Death of Scott Johnson

Johnson was a mathematics student at the University of Cambridge and was close to completing his PhD at the time of his death.[1] Johnson, who was gay, had moved to Australia to be with his partner in 1986.[1]

Johnson's body was found at the foot of cliffs at North Head near Manly, New South Wales, on 10 December 1988.[1][2] Police initially claimed that his death was a case of suicide, which his brother, Steve Johnson, disputed.[1][3]

Steve Johnson campaigned for decades for his brother's death to be re-investigated.[1] Family campaigning had led to coroners investigations in 2012 and 2015 that recommended that police reopen the case.[1] No action was taken until 2017 when a coroner found that Johnson had died as a result of a hate crime.[1] Police offered an A$1million reward in 2018 for information.[1][3][2] His family raised the reward to A$2million in March 2020.[1]

The conclusion that Johnson's death was the result of a hate crime drew attention to other homophobic killings around Sydney beaches in the 1980s.[1] It is now estimated that as many as 80 gay men were murdered in Sydney in the late 1980s, many pushed off cliffs.[1] The New South Wales Police Force has since apologised for not investigating the murder of Johnson properly and failing to protect the gay community.[1]

On 12 May 2020, a 49-year-old man was arrested ln Lane Cove and charged with the murder of Johnson.[1]

After being contacted about the arrest, Steve Johnson said: "This is a very emotional day, he was my best friend and he really needed me to do this."[1] Steve Johnson also hopes that the arrest will open the doors for others to receive justice.[1] He said, "I hope the family and friends of the other dozens of gay men who lost their lives find solace in what's happened today".[1]

• Gay Gang Murders