A serial arsonist. A mass killing. A predator who refused to stop.
‘Among the most dangerous serial arsonists ever documented.’ – Ed Nordskog, international arson profiler
‘He will remain dangerous for life.’ – Dr Rod Milton, forensic psychiatrist
Fire was only the beginning. Two men. Two infernos. Twenty-one dead. Both were serial arsonists. One would later return to court as a sexual predator.
In 1975, Reginald Little set the Savoy Hotel ablaze in Kings Cross, killing 15 people in an eruption of rage. In 1989, Gregory Allan Brown torched the Downunder Hotel, killing six young travellers from six nations. When asked why he didn’t warn them, Brown replied, “I didn’t want to. I didn’t care.”
Little’s violence was explosive and self-destructive. Brown’s was calculated and remorseless. Different motives. The same devastation.
Brown did not stop at one fire. Over decades, he lit more than 500 across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, many in occupied buildings. International arson profiler Ed Nordskog, who has studied 1,500 serial fire-setters worldwide, ranks Brown among the five most dangerous serial arsonists ever documented.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Rod Milton, who profiled notorious serial killers Ivan Milat and John Wayne Glover, described him as the most dangerous criminal he had encountered and warned the courts he would remain a threat for life. The warning proved correct.
Years later, Brown resurfaced as a sexual predator and manipulated the courts with a fabricated history. His lies secured leniency. Investigative work by author Geoff Plunkett, conducted alongside original Downunder investigators and expert witnesses, exposed the deception and led to Brown’s return to prison for perjury.
The human cost remains. Lives erased. Families shattered. A daughter who knows her mother only through photographs. A couple, one week from marriage, smiling in a final image taken minutes before their deaths.
Together, these cases expose the disturbing psychology of serial arson, from cold psychopathy to explosive fury, and reveal one of the most overlooked forms of mass killing.
Fire destroys in minutes. Its damage lasts for generations.
‘A powerful examination of two serial arsonists and the deadly psychology that turned fascination with fire into mass murder.’
‘More than a story of arson, this is a stark portrait of escalation, from remorseless killing to calculated predation.’
Nan van Dissel –
There have been innumerable number of books written about serial killers, but as retired historian and investigative researcher, Geoff Plunkett asserts, serial arsonists have been much neglected. Quite rightly the author of ‘The Burning Desire’ asserts that the general public usually recognises the names of the horrific serial killers, but it rarely does the same for equally monstrous serial arsonists, who have killed in similar numbers. In this book, he details the life and crimes of Australia’s most prolific and dangerous serial arsonist, Gregory Allan Brown and that of Reginal John Little, igniter of the Savoy Private Hotel fire, which led to the death of 15 residents.
Adopted as a baby, South Australian born Brown was a disruptive student, who moved from school to school until finally at 18 years of age started living independently. Fascinated with fires from a young age, his history of lighting over 500 fires was reported to having started at around the age of 13, but his criminal history didn’t commence until 1982. Not only does the author chronicle Brown’s offending history, but he also analyses this complex fire-setter’s personality.
Unlike Brown, who had a supportive family, Little from the age of four was placed in a boy’s home; imprisonment was part of his life. His first arson conviction came at the age of 16. However, while Brown appeared to be quite proud of his arsonist efforts, Little never admitted to having lit the Savoy fire.
Geoff Plunkett, with an impressive background in the subject of serial arsonists, having meticulously and thoroughly interviewed 36 perpetrators, makes this book an authoritative work in this field. He clearly presents the evidence which confirms his opinion that Brown is amongst the ‘top five most dangerous serial arsonists ever identified’. On the other hand, he finds John Little, while as dangerous as Brown, is not as sinister nor as evil.
True crime enthusiasts will find this a most comprehensive, well documented book, which should not be missed.