Barrenjoey Road
Tonight Tuesday 8.30pm
ABC EXCLUSIVE – CORRUPT COP MARK STANDEN BREAKS HIS SILENCE OVER MISSING TEENAGER
ABC’S BARRENJOEY ROAD INVESTIGATION REVEALS DETAILS OF DISGRACED COP MARK STANDEN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUDIE ADAMS’ MURDER SUSPECT, PROMPTING LETTERS TO JOURNALISTS FROM PRISON
As part of the ABC’s true crime investigation series Barrenjoey Road , journalists Ruby Jones and Neil Mercer have revealed breakthrough evidence demonstrating a long and deep friendship between career criminal Neville Tween, aka John Anderson, and corrupt former NSW Crime Commission investigator, Mark Standen.
The revelations are made in tonight’s episode of the documentary series Barrenjoey Road , airing on ABC TV at 8.30pm and in series two of the podcast, Unravel: True Crime . Barrenjoey Road sheds new light on the mystery disappearance of 18-year-old Trudie Adams on Sydney’s northern beaches 40 years ago.
The Barrenjoey Road investigation has prompted Standen to speak out for the first time since being jailed in 2008.
In letters recently written by Standen to Jones and Mercer, the disgraced former officer breaks his silence, detailing an extremely close relationship with the suspected serial rapist and murderer, Neville Tween.
Tween was suspected by police of involvement in a series of murders and 14 brutal rapes on the northern beaches. He was eventually jailed for his part in a major cocaine importation and died in jail.
In the letters, Standen confirms that his family and the Tween families lived for years just streets away on the NSW Central Coast during the early ‘90s, sharing a dog park and tennis court. Later, certain members of both families set up a business together. It’s not suggested that any of those family members knew about Tween’s criminal background.
“Socialization was unavoidable and as I perceived no threat to my family from Anderson,” Standen writes. “I merely compartmentalised my work and social interactions. I formed the view that he was a retired old-school criminal looking for a quiet life on the coast.”
The revelations have prompted criticism from former NSW detective, now professor of policing, Mick Kennedy.
“How can he possibly be a family friend?” said Kennedy. “How the fuck could you even let him in your house knowing what he’s done? That would have been the average copper’s response to Mark Standen trying to explain why he’s friendly with Neville Tween.”
The ABC investigation team has also been told Neville Tween was an informant of Mark Standen.
Kennedy believes this is another strong reason for an investigation into the relationship he describes as “the unholy relationship”.
“What happens is when police get investigated for these historical matters it’s never about the actual incidents themselves it’s about the cover up,” said Kennedy. “And the cover up is not necessarily about criminal activity it’s about competency, it’s about misconduct.”
In addition to Standen’s letters, the Barrenjoey Road journalists have obtained evidence that suggests Standen could have stalled an investigation into missing woman Trudie Adams.
Episode 2 of Barrenjoey Road airs on ABC and ABC iview Tuesdays at 8.30pm. Episode 1 is available to view on demand on ABC iview now.
A new episode of Season 2 of the Unravel: True Crime podcast is available today from wherever you get your podcasts.