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Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney
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The Mount Rennie Outrage 1887

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

The Mount Rennie Outrage 1887

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National Library of Australia

[The Brisbane Courier, 6 January 1887, p5 via Trove]

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Law and order

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Crime Punishment

Events

Mount Rennie rape case

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National Library of Australia

Law and order

The politics of law and order were present at the foundation of Sydney as a convict settlement. They have remained part of the fabric ever since, and a vital aspect of the city's imagined life. Like many other parts of the city (its churches, its schools, its hospitals), the institutions of law and justice are a material aspect of the values and experiences of those who inhabit the city.

Crime

Punishment

Mount Rennie rape case

The gang rape of 16 year old Mary Jane Hicks at Mt Rennie (later Moore Park) in September 1886 by a group of young men, many in their teens, was referred to in the press of the day as the 'Mount Rennie Outrage'. Eleven men were tried, nine of whom were sentenced to death. Five of these had their sentences commuted to life sentences but four men were hanged. There were widespread protests at the use of the death penalty.

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