Trevor Marriott - The Evil Within

David Birnie (b. 1951) and Catherine Birnie (ne Harrison, b. 1951) formed a Bonnie and Clyde relationship when they met in their early teens. During this early period, they were involved in a string of burglaries in Perth at shops and factory premises. This resulted in both of them spending some of their teenage years in separate reform schools. In 1984, their paths crossed yet again and, having formed a strong relationship, they got married. However, David became lost in a world of bizarre sexual fantasies to go with his insatiable sexual appetite.

On 6 October 1986, they changed from being petty thieves to becoming serial killers. On this day, they crossed paths with 20-year-old psychology student Mary Neilson, who visited the Birnie home. She had replied to an advertisement for the sale of tyres placed by David Birnie, who took advantage of the situation of a lone, unsuspecting female. After pulling a knife on her, they forced her into the bedroom of their house where she was chained to the bed and repeatedly raped. Catherine Birnie was present on this occasion, watching and taking photographs. They then placed the victim in Davids vehicle and drove her to the Gleneagles National Park, some 34 miles south of Perth, where Birnie raped her yet again before he finally strangled her with a nylon cord. All the time this was taking place Catherine was present, encouraging him. They both then took turns in slashing the body of the victim, apparently in order to prevent the body swelling up while decomposing in the shallow grave they had dug.

Fuelled by this violent act, they both had the desire to kill and mutilate again. On 20 October, they found their second victim, 15-year-old Susannah Candy, who was hitchhiking. They picked her up and drove her back to their home where they held her captive, raping and sexually abusing her over a period of several days. They even made her write letters to her parents indicating that she was safe and well. As with the previous victim, they drove her to the Gleneagles National Park where on this occasion Catherine Birnie strangled the victim, again burying her in a shallow grave.

Their third victim, who was in fact known to the Birnies, was 31-year-old air hostess Noelene Patterson. David and Caroline Birnie came across Noelene, whose car had run out of petrol. Instead of helping her, David Birnie abducted her at knifepoint and drove her back to their home where she was chained to the bed and raped over a three-day period. It was later suggested that because of her beauty David became infatuated with her. This made Caroline jealous and she apparently told David that Noelene must die, but David apparently would not accede to her request. However, he later relented and gave the victim an overdose of sleeping tablets, and then, while she was unconscious, he strangled her. As with the previous murders, they took the body of the victim to Gleneagles National Park where they buried it in a shallow grave.

On 4 November, they found their fourth victim. Again, as with the previous victim, they preyed on a lone female hitchhiker in the Perth area Denise Brown, a 21-year-old computer operator. As before, they took their victim back to their home and for two days thereafter Denise Brown was repeatedly raped and sexually abused. Following this, they drove Brown to a pine plantation some 40 miles south of the city where she was again raped and then stabbed by David Birnie. Catherine watched and took photographs while this was happening. However, despite this savage attack on the victim she remained alive. Catherine then gave David a bigger knife, but despite inflicting more stab wounds on Brown she still remained alive. David Birnie then shattered her skull with an axe, which finally killed her. They buried the victim in another shallow grave.

The next intended victim would prove to be their downfall. On 9 November, they abducted a lone 16-year-old female hitchhiker named Kate Moir. As with the previous victims, she was taken to the Birnies home and again chained and subjected to sexual abuse. However, the Birnies luck was about to run out, as the following day the victim found herself unchained and apparently alone in the house. As a result, she managed to escape through a bedroom window. Badly bruised and half-naked, she staggered into a local shop and the police were called. She led them directly back to the Birnies address where they arrested Catherine Birnie and then went to David Birnies place of work to arrest him.

When questioned by police, the Birnies vigorously denied the girls allegations. Instead, they claimed that she had been a willing party and had gone with them to smoke marijuana. Birnie admitted to having sex with the girl but maintained that he had not raped her. A search of the house found the girls bag and a packet of cigarettes that she had had the common sense to conceal in the ceiling as proof positive that she had actually been there, but there was little else to prove the allegation of rape or to connect the Birnies with any of the other missing women.

Under more intense questioning, David Birnie finally confessed and calmly told the officer questioning him: Its getting dark. Best we take the shovel and dig them up. There are four of them. When told of Davids confession, Catherine Birnie finally confessed. They both agreed to take police to the bodies which were buried not far from the city.

On 3 March 1987, the Birnies appeared in court. They were both charged with four counts of murder and numerous connected offences. They pleaded guilty and were both sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years before parole. In relation to David Birnie, the judge expressed a hope that he would never be released from prison. That, however, may now not be the case with new challenges to life sentences under the Human Rights Act 1998.

David Birnie committed suicide at on 7 October 2005. He was found hanged in his cell. He had been due to appear in court the following day, charged with the rape of a fellow inmate.

At the time of writing, Catherine Birnie remains imprisoned in Bandyup Womens Prison. Her request to attend Davids funeral was denied. She applied in 2007 but this was rejected. The Attorney General of Western Australia at the time, Jim McGinty, was against her ever being released.

Her case was due for review in January 2010, but on 14 March 2009, Christian Porter, the new Western Australian Attorney-General, revoked her non-parole period. She became only the third Australian woman to have her papers marked never to be released. She appealed against this decision in 2010 but Porter rejected the appeal.