Rogerson is also known for his association with other NSW detectives who are reputed to have been corrupt, including Ray "Gunner" Kelly and Fred Krahe, and with a number of organised crime figures, including Arthur "Neddy" Smith, Graham "Abo" Henry, Warren Lanfranchi, Robert Arthur "Bobby" Chapman, Paul "The Paddy" O'Halloran, John Tex Moran, and Christopher Dale Flannery. Neddy Smith was a convicted heroin dealer, rapist and armed robber who has claimed Rogerson gave him the "green light" to commit crimes in New South Wales. Henry and Lanfranchi were also heroin dealers and armed robbers, while Flannery specialised in contract killing.
Rogerson worked on some of the biggest cases of the early 1970s, including the Toecutter Gang Murder and the Whiskey Au Go Go Fire in Brisbane. By 1978 his reputation was sufficient to gain convictions based on the strength of unsigned records of interviews with prisoners (known as "verbals"). He was brought in to investigate the bombing of the Sydney Hilton despite having no connections to the Special Branch investigating the case. The convicted bomber Tim Anderson, who was released in 1991, claimed the confession Rogerson extracted was fabricated, and that he and other members of the Ananda Marga sect were convicted because Rogerson falsified statements.
The Peter Mitchell Award was presented to Rogerson in 1980 for the arrest of escaped armed robber Gary Purdey. This was tainted by Purdey's claims that Rogerson assaulted him, prevented him from calling his solicitor and typed up to five different records of interview.
Rogerson was responsible for the shooting death of Warren Lanfranchi. During the inquest the coroner found he was acting in the line of duty, but a jury declined to find he had acted in self defence. Rogerson was later commended by the police force for his bravery. However, it was alleged by Lanfranchi's partner, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, and later by Neddy Smith, that Rogerson had murdered Lanfranchi as retribution for robbing another heroin dealer who was under police protection and for firing a gun at a police officer. Huckstepp, a heroin addict and prostitute, appeared on numerous current affairs programs, including 60 Minutes and A Current Affair, demanding an investigation into Lanfranchi's death. She also made statements to the New South Wales Police Internal Affairs Branch. She was later murdered, her body found in a pond in Centennial Park, New South Wales.Rogerson received a criminal conviction, which was overturned on appeal, for involvement in drug dealing, allegedly conspiring with notorious Melbourne drug dealer Dennis Allen to supply heroin.
Rogerson was dismissed from the NSW Police Force on April 11, 1986. He was subsequently convicted of perverting the course of justice in relation to $AU110,000 deposited by him in bank accounts under a false name. He spent nine months in jail in 1990 before being released on bail pending an appeal. His appeal was unsuccessful and he spent a further three years in jail from 1992 to 1995. Rogerson was depicted by Richard Roxburgh in the miniseries, Blue Murder, first broadcast in 1995.
After leaving the police, Rogerson worked in the building and construction industry as a supplier of scaffolding. He also became an entertainer, telling stories of his police activities in a spoken-word stage show called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, with former Australian footballers Warwick Capper and Mark "Jacko" Jackson.
In 2008 Rogerson reviewed episodes of the Underbelly series and Melbourne's underworld war on The Daily Telegraph's online blog. Rogerson has also blogged about the 2009 series of Underbelly for the The Daily Telegraph.He claims he has completed an autobiography about his time as a detective and that his 160,000-word manuscript is currently being reviewed by an editor to "cut out some of the bullshit and make it a good read". He says "we haven't thought of a name for it yet but it'll have 'Roger Rogerson' right across the front of it."An ABC mini series was made called "Blue Murder" which was based on a true story
that showed notorious criminal "Neddy Smith" and Roger Rogerson Relationship
Click here for Scenes from Blue Murder
