Len Lawson

Len Lawson
Born 1927
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Died 29 November 2003
Grafton Correctional Centre, New South Wales
Occupation Graphics artist, comic strip artist
Criminal charge Rape, murder
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment

Leonard Keith Lawson (1927 – 29 November 2003), better known as Len Lawson or Lennie Lawson,[1] was a bestselling Australian comic book creator, successful commercial artist and photographer. However, he was also a notorious criminal who was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and murder. He died in custody in 2003.

Lawson first came to prominence as the creator of The Lone Avenger, an Australian comic book hero, whose first appearance was in the second issue of Action Comics in 1946,[1] running for thirteen years, eventually taking over the entire comic and selling up to 70,000 copies.[2] Lawson also created another masked Western vigilante hero The Hooded Rider, as well as Diana, Queen of the Apes[1] and Peter Fury.[3][4]

In 1954, Lawson took five young models to bushland in Terrey Hills to take swimsuit photos for a calendar.[5] He bound the women and sexually assaulted them, raping two. He was sentenced to death, which was commuted to 14 years in prison when the death penalty was abolished in New South Wales later that year.[2][5][6] Lawson asked to continue producing The Lone Avenger in prison, but it was handed to another artist.[2] The comic was subsequently banned in Queensland and withdrawn by its publisher.[2] Lawson was released from prison in 1961 after serving seven years, or half, of his sentence.[6]

On 7 November 1962, Lawson sexually assaulted and murdered a 16-year-old girl whose portrait he was painting in his apartment.[6] The next day, he took several hostages at the Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School, killing a 15-year-old girl in the ensuing siege.[6] He was sentenced to life imprisonment.[6] Lawson attacked a female dancer who performed in a concert at Parramatta jail, seemingly as part of an escape attempt.[7] He died in Grafton Correctional Centre in November 2003.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Len Lawson". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 29 November 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Juddery, Mark (16 November 2007). "Aussie heroes left to history". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  3. ↑ Drewe, Robert (5 December 2009). "Lone Avenger's last stand draws a blank". The Age. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Drewe, Robert (27 March 2010). "Grim truth finally emerges from beneath the hood". The Age. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  5. 1 2 Donnelly, Marea (25 April 2018). "Artist Leonard 'Lennie' Lawson's bushland rape case enthralled Sydney". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sutton, Candace (30 November 2003). "Killer Lawson dies after 50 years in jail". The Sun–Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Artist behind comic hero dies a villain". The Herald Sun. 1 December 2003. p. 27.
  • Drewe, Robert (1986). Fortune. Penguin Group Australia. ISBN 0-14-100797-4.
  • James Hollege (1962). Crimes Which Shocked Australia. Horwitz Publications.
  • Writer, Larry (2008). The Australian book of True Crime. Pier 9. ISBN 1-74196-207-2.
  • "Lennie Lawson". The Blog of Death. 29 November 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2010.


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