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Derek Percy killed Stilwell: coroner

Linda Stillwell. Photo: ABC

Linda Stillwell. Photo: ABC

Deceased child killer Derek Percy caused the death of Linda Stilwell, who was seven years old when she disappeared from Luna Park in Melbourne 46 years ago, a Victorian coroner has found.

Deputy State Coroner Iain West found the young girl was deceased and met with foul play, but her body has never been found.

“I find that Derek Percy caused the death of Linda Jane Stilwell,” he said.

Coroner West found Percy was in the area on the day the young girl disappeared in August 1968 but conceded in his comments that the evidence implicating Percy was “circumstantial”.

“It is highly unlikely that another child molester was in the vicinity when Linda disappeared,” Coroner West found.

Derek-Percy

Notorious child murdered Derek Percy. Photo: AAP

In summarising his ruling, Coroner West said Percy’s condition was “rare and dangerous”, referring to the case of Yvonne Tuohy in 1969.

Percy served jail time for abducting and killing the 12-year-old who was last seen at Warneet Beach, south of Melbourne in July 1969.

He was also linked to numerous high-profile disappearances across the country including the Beaumont children, who went missing from an Adelaide beach in 1966.

A non-publication order dating back to the start of the coronial investigation in 2009 prevents the ABC from writing about some of the specifics of the coroner’s ruling.

Family endured decades of ‘hell’ since disappearance

Linda Stilwell’s brother Gary was nine when his sister disappeared.

He and Linda, and their older sister Karen had been playing down at the St Kilda foreshore not far from their home in Middle Park on the day Linda disappeared.

“The last 46 years have been a terrible thing on my mother and the rest of the family,” he said.

“It’s now been proven that Derek Percy preyed on Linda and other innocent children.”

Linda’s mother Jean Priest said the family had been through “hell”.

She described her daughter as “just a nice seven-year-old child”.

“She was full of life, she loved everybody, she would just go up to people in the street and talk to them,” Ms Priest said.

“We just hope that eventually someone will find her remains so that we can give her a decent funeral and give her the respect she deserved.”

Linda Stillwell. Photo: ABC

Linda Stillwell. Photo: ABC

Police ‘absolutely’ certain Percy killed Linda Stilwell

Percy was Victoria’s longest-serving prisoner until his death in July last year, just days after he gave evidence into this case from his hospital bed.

In that hearing he denied involvement in the young girl’s death.

Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Newman said he formed the opinion Percy was involved in the case when the investigation was reopened a decade ago.

“We took the stance of trying to exculpate Percy, it’s a lot easier to rule someone out of a cold case investigation, than inculpate them,” he said.

“But the more we looked into Percy and the facts surrounding the 10th of August, we were unable to do so.”

Detective Newman said he was “absolutely” certain Percy killed Linda Stilwell.

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