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Abe Saffron
Born
Abraham Gilbert Saffron
(1919-10-06)6 October 1919
Annandale, New South Wales, Australia
Died
15 September 2006(2006-09-15) (aged 86)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Other names
Mr. Sin
King of King's Cross
Mr. Big of Australian crime
Occupation(s)
Property developer, hotelier, night club owner
Spouse(s)
Doreen Krantz (m. 1947; died 1999)
Children
1
Conviction(s)
Tax evasion
Abraham Gilbert Saffron (6 October 1919 – 15 September 2006) was an Australian hotelier, nightclub owner, and property developer who was one of the major figures in organised crime in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century.[1]
For several decades, members of government, the judiciary and the media made repeated allegations that Saffron was involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including illegal alcohol sales, dealing in stolen goods, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, bribery and extortion. He was charged with a range of offences including "scandalous conduct", possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of stolen goods, but his only major conviction was for federal tax evasion.
He gained nationwide notoriety in the media, earning various nicknames including "Mr Sin",[2] the "Mr Big of Australian crime" and "the boss of the Cross" / "King of King's Cross" (a reference to the Kings Cross red-light district, where he owned numerous businesses).[3]
In March 2021, ABC Television aired an investigative documentary series, "The Ghost Train Fire", which directly implicated Saffron in an arson plot at Luna Park Sydney in 1979, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including six children. Former senior police officers testified on camera that Saffron ordered the crime, which was swiftly and systematically covered up by corrupt police and government figures.[4] Saffron always vigorously denied such accusations, and was renowned for the extent to which he was willing to sue for libel against his accusers.[5]
^Reeves, Tony (1 August 2007). Mr Sin: The Abe Saffron dossier. Allen & Unwin. p. 7.
^Reeves, Tony: 2007 biography
^"Going up: a ride in Abe's lift". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 September 2006.
^Meldrum-Hanna, Caro; Begley, Patrick; Balendra, Jaya; Karagic, Dunja (30 March 2021). "Former NSW police officers claim Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron orchestrated the Luna Park Ghost Train fire". ABC News. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
^Colvin, Mark (15 September 2006). "Underworld figure Abe Saffron dies, aged 86". PM. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[dead link]
October 2011. Saffron, Alan Gentle Satan: My Father, AbeSaffron Penguin Ringwood, Vic 2008. ISBN 978-0-7181-0496-2 Saffron, Alan AbeSaffron: The sins of...
underworld figure AbeSaffron, claimed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that her uncle was responsible for the fire. Saffron had been associated...
Fred Krahe, and also with several organised crime figures, including AbeSaffron, Christopher Dale Flannery, and Arthur "Neddy" Smith. Smith was a convicted...
In the early 1980s, two men associated with Kings Cross crime boss AbeSaffron were jailed for conspiracy to kidnap Nielsen based on incidents leading...
would determine the blaze was in fact deliberately lit by associates of AbeSaffron in an attempt to gain control of the park site. The NSW government called...
'big deal' Stewart 2007, pp. 166–167, 171–172. Tony Reeves, Mr Sin: The AbeSaffron Dossier, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2007, p 84. Sydney Morning Herald,...
Rival Auditionee Short Film Drunk History: Australia Various Episode: AbeSaffron aka Mr Sin/The Female Bushranger Mary Ann Bugg Whovians Self Episode:...
One Night Detective Clemmens TV series 2020 Drunk History Australia AbeSaffron TV series 2018 Rake Tradesman Gabe TV series, 1 episode 2018 Patricia...
58–59). Victoria, Australia: Sun Books. Tony Reeves (2007). Mr Sin: The AbeSaffron Dossier (pp. 83–85). NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin. John Pilger (1992)...
organised crime activity for several decades, alongside his contemporary AbeSaffron (who was dubbed "Mr Sin") and associate, bookmaker George Freeman. Universally...
published the book Gentle Satan: AbeSaffron, My Father by Alan Saffron, the only son of reputed Sydney crime czar AbeSaffron. The book contains allegations...
when Alan Saffron, the son of the late Sydney crime boss AbeSaffron, published a biography of his father in which he alleged that Saffron had paid bribes...
West, the subject of the famous Frank Hardy novel Power Without Glory. AbeSaffron, notorious 20th-century Sydney crime figure. Lenny McPherson, notorious...
fictional character in the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang AbeSaffron (1919–2006), Australian criminal This disambiguation page lists articles...
known for his documentaries "Dancing With Dictators", "Mr. Sin: The AbeSaffron Story" and Submariners. Outback Coroner A multi-part series about mysterious...
brothels under the symbiotic protection of Australian vice overlord AbeSaffron and a policy of "containment" upheld by the Western Australian Police...
(whose epitaph is written phonetically) Roy Rene (1891–1954), comedian AbeSaffron (1919–2006), businessman and underworld figure Andrew George Scott (1842–1880)...
Retellings: Brendan Fevola on AbeSaffron aka "Mr Sin" Steph Tidsell on Mary Ann Bugg, the female bushranger Cast: Les Hill as AbeSaffron Costa Georgiadis as Jim...
Court of New South Wales. His cases included an early prosecution of AbeSaffron. He was known for his short temper and he did not shrink from sharp criticisms...
Retrieved 26 August 2020. McClymont, Kate (26 May 2003). "Niece links AbeSaffron to Luna Park deaths". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2007. "Commonwealth...
involved with during this time included the prosecution of nightclub owner AbeSaffron for tax fraud in 1987, and representing News Ltd during the Super League...
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