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Police turn up heat on hunt for WA’s most elusive criminals who have skipped the State to avoid capture

They are WA’s most elusive fugitives. The wily criminals police desperately want to throw back behind bars but have fled the State to maintain their freedom. Some of them for decades. All are alleged to have flouted parole conditions after their release from jail for various crimes. All have warrants ordering their return to prison hanging over their heads. And now, all are in the crosshairs of a crack team of manhunters tasked with rounding them up. The rapid apprehension squad is so intent on catching them they have revealed the names, aliases and mugshots of those they consider to be the 19 most wanted. Among the names on the hitlist is drug trafficker Ardil Khan, 28, who was jailed for six years in 2020 for his role in a multimillion-dollar drug syndicate operating out of WA in 2017. Ardil is the brother of Yusuf Khan, the owner of the collapsed The Library Nightclub and linked to failed builder Modco Residential — who himself is no stranger to headlines. The latest came last month when he was allegedly stabbed while sitting at a traffic light in his Mercedes-Benz. Ardil’s sentencing hearing was told how he was a trusted member of a syndicate, who was tasked to pack millions of dollars worth of drugs into secret compartments in a van for his brother Zamal, a senior member of the organisation. Police say Ardil was released on parole two years ago and breached the conditions shortly after. It is believed he has fled overseas but where he is exactly remains a mystery. He owes 348 days in jail on his return-to-prison warrant. Also wanted in the operation — codenamed Operation Conroy — is convicted rapist Kiernan Donnelly. Donnelly dragged a woman from a Bunbury oval and attacked her in nearby bushes in 2007. The 61-year-old was charged in 2016 after a DNA breakthrough in a cold case review of the shocking crime and was found guilty after trial. He was jailed for more than six years and released on parole in 2022 — but as reported by The West Australian last year, he absconded and is now at large. While police have previously remained tight-lipped about Donnelly’s suspected whereabouts, it can be revealed they now believe he, too, has fled overseas. Asked about what he knew about Donnelly’s movements last year, Police Commissioner Col Blanch replied: “Being found and or located and being arrested are two very different things.” “We may know where people are, we may be conducting an investigation, but it may not be in Western Australia. But I really don’t want to compromise that any more,” he said. Among the other warrant dodgers who are AWOL are Arielle Brooke Greaves. Greaves is a convicted drug trafficker who allegedly breached her parole and embarked on a life on the run after her release from prison on charges in 2019. “Ms Greaves was born in Perth WA and her last known address was in Kelmscott, Western Australia,” a police notice calling for her whereabouts says. “Her current whereabouts are believed to be in Victoria or South Australia and she has not made any contact with family members in numerous years, despite family members caring for her young children. “Ms Greaves has eluded capture for many years and currently owes the State of Western Australia 233 days on a Return to Prison Warrant.” Christopher Joseph Talovic, 39, who rammed a police car after leading officers on a wild chase in Ravensthorpe with his four-year-old daughter in the front passenger seat is also on the list. Several of the offenders have been known to operate under aliases, including convicted burglar David Keith Gates, who goes by the names “Raymond Cowey”, “Trevor Paterson”, “Stuart Pearce” and “David Ryan”. Gates is accused of breaching his parole after being released on parole in 2009 over a break-in at a Calingiri property where he stole the homeowner’s car. He has links to Alice Springs and New South Wales but is “believed to live a largely transient life”. British-born fraudster Christopher Edward Eric Skelly, 40, who was jailed for stealing from a truck business he was employed by and selling it to a third party, is also being sought. He was released on parole in 2021 for other charges — believed to be related to another fraud offence — when he breached his parole. It is understood he has fled the country and is back living in the UK. Joshua Andrew Maxfield, 33, has been on the run for eight years after his release on parole over an armed robbery in Glendalough. Maxfield was jailed after he threatened two service station workers with a pair of scissors in 2015. He has ties to Victoria and his last known address was in Barwon Heads. Police said they will continue to pursue return-to-prison warrants — whatever the circumstance. Whilst not among the 19 most wanted, the oldest such warrant being pursued was issued in 1987 for 71-year-old Barrie John Watts. However, police do know his whereabouts. He is currently serving a life sentence in a Queensland prison for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Sian Kingi — committed after he breached his parole conditions in WA. Watts and his wife Valmae Beck were jailed in 1990 over the shocking crime, which involved the pair kidnapping the schoolgirl after asking her to help look for a lost dog in Noosa. Watts failed in his latest bid for freedom earlier this year. “Return-to-prison warrants are issued by the parole board when a person fails to meet their parole conditions,” Detective Sergeant Andy Coen, of the rapid apprehension squad, said. “Since 2005, thousands of Return to Prison warrants have been issued by the parole board and we have been extremely successful in our ongoing efforts to locate those offenders and return them to prison to serve out their remaining sentences. “Some suspects choose to flee the State whilst on parole and the WA Police Force still pursues these suspects, no matter where they choose to go.” Det-Sgt Coen said the squad had a “suite of powers” at its disposal and they “never give up”. “We have the intent, the ability and the resources to pursue these matters until they are resolved and that is our intention,” he said. “If you commit crimes in Western Australia against the Western Australian community, the WA Police Force will always seek to hold you accountable — no matter where you are in the world.” “The public’s assistance is crucial. Any piece of information, big or small, could be the key to an investigation.” Police are looking for information relating to the whereabouts, associates, social media accounts, work addresses, current vehicles and phone numbers being used by the named offenders. Information can be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/return-to-prison-warrants/ People reporting information can remain anonymous and rewards are available for information leading to an arrest. Police are warning that the offenders listed are convicted of crimes of various levels of seriousness and should not be approached. Instead, call police immediately on 131 444.

The West Australian exclusivePolice turn up heat on hunt for WA’s most elusive criminals who have skipped the State to avoid capture

exclusive
Police turn up heat on hunt for WA’s most elusive criminals who have skipped the State to avoid capture