Bradford Warner
PHOLI
Anita Pholi, sister of Bradford Pholi. PICTURE: JOHN APPLEYARD
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Sex: |
Male |
Date of Birth: |
1972 |
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At time of disappearance |
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Age: |
10 |
Height (cm): |
135.0 |
Build: |
Thin |
Hair Colour: |
Brown |
Eye Colour: |
Brown |
Complexion: |
Dark Brown |
Nationality: |
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Racial Appearance: |
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Circumstances - 10 year old Bradford
Pholi was last
seen leaving his home at Dundas, Sydney on 26 December 1982. He intended on
travelling by train to Newtown to visit a relative, however he never
arrived.
Bradford has not contacted family or friends since this time. There are
grave concerns for his welfare. |
Reward of $100,000 offered to solve case of
missing boy Bradford Pholi
Minister for Police Michael Daley today announced that the NSW
Government would offer a $100,000 reward for information relating to the
disappearance of 10 year old Bradford Pholi in 1982.Mr Daley
said the reward offer came ahead of the final day of the coronial
inquest into Bradford's disappearance and presumed murder.
"Bradford was last seen leaving his home in Warwick Road, Dundas,
on Boxing Day 1982," he said.
"He was heading to Eastwood Train Station to go to his aunt's
house in Newtown, but never made it.
"His mother, who died in 1986, and an unidentified man reported
him missing at Eastwood Police Station.
"Police believe that Bradford never made it to the station, but he
can't have vanished without a trace. (View
Map)
"I hope that this reward offer will encourage anyone who lived in
the Dundas, Carlingford, Eastwood, Parramatta, Ryde or West Epping areas
in 1982-83 to think back to that day and contact Police if they remember
seeing Bradford walking along their street.
"It was Boxing Day, someone must have seen Bradford walking alone
as they were putting the rubbish out or trying out their Christmas gifts
in the front yard.
"His brother Bernie and sister Anita, then aged 11 and 13
respectively, have spent 27 years wondering what happened to their
little brother - they deserve closure," Mr Daley said.
Rosehill Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector
Darren Newman welcomed the NSW Government reward offer.
"I would ask anyone who saw Bradford that day to contact us, so
his surviving relatives can know the truth," he said.
"Cold cases are difficult to solve, but the passage of time and
this reward offer may encourage someone with a guilty conscience or
someone who may have been told something about the disappearance to come
forward.
"I would like to speak to anyone that may have knowledge of
individuals living in that local area at that time who displayed unusual
behaviour particularly towards children.
"There is no doubt someone has either direct or indirect knowledge
about this disappearance," Mr Newman said.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333
000. Information will be treated as strictly confidential and may be
given at any time of the day or night.
Deputy State Coroner Milovanovich will be releasing his findings
into the disappearance and presumed murder of Bradford Pholi on Thursday
17th December 2009.
Do you have information that can help police with this case?
Any information you have about this is worth giving to police,
no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.
You can provide information to police via any of the methods
below:
Any information provided will be treated in the strictest
confidence.
Your help may give police the clue they need to close this
case and provide some comfort for the families of victims.
How to claim your reward
- Contact Crime Stoppers or your local Police Station.
- Identify yourself and indicate you have information about
a crime and that you wish to claim a reward.
- You will then be put in contact with a police officer
involved in the investigation of that case.
Coronial inquest into 26-year-old
case of missing boy
2009-06-14 05:32:57
The case of a boy, who went missing after leaving his home in
western Sydney 26 years ago, will go before a Coronial inquest this
week.
Bradford Pholi, aged 10, was last seen by his mother leaving his
home in Dundas on Boxing Day 1982.
He was supposed to travel to his aunt's home in Newtown but never
made it.
Bradford's mother and an unidentified man reported him missing more
than 24 hours later to Eastwood Police Station.
The cold case is now being investigated by detectives from Rosehill
Local Area Command.
The inquest will attempt to establish what happened to Bradford and
will focus on establishing the identity of the man who reported him
missing. His mother died in 1986.
Bradford's brother and sister, who were aged 14 and 12 at the time,
are being called to give evidence at this week's inquest.
Rosehill Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector
Darren Newman, who is leading the case, will outline his
investigation at the inquest.
"Something that has troubled me and other investigators over the
years, is how such a young boy can seemingly vanish without a
trace?" Det Insp Newman said.
"There is no doubt that either a relation or someone who was close
with the Pholi family holds vital information about what happened to
Bradford.
"It is vital we attempt to establish the identity of the mystery man
who went with Bradford's mother to report him missing.
