Ned Kelly

For Australians, Ned Kelly is a name that inspires bravery, standing up against the system, and fighting for what you consider right. There is even a saying - As game as Ned Kelly. Although is is not plausible that he wasn't guilty of his crimes (murder of policemen, robbery, and he was certainly not shy of a fight or two), as this book catalogues, there was an effort by police, by invariably unfair means to pursue, to needle and to unreasonably punish not just Ned, but his family and associates, for not only some of the minor crimes they had committed, but many they were not guilty of. This constant police pressure, goading and punitive nature of their dealing with the family established a distrust of ever being dealt with fairly (although many more charges were thrown out of court for lack of evidence than they were convicted of), push Ned into a corner, and events unfolded - as are fairly well known, resulting in the death of his brother Dan, and two friends, and in Ned's execution by hanging at age 36.

Clune's book is careful and comes across as evidential based (he states multiple sources for the content), but it is clear from the beginning that the police were guilty of harassment and did not act in a manner becoming of law enforcement - trading on preconceived ideas of guilt and doing their best to entrap the family.

This book was adapted from Frank Clune's earlier The Kelly Hunters, although it is not clear how it was adapted.

4 stars.