Sam Bass found the taxi driver who took George home. He learned from the people in the house where George was taken that the man who picked him up was Bevan von Einem. Sam went to von Einem’s work and spoke to him. Von Einem did not want to be spoken to at work and he agreed to meet Sam back at the Holden Hill Police Station where the short but muscular detective interviewed him.
Von Einem admitted picking up the boy, but said that George asked him for a lift. Von Einem agreed that he offered to take the boy to a party where there were drugs, booze and women. George was a willing party-goer, von Einem said. They drove to Alberton but the girls were not there. The homosexual who was at the house said they were working.
‘When did the girls actually arrive home, then?’ Sam Bass asked.
‘About an hour after we got there; it must have been around 1.00 or 1.30 a.m.’ von Einem answered. Sam methodically typed his replies onto a foolscap piece of paper.
‘What did you do while waiting for the girls to come home?’
‘We played music and had a drink. In fact, George drank a fair bit. He was drinking beer and brandy.’
‘Who are the girls that live in the house and returned after you arrived?’
‘ “P” and “K”.’
‘What are their last names?’
‘I don’t know; they’re just friends.’
He didn’t know their last names but he could take a boy to their homes after midnight. What a lot of bullshit, I thought when I read what he said.
‘What happened after the girls arrived at the house?’
‘We were all drinking and playing music and sitting around talking.’
‘During the evening, or at anytime while George was in your company, did you give him any type of tablet?’
‘No. No.’
‘Did you take any sort of tablet?’
‘Yes.’
‘What sort of tablets do you take?’
‘Rohypnol, Serepax and Sinequan.’
‘Where do you get these drugs from?’
‘They are prescribed to me by my doctor.’
‘What are they for?’
‘Rohypnol is for sleeping. Serepax is to calm me down and Sinequan is an anti-depressant.’
‘Why do you need all these tablets?’
‘I have some personal problems and they help me. I have taken them for a long time.’
‘Did you at any time give any of these tablets to the boy?’
‘No.’
‘What happened in relation to the boy while you were in the house?’
‘He went into the bedroom with P and I think he had sex with her.’
‘Did you go into the bedroom with P and the boy?’
‘No.’
‘How long did George and P remain in the bedroom?’
‘I can’t remember.’
‘What happened after this?’
‘P came out of the bedroom and we went on drinking.’
‘The boy has admitted he had sex with P but states you were in the bedroom with them when the act started. What have you to say about this?’
‘This is not right.’
‘Did you go into the bedroom at all with George?’
‘Yes.’
‘Which bedroom did you go into?’
‘P’s bedroom at the front of the house.’
‘What were the circumstances that caused you to go into the bedroom with George?’
‘P went to sleep on the lounge where we were all talking and drinking and the others went to their rooms, so I went and slept on her bed.’
When I read the transcript of the interview, my immediate question was ‘Why would P want to sleep on the lounge and not go back to bed with George?’ She slept on the lounge because she knew that von Einem wanted a go at him.
‘Did the boy come out of the bedroom with P?’
‘No. He was pretty drunk and had gone to sleep or passed out.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘P said he had gone to sleep or something like that, when she came out of the bedroom.’
‘After P went to sleep on the lounge then you went into her bedroom. Is that correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘What time was it that you went into the bedroom?’
‘I have no idea. We were talking and drinking for a long time.’
‘When you went into the bedroom, what happened?’
‘I got on top of the bed and went to sleep.’
‘Where was the boy?’
‘In the bed, asleep.’
‘During that night, did you sexually interfere with the boy?’
‘No. I never touched him.’
‘Did you actually get into the bed with him?’
‘No, I slept on top of the bed all night and when I woke up he was still asleep and under the blankets. I was still lying on top of the bed.’
‘I have had the boy medically examined and there is a scratch on the boy’s anus. Have you any idea how it got there?’
‘No, unless it happened when P had sex with him.’
‘What time did you wake up?’
‘I have no idea. It was late in the day.’
‘Where was the boy when you woke up?’
‘On the bed, asleep.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I got up and went out into the lounge. I think I had a shower and talked to the others.’
‘When you say it was late in the day, what time roughly was it?’
‘Late afternoon; I must have slept most of the day.’
‘What happened to the boy?’
‘He must have slept all day too and some of the night, as it was dark when he got up.’
‘Why would a person sleep so long?’
‘We drank over three-quarters of a bottle of brandy and was also drinking beer, and I think he was very drunk.’
Yes, I thought, but it was more than beer and brandy. He was popped some pills — Mandrax. The same drug that was given to Mark Langley and Richard Kelvin.
‘What happened when he got up?’
‘He had a shower and got dressed.’
‘Did he do that on his own?’
‘No, he was still pretty drunk and we helped him shower and get dressed. He said that he was still sleepy and he laid on the lounge.’
‘How did the boy eventually get home?’
‘He was placed in a taxi and sent home.’
‘Who paid for the taxi?’
‘I did.’
‘How much did the taxi cost?’
‘$15.’
‘There was a piece of paper with the boy’s address written on it. Who wrote this?’
‘I don’t know. I gave it to the taxi driver.’
‘How