"We hope this inquest will help unearth information about him that
as yet remains secret.
"While cold cases are often difficult to solve, the passage of time
does provide the opportunity for someone with a guilty conscience to
come forward.
"Someone must have direct or indirect knowledge about the
disappearance," he said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Crime
Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The case will go before the Deputy State Coroner at Westmead on
Tuesday.
AFTER 10-year-old Bradford Pholi went missing from his Sydney
home in 1982, the young man who'd previously lived in the house
developed a "gut feeling" something bad had happened.
Sixteen years later, Grant Austin began having dreams the boy was
buried under the front steps of the property.
He was so convinced he took shovels to the house, in the western
suburb of
Dundas, to dig underneath it.
He even called Crime Stoppers to tell authorities about his
suspicions, an inquest in the Westmead Coroner's Court was told as it opened
on Tuesday.
Inquest into missing Brad
But police found no trace of the boy's body, despite sifting through
nine tonnes of dirt and rubble from under the house.
The inquest was told Mr Austin, then 18, lived in the house in the
months immediately prior to the Pholi family.
The home was soon at the heart of a police investigation as officers
tried to find out what had happened to Bradford, who disappeared soon after
midday on Boxing Day that year.
He was last seen at
Eastwood railway station on his way to visit an aunt at
Newtown. His mother Lorna Pholi reported him missing 24 hours later.
Police were told by friends and neighbours that Lorna had been violent
towards the boy in the past.
"In my opinion . . . it is likely the child is deceased and if she
were alive today, Lorna Pholi would be considered a person of interest,"
Detective Inspector Darren Newman told the inquest.
"There's no evidence to suggest anybody else was involved."
Sightings of the boy in
Darlinghurst and Kings Cross were reported to police, but Insp Newman
said police suspected "foul play".
Mr Austin told police, in a statement read to the inquest, that he'd
always had a "gut feeling" something bad had happened to Bradford. He told
police the dreams telling him the boy was buried under the house began in
1998.
Outside court, he told reporters he took shovels to the home so he
could investigate that possibility.
"I never felt I was right, I always just thought maybe the police
would go and have a look for him. I was prepared to be wrong," he said. "My
whole aim has actually been not only to help Brad, but also help the
family."
Bradford's sister Anita and her brother Bernie Pholi, who were 13 and
12 when their brother went missing, told reporters that police did not do
enough to find Bradford.
"We do not think the police have done a good enough or hard enough job
to find our brother," Anita said.
"All we would like is our brother just to be found, alive or dead, so
we can get closure and get on with our lives."
Inquest adjourned, detectives
investigate new information on 26-year-old case of missing boy
2009-06-18 15:02:11
An inquest into the disappearance of a boy in western Sydney 26
years ago has been adjourned while police investigate new
information.
Bradford Pholi, aged 10, was last seen by his mother leaving his
home in Warwick Road, Dundas, on Boxing Day 1982. He was supposed to
travel to his aunt's home in Newtown but never made it.
Bradford's mother and an unidentified man reported him missing more
than 24 hours later to Eastwood Police Station.
The inquest was yesterday afternoon adjourned until Thursday 6
August by Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich to allow police to
investigate new information.
Detectives from Rosehill Local Area Command are making inquiries
into new information heard yesterday that Bradford may have
disappeared while walking from his home to Eastwood Railway Station.
Police would like to speak with any person who lived in the Dundas,
Carlingford, Eastwood or West Epping areas in 1982-1983 and who has
any information relating to Bradford's disappearance.
Rosehill Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector
Darren Newman, said it was a tragic and rare case of a young child
disappearing.
"Bradford's surviving siblings, Anita and Bernie, were only children
themselves when he went missing. They deserve closure and I appeal
to anyone with information to come forward," Detective Inspector
Newman said.
"Police will be investigating a number of new lines of inquiry
identified during the inquest, including information about a former
male friend of Bradford's mother.
"We are also seeking help to identify the mystery man who attended
Eastwood Police Station with Bradford's mother, Lorna Pholi, to
report the boy missing on 27 December 1982. We believe this person
may be able to help us to piece together Bradford's last movements.
"I am hopeful that the passage of time does provide the opportunity
for someone with a guilty conscience to come forward," he said.
"Police would also like to identify any staff who worked at Eastwood
Railway Station in late 1982 or 1983 and may have knowledge of the
boy's disappearance.
"Somebody knows something about this disappearance and I would urge
them to come forward," Detective Inspector Newman said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Crime
Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided anonymously
and in the strictest confidence.
