Tea with Australia's Charles Manson

There didn’t seem to be anything remarkable about the man sitting in front of me, as a new tenant of a council owned flat, he was entitled to a welfare visit to make sure he had access to the right housing Benefit. We wanted to make sure that any new tenants wouldn’t get into arrears with their rent.

I looked around the living room, neatly but sparsely furnished, I noticed a novelty clock in the shape of Australia. This piqued my interest as our family was waiting in the interminable queue to LEAVE Scotland for Australia. I wanted to chat to my new tenant about this. I mean, how funny, that he had just come from there to Scotland, and we were hoping to go the other way.

TRIGGERED BY TRAGEDY

I’m glad I stuck to the point of my visit, because little did I know at the time, our new tenant was not in Scotland by choice, but had been deported after serving 3 life sentences in Australia for murdering three men in 5 days. The murderous rampage had been triggered by the tragic accidental death of his baby son. The boy’s mother rolled onto him while breastfeeding. This event had been ruled a horrible accident, but Archibald “Mad Dog” McCafferty did not see it that way. His wife whom he left, was a murderer as far as he was concerned. The event that was a catalyst for Mc Cafferty’s rampage, was his belief that his baby son Craig had spoken to him from beyond the grave, saying that he would return if his father “killed seven.”

Archibald Mc Cafferty had lived in Australia since the age of 10, but had never become a citizen, and although this incident was the one that led to repeated murders, he had a very troubled life and had been brought to the attention of Law Enforcement as early as 12 years old. His home life and his subsequent entanglement in the criminal justice system, coupled with drug and alcohol abuse meant that he was a damaged powder keg of a human being.

THE MURDERS

Having heard Craig’s spirit tell him that he could return if he murdered seven people. Mc Cafferty pulled together a gang of teenagers, and with their help killed three people, one a father of seven children another a young driving instructor. One of the gang members spoke up, fearing that it was possible that he would be next. Mc Cafferty was sentenced to 3 life terms in 1974, this did not stop his bloody crusade, he arranged the murder of his fourth victim in jail.

DEPORTED

23 years later, there was outrage in Australia, when Mc Cafferty was granted release from prison. His extensive criminal history had ensured he had never become a citizen of Australia, the option to deport him to his home of birth, that he had left as a 10 year old child was the option the Australian Government chose. Much to the consternation of the UK government he was returned to the home of his birth, Scotland. You can understand their concern, Mc Cafferty had avowed to kill 7 after all, the count was 4. It was felt he was still dangerous, and he was definitely not welcome.

However, when I met him I had no idea who he was and he just seemed like any new tenant to me. I can’t recall when I heard the truth about who I had visited, but I wondered if it was a visit I should have made on my own.

TROUBLE CONTINUED IN A LOW KEY WAY

By the time my family left Scotland for Australia, Mc Cafferty was back behind bars, for a violent siege, where his wife was slashed on the arm. He had a young family of his own. The last I heard he was helping out in a dress shop in a fancy part of Edinburgh.

References

Sleuthsayers: Crime History by Leigh Lundin

MurderPedia The Kill & Murders Paul Kidd

Serial Murderer helps in his partner's upmarket Dress Shop

Daily Record Jack Mathieson

Amateur Sleuth

Fletchermarple.com