Murder of a Boxer- 9th of October 1935

Tickner Shot

Leslie Gordon Tickner was a boxer and a sheet metal worker and was only 22 years old when he was murdered on the night of Wednesday the 9th of October 1935.  He was shot to the head from behind and killed instantly in the Kitchen of his home, a semi-detached cottage on the Princess Highway, St Peter's.

Typical Police call box, Kings Cross from the 1930's.
This may have been similar to what Stack may have used. (City of Sydney Archives,SRC10551. Originally part of CRS 44/256)

Leslie's body was discovered by his house mate John Stack.  Leslie had been sitting on a kitchen chair when the fatal shot was fired from behind him.  The bullet passed through his head and embedded itself in the door of the wardrobe.  Leslie was found doubled up with his hands bent under him.  Death would most likely have occurred instantly.

When Stack found his friends body he ran into the street and telephoned the police from the nearest call box.  Detective Inspector Smith from Newtown Police was in charge of the case.  At the crime scene police located several empty beer bottles and a number of glasses with dregs.  Suggesting that Leslie had been drinking with a number of other people.  Dr Palmer, the Government Medical Officer inspected Leslie's body and asserted that he had been dead for about four or five hours.  Allowing police to make an initial determination of the time of death about 9pm.

Police speculated that Leslie was killed by someone he knew or regarded as a friend. The investigation started in earnest  and by the Friday police had interviewed over fifty witnesses.  Initially the focus of the investigation attempted to establish Leslie's movements on the fatal evening. A short piece in the Canberra Times revealed that there were at least two men in the house after the fatal shot had been fired.

Arrest of Blanche Peterson

Less than a week after the murder police had arrested and charged his 18 year old girlfriend, Blanche Peterson.  Stack said that he had been to the races during the day and had seen Leslie about 7.30pm when he arrived home.  Stack then had dinner with a next door neighbour Hilder returning home about 12.15am to find Leslie dead.

It appears that Leslie was a young man with acquaintances