Gang member codenamed ‘P12’ was suspect in murder of Gerard Ross and Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe

To be reported to police in relation to a murder that you did not commit is unlucky. But to be reported twice, in relation to two separate child murders in two separate States — six years apart — is even more unlucky. And for the parents of murdered Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, it seemed like a coincidence when a West Australian man became a person of interest (PoI) in the cases of both their own son and 11-year-old Gerard Ross. As part of the 2010 inquest into Daniel’s disappearance, the Morcombes were provided with police briefs on some of the suspects. Among them was one who stood out because he’d been accused of a chillingly similar child murder six years earlier. Watch The West Australian’s new eight-part investigative documentary The Boy in the Blue Cap about Gerard Ross’ baffling abduction and murder P12, as he was codenamed at Daniel’s inquest, was implicated in the abduction and murder of Gerard in Rockingham, south of Perth, in 1997. Then in 2003 when Daniel disappeared, he was living on the Sunshine Coast and was linked to his murder, too, after multiple tip-offs to Queensland police. The former Mongrel Mob gang member was allegedly staying at the Woombye Gardens Caravan Park — 300m from Daniel’s abduction site — the day the schoolboy vanished. He allegedly hid when police searched the property a few days later, though this is unconfirmed. More damning was that he owned an unregistered 1983 blue Toyota Corona — originally suspected to be the type of vehicle that Daniel was abducted in — and he looked like the COMFITS released by Queensland police. The Morcombes know that P12 did not kill their son — Brett Peter Cowan was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Daniel’s killing — but they’ve always wondered if he was involved in Gerard’s murder. “Our experience is that every stone must be turned and there are a number of questions regarding P12 and others that all of these years later I think could be looked at again,” Daniel’s father, Bruce Morcombe, said. The heavily tattooed P12 was one of more than 300 PoIs WA Police identified in the first year after Gerard’s abduction. An anonymous tip-off to WA Police suggested he might have been involved because he lived in the same town as the Ross family (Newman in the Pilbara) and was in Perth when Gerard was abducted during a family holiday at nearby Rockingham. The caller also said he had a criminal record so should be “checked out”. “It’s remarkable the info I have — I’m sure the police have more material on this person — but it certainly leaves you wanting to find out more,” Mr Morcombe said. “He didn't have an alibi for the day, there are some questions over his mental state, his marriage has collapsed, he’s losing contact with his children, he happened to be in (Perth) at the time. “There’s the presence of animal hair and a number of questions that remain unanswered and I just wish they were followed up.” The West Australian tracked down P12 while filming its new investigative series The Boy in the Blue Cap about Gerard’s life and death. Since his first interview in 1997, the 55-year-old has maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in Gerard’s abduction or murder. “I remember getting dragged in over something like that,” he said. “I felt offended, absolutely offended. How dare they? I don’t do that to people. You don’t touch kids, mate. “I was in a bikie gang so at one stage I was a really violent person, so I’m not going to say I wasn’t, but I’m not a killer or a murderer.” In October 1997 when Gerard was abducted the father of two had flown down to Perth to see a psychologist and was staying at a motel, from October 10 to October 17, about 50km from where Gerard was abducted. He has no alibi for October 14 — the day Gerard disappeared. When police interviewed him in the weeks that followed he could not remember his movements on that day. “I was going through a very, very hard time at work and was going through a very hard time with my marriage, with my wife, so the company sent me down to Perth to try and sort myself out,” he said. “Back in those days I was into drugs and boozing it up. I couldn't even remember what I was doing (that day) when they originally questioned me.” Newman police interviewed P12 twice and he provided slightly different information each time. The Haulpak driver initially said he was at his psychologist’s office, but the psychologist disputed this. P12 was vague during his second police interview but conceded that he was not with the psychologist. In the end he told police he did not recall his movements that day. All that is known about P12’s movements on October 14, 1997 is that he used an ATM in the Perth CBD at 1.40pm. He also dropped some jeans off to a tailor in Trinity Arcade, which he says he never collected because he didn’t have enough money to pay for the mending and they were old anyway. He claimed he only used public transport while in Perth and didn’t get out of bed before 10.30am most days, but this could not be confirmed. He told police he usually visited friends in Cooloongup in Rockingham when in Perth but that he had not during this trip. His friends confirmed this to police at the time and again when contacted by The West. There was another possible link to Gerard. The BHP worker’s daughter also attended the same school as Gerard and his sister Beth. “I don't know the Ross kids. I don’t know the Ross family. I wouldn't know (if they attended the same school),” he said. “My kids went to school just up the road from where we lived.” The Ross family say they did not know him either. Police believe Gerard was taken somewhere in the days between when he was kidnapped and when his body was found in the Karnup pine forest, and investigators have always hoped that dog hairs and fibres found on his clothing would reveal where and by whom. P12 admits that he sold a light brindle Staffordshire bull terrier a week before the police interviewed him in late 1997 about Gerard’s abduction. “Yes (I did sell it), because I couldn't afford it,” he said. “I couldn’t even afford food for myself. I gave it to a guy who was going up to Broome.” Police investigating Gerard’s murder took P12’s DNA and checked his phone and bank records. They concluded P12 was “unable to be effectively alibied” for October 14, 1997 and that he “could not be discounted from this inquiry”. However, they concluded that it appeared him being from the same town as the Ross family was his only connection to the case. In 2003 he became a person of interest in Daniel’s disappearance after police received multiple tip offs from the public about the blue car — which matched the description witnesses had seen near Daniel’s abduction site — parked on his front lawn. “I was shocked and offended when I was dragged in over it,” he said. “To accuse anybody, apart from the person who did it, is an absolute slap in the f...ing face you know. I've got two children of my own who I love dearly.” P12, originally from New Zealand, said that after growing up with a violent father who beat his mother daily, he would never hurt a woman or child. “I've lived a wild and a rough sort of life as an ex-biker and one thing that’s always been put into my head is that you don’t touch children and you don’t hit women,” he said. “I was in a pretty violent gang, but I didn’t do this s....” P12 said he personally wanted to see Gerard’s case solved, adding: “I want nothing more than this piece of s... caught myself because you can’t have people like that walking around. “And for those under suspicion, such as myself and whoever else is on that list, it’s going to clear their names. I just want the people caught so that there’s no more suspicion on anybody who didn't do it.” During filming The Boy in the Blue Cap, Special Crime division boss Det-Supt Rod Wilde said his cold case squad was reinvestigating every PoI in Gerard’s case, including those who were cleared, had alibis or have died. “We’re aware of that person,” Det-Supt Wilde said. “We’ve investigated that person and what we’re going to do with all of the PoIs in this case is reinvestigate.”