Sallie-Anne Huckstepp (nee Krivoshow, 12 December 1954 – 6 February 1986) was an Australian writer, sex worker and whistleblower, who was the victim of a homicide. She came to attention in 1981 for speaking out about police corruption in Sydney, Australia. Huckstepp's murder remains unsolved.
Life
Huckstepp was born as Sallie-Anne Krivoshow into a middle-class Jewish family and attended Dover Heights High School and Moriah College in Sydney. She left school at the age of 17 and married Bryan Huckstepp. After travelling to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, her husband trafficked her into prostitution to help support his heroin addiction. They later returned to Sydney, where Huckstepp continued to be prostituted, eventually developing a heroin habit of her own.
In 1981, Huckstepp met and began a relationship with Warren Lanfranchi. Lanfranchi was a heroin dealer and standover man who worked with Neddy Smith. In June 1981, Lanfranchi allegedly robbed a Sydney heroin dealer and later fired shots at a young policeman. In Neddy: the Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith claims that Lanfranchi asked him to negotiate a payment with then-Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson to escape being charged with the shooting.
Smith claims that Rogerson had instructed him to drive Lanfranchi to a meeting with him and to disarm him in the car. Rogerson took 18 police officers with him to the meeting. He claims that he was attempting to arrest Lanfranchi on suspicion of five bank robberies. At the meeting in Dangar Place, Chippendale, Rogerson shot and killed Lanfranchi. During the inquest into Lanfranchi's death, Rogerson claimed self defence. He was supported at the inquest by Smith and other police officers who were called as witnesses.
The inquest found that on the balance of probabilities, Rogerson had been trying to arrest Lanfranchi, but refused to find he had acted in self defence. The matter went to the Supreme Court and was the subject of investigations by the New South Wales Ombudsman and Internal Affairs. No action was brought against Rogerson, and he was exonerated and commended for bravery.
On 15 July 1981, Huckstepp, accompanied by her father, Jack Krivoshow, and a legal-aid solicitor, went to the New South Wales Police Headquarters in College Street, Darlinghurst, where she met with Detective Inspector Ralph and Detective Reith of the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. She made the following statement which eventually helped lead to the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Wood Royal Commission: "I will tell you everything... I have the following criminal record: I have 31 convictions for prostitution. I have a conspiracy to defraud conviction which occurred shortly after I left Harry Bailey's tender care at "Chelmsford". I then had two further marijuana convictions. A heroin conviction when I was loaded up by Detectives Peter and Tomich at the Lido bar. I have a further "use" charge in which Detectives Peter George and Jungblut were involved. In both the latter offences, significant sums of money were paid to the police to affect the outcome... While operating as a prostitute, I made regular payments to members of the vice squad over 10 years. I have been involved in a number of transactions which I referred to in my statement which have involved substantial payment to members of the drug squad and other detectives relating to drug matters. I believe that the New South Wales Drug Squad and the Armed Hold-Up Squad are both totally corrupt and that they feed on the very activities which they are supposed to stop."
Huckstepp also went to the media and gave extensive interviews, claiming that Rogerson had murdered Lanfranchi and stolen $10,000 Lanfranchi was carrying to bribe Rogerson. She also claimed that Neddy Smith had lied to the inquest and was involved in a conspiracy with Rogerson. Rogerson maintained his innocence. In Neddy: The Life and Crimes of Arthur Stanley Smith, Smith wrote that Lanfranchi was "attempting to bribe Rogerson. I was the person [who] took Warren to this fatal meeting. There was an inquest and both sides threw plenty of shit at one another. I was right in the middle of it all. I could do nothing to bring Warren back to life, so I did the best thing I could. I know Warren’s family suffered deeply, but I cannot do anything about it." He goes on to claim that as a result of his testimony at the inquest, Rogerson and other corrupt police officers gave him a "green light" to commit crime without fear of prosecution.