In 1980, three friends were travelling on the South Western Highway from Perth to Harvey. They were going approximately 130km when they crashed into a tree, killing one of the passengers.
The two other people in the car claimed they didn’t know who was driving.
Investigator Haydn Green didn’t have enough evidence to make an arrest, until the appearance of a surprise piece of evidence.
Former detective Hadyn Green gives details on the case on this episode of Crime Insiders, ‘The Christmas Card Confession’:
“I got to the crash scene just after seven… The Commodore slammed head first into a rather large tree that was off to the right hand side”, Green said.
The owner of the car, *Martin, and a woman on the back seat, Becky* both said they couldn’t remember who was driving.
Becky* claimed she was asleep, and that the group made a stop during their trip, therefore the drivers could have swapped.
Green said one Christmas, he was sorting through Christmas cards left on his desk when one took him by surprise.
There was one, and I opened it and it said, um, Mr Green, I just want to say thanks for the way that you handled the crash. My name is Martin*, shall we say, the driver of the car that crashed into the tree in Harvey. I got to say, I was a bit stunned for a moment.”
Green decided that he would to drive down to Harvey and talk to Martin*.
“I remember when we knocked on his door and said, we need to speak to you. And he had this look on his face and he said, oh, I didn’t know that I’d see you again.”
*Names with an asterisk are pseudonyms
Hear how the driver reacted on Crime Insiders, taking you beyond true crime. In groundbreaking interviews, explore the world of policing and forensics through stories from the world’s most experienced and decorated experts.