Coroner returns open finding into boy’s disappearance
27 years ago
Thursday, 17 Dec 2009 01:32pm
The NSW Coroner has today returned an open finding in the
disappearance of a 10-year-old boy who was last seen leaving his home in Dundas
27 years ago.
Deputy State Coroner Carl Milovanovich has been inquiring into the disappearance
of Bradford Pholi who was last seen as he left his home in Warwick Road on
Boxing Day 1982.
The case has now been referred to the State Crime Command’s Unsolved Homicide
Squad.
NSW Minister for Police, Michael Daley, yesterday announced that the NSW
Government would offer a $100,000 reward for information relating to Bradford’s
disappearance.
Rosehill Local Area Command Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Darren Newman,
said while the inquest had reviewed all the available evidence to date, it also
emphasised the need for new information to solve the mystery of Bradford’s
disappearance.
“I have sat with Bradford’s sister, Anita, for the four days of this inquest,
and still we have no answers for his family,” Det Insp Newman said.
“We are hoping the Minister’s announcement will be a financial incentive for
people to come forward with information, where previously little assistance has
been forthcoming. Bradford was only 10 years old when he set off for his aunt’s
house in Newtown. He was never seen again.
“Aside from his disappearance, there are other areas that we have been unable to
clarify. This includes the identity of a man who accompanied Bradford’s mother
to report him missing on December 27, 1982. We are firmly convinced that there
are people who lived in the area and would have been out and about that Boxing
Day in 1982 and may have seen this little boy walking along the footpath.
“We need this information as each piece is part of a puzzle which we hope we
will soon solve.”
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Bradford Pholi is urged to
contact Rosehill police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Open verdict in cold case inquest
Updated
December 17, 2009 18:32:00 - ABC
A senior police officer says the investigation into the fate
of a 10-year-old boy who disappeared in 1982 will not close until the truth is
known.
New South Wales deputy coroner Carl Milovanovich returned an open verdict
after an inquest this year.
Deputy coroner Carl Milovanovich found that Bradford Pholi is now dead and
was probably assaulted or abducted 27 years ago.
He says police at the time did not canvass for possible evidence in the
right areas because they had incorrectly concluded the 10-year-old boy had run
away.
"There is no evidence to support early theories that Bradford simply ran
away," he said.
Detective Inspector Darren Newman says he is frustrated that the
disappearance of Bradford Pholi 27 year ago has not been solved.
He says he hopes a new $100,000 reward will help shed more light on what
happened.
"I firmly believe that there's someone out there who has information in
relation to this case," he said.
Detective Newman says the coroner has ruled out any involvement by
Bradford's mother and has opened some new avenues for the unsolved homicide team
to pursue.
Bradford Pholi's sister Anita also appealed for someone to come forward to
bring closure to he family.
"I am asking the public please, it's coming up to Boxing day, it's 28
years this year," she said.
Anita Pholi has been critical of the police effort in the past, but says
she is now satisfied with the legal process, despite the open finding.
"Whoever knows anything, and you have got to remember money talks, so
please I just want closure, I just want to see my brother, or bury my brother,"
she said.
The New South Wales Coroner's Office has recently discovered that there
are 350 long-term missing person cases which have remained open on police books.
What happened to Bradford Pholi
27 Jul, 2012 02:34 PM - The Sun
Bradford Pholi, will have been missing for 30 years this December.
The Dundas boy was just 10-years-old when he disappeared after
leaving his mother’s home in Warrick Road, on Boxing Day, 1982.
At a coronial inquest three years ago, deputy coroner Carl
Milovanovich found that Pholi must be dead and was probably assaulted or
abducted.
‘‘There is no evidence to support early theories that Bradford
simply ran away,’’ he said.
‘‘I firmly believe that there's someone out there who has
information in relation to this case,’’ he said.
Bradford’s mother died in 1986, just four years after his
disappearance.
But his family hold on to the hope that someone will one day come
forward with information that could bring them closure.
After a $100,000 reward for information was offered in 2009,
Bradford’s sister Anita appealed for help.
‘‘I am asking the public please,’’ she said.
‘‘Whoever knows anything, and you have got to remember money
talks, so please I just want closure, I just want to see my brother, or
bury my brother,’’ she said in 2009.
Ms Pholi is still waiting.
Bradford, who would be 39 now, was last seen around the Dundas,
Carlingford, Eastwood, Parramatta, Ryde or West Epping area, after
leaving on his own to visit his aunty in Newtown.
National Missing Persons Week, from this Sunday to Saturday August
4, is a chance to refocus the light on missing people like Bradford.
Anyone with information about Bradford’s whereabouts can contact
Crime Stoppers on 1800333000.