a hotel wall at the Inland Hotel at Yulara in the Northern Territory on August 18, 1983, killing five people and seriously injuring sixteen others. Crabbe's crime is sometimes referred to as the Mack Truck murders. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // Darwin most commonly refers to: Charles Darwin (1809–1882), renowned naturalist and thinker associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection Darwin, Northern Territory, Australian city and the capital of the Northern Territory Darwin (operating system), a low level computer operating system used as the lower layer of Apple... Mack Trucks is a famous United States truck manufacturing company, now owned by Volvo. ... Yulara from the helicopter in August 2004 Yulara (25°14′ S 130°59′ E) is an isolated town in Australias Northern Territory with approximately 2,000 inhabitants. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early life

Crabbe worked as a truck driver and began driving at the age of 14. A trucker is a person who is employed as the driver of a truck. ...

In February 1983 Crabbe was arrested and charged for assaulting a car load of youths at a service station near Tennant Creek. The youths were harassing the service station's console operator and also provoked Crabbe, who retaliated by jumping up and down on the bonnet of the victim's car. Modern filling station, Preem in Karlskrona, Sweden An Ampol station in Australia in the late 1940s. ... Tennant Creek is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. ... A flipfront provides easy access to the engine bay. ...

On March 24, 1983, Crabbe attended a country and western function in Curtin Springs and became involved in two fights involving police. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Curtin Springs is a cattle station located on the Lasseter Highway, east of Yulara in the Northern Territory of Australia. ...

The multiple murder

On the evening of August 18, 1983, Crabbe spent an hour at the Inland Hotel before being refused service for intoxication. Crabbe then walked behind the bar and confronted bar staff before being involved in a fight and being ejected from the premises at 12.30am. August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ...

He then walked approximately 500 metres to his parked Mack truck, and drove it to a nearby motel where he unhitched one of two attached trailers. According to witness Martin Fisher: A tanker road train. ...

"Crabbe then manoeuvred the 25 ton Semi and trailer, at speed, around a blind bend, through a car park, around a minibus, turned and drove it through the Besser brick wall into the crowded bar, crushing the people there. Leaving the engine running, he then got out of the truck, smiled down at one of his victims, stepped over some bodies and ran. This was at 1.10am. It had been 40 minutes between being thrown out and driving the truck into the bar. He was captured the next morning walking out of the bush 22 kilometres away. [1] Volkswagen minibus A minibus is a motor vehicle that is designed to carry fewer people than a full-size bus. ...

Witnesses likened the impact of the truck hitting the hotel to that of a bomb exploding. Crabbe was 36 at the time of the murders.

Criminal trials

The criminal trial of Crabbe (R v Crabbe) was held during March 1984. Crabbe was convicted of all five counts of murder. Upon appeal to the High Court of Australia, in a significant case, the convictions were set aside and a retrial was ordered. High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ...

The second trial concluded on October 7, 1985 when a second jury returned guilty verdicts and again convicted Crabbe on all five counts of murder. Crabbe was sentenced to life imprisonment with a thirty-year minimum, backdated to August 18, 1983, the day of the murders. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Life imprisonment is a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ...

He will be eligible for parole in August 2013 at the age of 66. 2013 (MMXIII) will be a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Australian criminals

This is a list of Australian people who have been convicted of serious crimes, or are notable for their criminal activities. ...

References

• The Queen v Crabbe (2004) NTSC 63 (8 December 2004)