Some are wondering if Melbourne's notorious gangland underbelly is once again rumbling to the surface. Photo / Supplied
Some are wondering if Melbourne's notorious gangland underbelly is once again rumbling to the surface. Photo / Supplied
Carl Williams' family at centre of recent violence, writes Billy Adams.
No one's pointing the finger at Carl Williams. After all, Australia's most cocksure criminal was bludgeoned to death with the stem of an exercise bike seat more than five years ago.
But two firebombings, a drive-by shooting and the gunning down of a policeman have prompted speculation that Williams is the common link, and left people wondering if Melbourne's notorious gangland underbelly is once again rumbling to the surface.
The chubby suburban dad cut an unlikely key figure in the long-running war between major crime families that played out in full public view for years. More than 30 underworld identities lost their lives in a series of tit-for-tat killings triggered by the shooting of Williams in a park in 1999.
The circumstances of the attempt on his life he didn't survive - inside a maximum security prison - have brought the former drugs kingpin and his family back into the public spotlight in recent months.
Williams' widow, Roberta, and his father, George, had launched a lawsuit over the death, and their lawyers intended to call police and prison officers to give evidence at a civil trial scheduled to begin next week.
Before the 39-year-old was killed by a fellow inmate in 2010, he had agreed to co-operate with detectives over unsolved murders - including the execution-style killing of police informer Terence Hodson and his wife.
The Williams family's legal team had signalled their intention to explore the "contract" Williams agreed with authorities, the dangers he faced as a result and why prison officers took almost 30 minutes to discover the murder - despite the fact it had been captured on CCTV.
A subsequent investigation by Victoria's Ombudsman found Barwon Prison staff failed in their duty of care to the high-profile inmate, who was serving a minimum 35-year sentence for ordering the murders of rivals.
But this week Williams' widow and father dropped their claims for compensation after authorities agreed to a payout for the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Dhakota. Like her mother, she was found to have suffered severe mental "impairment" due to the death, and will reportedly receive up to A$200,000 ($226,770) when she turns 18.
Former Australian drugs kingpin, Carl Williams was murdered in prison in 2010. Photo / Sydney Daily Telegraph
The announcement of the deal followed a violent period for the Williams' clan.
Earlier this month petrol bombs were thrown at a property in the north Melbourne suburb of Essendon. Police believe Roberta's home was the target, but the offenders got the wrong house. Two days later the nearby home of George - once an active partner in the Williams' drug-trafficking business - was the target of a late-night drive-by shooting.
Minutes after that a police car was fired on by a man inside what detectives believe was the same vehicle.
One of the officers was hit in the head by shotgun pellets. His colleagues believe he survived because he instinctively ducked.
The gunman had also been heading in the direction of Roberta's house, and detectives believe another attack might have been foiled.
This week molotov cocktails were thrown at another nearby house, scorching the porch and facade.
But Roberta remained adamant there was no connection. "Whatever occurred in the vicinity of our house was not some kind of retaliation to do with the Williams family," she told local media. "We are as confused about this as anyone."
Before her husband's arrest in 2004, the couple revelled in their public notoriety and partly inspired the hit TV series, Underbelly. Roberta has since published a biography, posed in a bikini for a men's magazine and expressed interest in appearing in an Antipodean version of American reality show Mob Wives.
While police probe motives for the recent attacks, Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews has defended criticism of the confidential settlement. Victims of crime advocates say families of children murdered by criminals on parole aren't eligible for similar compensation.
Andrews defended the "pragmatic" settlement, arguing authorities had not admitted liability and potentially saved millions.
"When you're told by the independent advisers and the Government's lawyers that this is the best deal you can practically hope to get, you've got to take that advice," he said. "I'm not particularly pleased about this. I don't think anyone is."
