Man Charged With 1987 Sydney ‘Gay Hate’ Murder Of Raymond Keam Granted Bail

A 76-year-old Melbourne man, who was arrested last year, for the suspected “gay hate” murder of Raymond Keam in a Sydney Park in 1987, was granted bail on a $1 million surety.

Trigger Warning: This story discusses a gay hate crime, 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.

Keam’s murder was among the spate of targeted killings of gay men and trans persons in Sydney and NSW between 1970 and 2010. According to NSW Police, Keam, a martial art expert and father of four, was reportedly targeted due to a “perception” of his sexual orientation. 

Keam’s murder was one of 88 murders of gay men and transpersons that was reviewed by Strike Force Parrabell, which was set up in 2013 to investigate NSW Police’s alleged bias and inaction in investigating gay hate crimes.

Arrest After 34 Years

Keam’s body was found on the morning of January 13, 1987, at Alison Park in Sydney’s easter suburb of Randwick. 

The postmortem revealed that Keam was stuck multiple times on his head, and the cause of death was the severe head injuries. There were injuries on his chest consistent with being kicked with a shoe.

In 1987 a coronial inquest found that Keam had been assaulted by unknown person/s. Years later in 2019, the NSW Police reopened the investigation under the Homicide Squad’s Unsolved Homicide framework. The case was reinvestigated by Strike Force Augenaut detectives. In 2021, a $1 million reward was announced in the case. 

Stanley Early was arrested by Victoria Police’s homicide squad detectives from his home in Clayton in southeast Melbourne on August 18, 2021, on the basis of an interstate warrant. 

Alison Park Gang Targeted Gay Men

The NSW police case is that Early was part of the so-called “Alison Park gang” that used to target gay men at popular gay beats in Sydney, reported the ABC. The Park was one such gay beat. 

According to the police, Early had left his Randwick residence “unexpectedly” and moved to Bundaberg on January 13, the day Keam’s body was found. 

While granting bail, Justice Nicholas Chen of the NSW Supreme Court, said that the case was “circumstantial” and appeared to be based on some “admissions” after the incident, reported the ABC.

As part of the bail conditions, Early will have to wear an ankle bracelet. He is banned from leaving NSW, and will have to report to the police daily, with a 10 am to 6 pm curfew. He is also prohibited from going within 500 metres of any international departure point. 

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Last year, Diane Smart, Keam’s partner had described him as “kind and caring” and said that at the time of his death, “we had been planning out our life together – then it was all ripped away in an instant.”