Soulless Monster: Sydney Gay Beat Killer Confronted In Court
Image: Stanley Early (left) was found guilty of Raymond Keam's killing in Alison Park in Sydney's East in 1987.
The man responsible for historic gay-bashings and convicted of murdering Raymond Keam in 1987, has been described as a “soulless monster” during a victim impact statement read in court.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses a hate crime death, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Stanley Bruce Early was considered the leader of the “Alison Park gang” who would target and assault men who he suspected that were gay at the Randwick park. Early was convicted of murdering Keam earlier this year, and is currently awaiting his sentence.
During Early’s sentence hearing on Friday, detectives read out a victim impact statement from an undisclosed person who was close to Keam. The statement described Early as a “troubled person” who got away with murder for “many years,” and “also destroyed the lives of many other gay men for no reason.”
Victim Impact Statement
“The soulless monster that murdered him [Keam] was still out there living his life while [Keam] was buried in the ground,” the statment read.
“Because of you and your desire to ‘clean up’ Alison Park, you stripped the world of a loving father, partner, friend and mentor.”
The statement continued saying they hope Early spends the “rest of his life in a cell,” being “miserable and broken” thinking about his actions.
“Will you feel remorse one day? I don’t know and to be honest, I don’t care anymore,” said the statment.
“From this day forward, I choose not to forgive you but to forget you and never think of you again. It’s what you deserve.”
Keam’s Death Resulted From A “Savage Beating”
In June, Early received a guilty verdict by a NSW Supreme Court Jury for killing Keam in 1987. His death had been remained unsolved for over three decades, until Early was arrested and extradited from Victoria in 2021.
Post-mortem examinations revealed Keam died from severe head injuries, suspected from multiple strikes.
During the sentence hearing, Justice Dina Yehia said Keam’s death was from a “savage beating.” Early’s motivation for the attack was based on “a hatred of gay men, or those perceived to be homosexual,” said Justice Yehia.
Keam was forty-five-year-old at the time of his death, and did not identify as gay. He worked with the Department of Main Roads, was a father of four, and a martial arts expert.
Justice Yehia said Early will be sentenced on October 20, and that the sentencing will be in line with sentencing practices from around the time of the murder.
