The Birnies

Catherine Had Enough

Catherine Birnie

The brutal murder of Denise Brown had a bad effect on Catherine Birnie. She liked the sex they had with their victims. And she didn't mind the women being strangled and stabbed to death. But after the last murder, she decided that she couldn't go through with it again. That is possibly why she left their next victim untied and alone in the bedroom.

She told police later: "I think I must have come to a decision that, sooner or later, there had to be an end to the rampage. I had reached the stage when I didn't know what to do. I suppose I came to a decision that I was prepared to give her a chance."

"I knew it was a foregone conclusion that David would kill her, and probably do it that night. I was just fed up with the killings. I thought if something did not happen soon it would simply go on and on and never end.

"Deep and dark in the back of my mind was yet another fear. I had a great fear that I would have to look at another killing like that of Denise Brown, the girl he murdered with an axe. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. In the back of my mind I had come to the position where I really did not care if the girl escaped or not. When I found out that the girl had escaped, I felt a twinge of terror run down my spine. I thought to myself: 'David will be furious. What shall I tell him?'"

On November 12, 1986, David John Birnie and Catherine Margaret Birnie appeared in Fremantle Magistrates' Court and were charged with four counts of wilful murder. The public was outraged at their crimes and a crowd had gathered outside the court. The holding cell leading to the courtroom was heavily guarded by police.

Fremantle Magistrates' Court

David Birnie was lead into court handcuffed to a policeman and wearing a faded pair of blue overalls with joggers and socks. The barefoot Catherine Birnie was handcuffed to a policeman and wore a pair of blue denim jeans with a light-brown checked shirt.

They stood emotionless as the charges against them were read out. Neither had legal representation. No plea was entered, bail was officially refused, and the Birnies were remanded in custody. When asked if she wanted to be remanded for eight or 30 days before her next court appearance, Catherine Birnie looked at her lover and said: "I'll go when he goes."

On February 10, 1987, a huge crowd gathered outside the Perth Supreme Court. As the Birnies arrived in a prison truck, they called for the reintroduction of the death penalty. "Hang the bastards!" they shouted. "String them up!" Under a huge police guard, the couple was led into holding cells.