Detective Inspector Ted Lines, the man in charge of the Trades Hall bombing inquiry, checks over the posters police had printed in an effort to get more information on the case. Photo / Paul Estcourt
Today marks 40 years since a normal day for Wellington’s Trades Hall caretaker, Ernie Abbott, turned into his last.
On March 27, 1984, the 63-year-old was locking up for the day when he spied a discarded light green, worn suitcase on the ground behind a wall.
Curious, he picked it up by its cloth-wrapped handle - triggering a mercury switch hidden inside. He was killed instantly as the force tore through the passageway of the Vivian St building.
Cars parked outside were pushed back several metres and nearby shop windows shattered. Abbott’s dog, Patch, was sent flying into the street - but miraculously survived.
The police investigation to find the middle-aged man who was seen carrying the faded suitcase into the building just before 7.30am that day has garnered more than 550 suspects and thousands of exhibits.
More than 3000 items were collected from the site for forensic examination. More than 1000 copies of a poster with a replica suitcase printed on it were distributed. About 2500 people attended Abbott’s funeral - many union workers stopped work for the day.
No one has been brought to justice for his murder.
The Herald on Sunday last year revealed a chief suspect - marine engineer Edgar Kidman - died in May 2021 with a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head.
The former army sergeant had experience in handling explosives, including gelignite.
Detective Sergeant Sam McKenzie told The Front Page over the years, they’ve narrowed the suspect pool down to about four or five people.
“I can’t really go into details of who those suspects are but a couple of them have passed away.
“We haven’t been able to link DNA from those five suspects to any DNA that was found on the exhibits and so there’s basically, at this stage, no evidential link between them and any DNA,” he said.
Circumstantial evidence though suggests the bomber is a loner, possibly a hoarder, who had difficulty maintaining relationships.
“I think it would be fair to say that profile probably has led to the identification of the suspects.”
At the time, there was a strong anti-union feeling in New Zealand - with then Prime Minister Robert Muldoon having made frequent verbal attacks against the union movement.
With the lack of forensic evidence and the gathered DNA not matching anything at the scene - investigators are pinning their hopes on someone coming forward with fresh information.
“I’m sure that someone out there has an idea of what happened,” McKenzie said. “The loss of someone’s life is a terrible thing. And I think the family deserves to know what happened.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about where police are at with the investigation 40 years on.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Police officers are actively searching for the escapee.