INCREASED REWARD RAISES HOPES OF NABBING KILLER

In May 1995, a young teenager was stabbed to death. Today, in 2015, the killer is still on the loose, and the police are clueless as to where to look. In this piece, we give you the details of this shocking incident. For the boy’s parents, they have been living a painful dream every day for twenty years.
Twenty years ago, Ricky Malcombe, a 16-year-old man who lived in Geelong with his parents, was stabbed in the leg and the chest in front of his best friend and stunned bystanders, who were too shocked to react. The best friend was also chased by the man in the hoodie around the streets of Geelong and managed to escape only narrowly.
Charges against Karl Hague, the primary suspect, were thought to be conclusive, but by 1998 they were dropped before a Supreme Court trial was to start, owing to the death by overdose of two key witnesses.
Now, Karl Hague is a father of two. He has a family.
Christine Loader, Ricky’s mother, says that this ought to make Karl come out into the open and tell people what happened on that day. Whether he’s guilty or innocent, it is apparent that he knows something, and the investigating officers can use whatever smidgen of light he can cast on this whole affair.
And if he’s guilty? Then he should own up, says Christine, if for nothing else but teaching his young family the importance of ethics and responsibility. ‘He needs to take a good hard look at them,’ she said, ‘hug them and keep them close to his heart, and maybe that will convince him to come forward and do the right thing.’
The police have now increased the reward for people giving key information of this case to $1 million, up from the current $500,000. They hope that this increased reward will encourage people who have information about this incident to come forward. According to the cops, the original suspect is still the main person of interest, but there aren’t enough witnesses to close the case.
The motive behind the killing is believed to be gang warfare. There was a hierarchical fight between the ‘red bandanna’ gang and the ‘blue bandanna’ gang, which escalated into the killing of Ricky Malcombe. Many of those involved in the gangs of those days have not come forward to inform on their former mates. Some of the gangs were also involved with illicit drugs.
It is hoped that the twentieth anniversary of the death of Ricky – and the increased reward – would serve as enough encouragement for those in the know to step into the light.