15 | Roger Dean and the many lives he destroyed

When Quakers Hill Nursing Home hired a new member of staff without conducting proper background checks, they had no idea of the carnage that would follow, as their night shift nurse Roger Dean became one of the worst mass murderers in Australian history. Murder is always distressing, but when the victims are some of society’s most vulnerable members, it becomes even more poignant.

Recommended Podcast: Brew Crime https://brewcrime.com/

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Twitter: @PrashsMurderMap

Email: prashsmurdermap@gmail.com

Credits:

Research, writing, narration and audio editing by Prash

Voice Acting by Hollie Cassar https://www.instagram.com/holliecassar_/



Sources:

A Killer’s Confession, Channel 10, May 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VFZAPMmxA



Bibby, Paul, 2015, “Quakers Hill Nursing Home murderer Roger Dean loses appeal against 11 life sentences,” The Sydney Morning Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/quakers-hill-nursing-home-murderer-roger-dean-loses-appeal-against-11-life-sentenes-20151204-glfcw6.html



Brand, E, Farquharson, I, Hartwig, K, & Hey Loh, K, “Drugs and doctors: how the law responds to doctor-shopping in Australia,” April 2013, University of Queensland, Australia and UQ ProBono Centre, TC Beirne School of Law, https://law.uq.edu.au/files/1248/MsP-Drugs-and-Doctors-April-2013.pdf



Choahan, Neelima, “Doctor shopping and what it means for GPs”, Aug 2018, News GP, https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/doctor-shopping-and-what-it-means-for-gps



Critchley, Cheryl & McGrath, Helen, “Why did they do it?”, Aug 2015, MacMillan Australia, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Did-They-Do-it/dp/1743533179



Cohen, Ronnie, “Prescription drug monitoring cuts doctor-shopping for painkillers”, February 2017, Health News, Reuters, https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-painkillers-doctor-shopping/prescription-drug-monitoring-cuts-doctor-shopping-for-painkillers-idUKKBN15W281



Deputy State Coroner H.C.B. Dillon, “Fire at Quakers Hill Nursing Home, Hambledon Road, Quakers Hill – Inquest Findings,” 9 March 2015, Coroners Court of New South Wales, http://www.coroners.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/finding,%20recommendation%20and%20reasons%20-%20quakers%20hill%20fire.pdf



“Families launch class action over fatal Quakers Hill nursing home fire”, March 2018, The Sydney Morning Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/families-launch-class-action-over-fatal-quakers-hill-nursing-home-fire-20180306-p4z34c.html



Gredley, Rebecca, 2018, “Killer Quakers Hill nurse Roger Dean hired without any reference checks before 14 residents died in aged care fire”, The West Australian, https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/killer-quakers-hill-nurse-roger-dean-hired-without-any-reference-checks-before-14-residents-died-in-aged-care-fire-ng-b88766091z



Quakers Hill Nursing Home, Aged Care Guide, https://www.agedcareguide.com.au/quakers-hill-nursing-home



Quakers Hill Nursing Home Fire, Channel 10, November 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwjkaUyyDUM



Quakers Hill Nursing Home Fire: Nurses Recognized for Bravery, December 2012, The Moran Group, https://www.femoran.com/fe-moran-fire-protection/823



Quakers Hill Nursing Home Fire Sprinkler Test, CPSANSW, August 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekCOFraeOI



Quakers Hill Nursing Home Fire Victims, The Feed SBS, March 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiwXIPApuZo



Quakers Hill Wikipedia page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers_Hill,_New_South_Wales#Nursing_home_fire



“Roger Kingsley Dean,” Murderpedia, https://murderpedia.org/male.D/d/dean-roger.htm



Sutton, Candance, September 2014, “Man who murdered 11 people in nursing home fire ‘frothed at the mouth’ from drugs and ‘put nails in tyres and poured paint’ over boss’s car, inquest hears”, Daily Mail Australia, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2747402/Roger-Dean-murdered-11-people-nursing-home-fire-frothed-mouth-drugs-nails-tyres-poured-paint-bosss-car-inquest-hears.html



Wells, Jamelle, court reporter, 2013 ,”Nursing home killer Roger Dean cries as victims’ families tell of their grief,” ABC news, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-04/victims-families-tell-of-guilt-after-nursing-home-fire/4731884