Abe Saffron

Abe Saffron
Saffron at the Roosevelt Club in Kings Cross, Sydney in 1950.
Born(1919-10-06)6 October 1919
Annandale, New South Wales, Australia
Died15 September 2006(2006-09-15) (aged 86)
Sydney, Australia
Other names
  • Mr. Sin
  • King of King's Cross
  • Mr. Big of Australian crime
Occupation(s)Property developer, hotelier, night club owner
Spouse(s)Doreen Krantz
(m. 1947; died 1999)
Children2
Conviction(s)Tax evasion

Abraham Gilbert Saffron (6 October 1919 – 15 September 2006) was an Australian hotelier, nightclub owner, and property developer who was one of the major figures in organised crime in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century.[1]

For several decades, members of government, the judiciary and the media made repeated allegations that Saffron was involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including alcohol sales, dealing in stolen goods, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, bribery and extortion. He was charged with a range of offences including "scandalous conduct", possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of stolen goods, but his only major conviction was for federal tax evasion.

He gained nationwide notoriety in the media, earning various nicknames including "Mr Sin",[2] the "Mr Big of Australian crime" and "the boss of the Cross" / "King of King's Cross" (a reference to the Kings Cross red-light district, where he owned numerous businesses).[3]

In March 2021 ABC Television aired an investigative documentary series, "The Ghost Train Fire", which directly implicated Saffron in an arson plot at Luna Park Sydney in 1979, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including six children. Former senior police officers testified on camera that Saffron ordered the crime, which was swiftly and systematically covered up by corrupt police and government figures.[4] Saffron always vigorously denied such accusations, and was renowned for the extent to which he was willing to sue for libel against his accusers.[5]

  1. ^ Reeves, Tony (1 August 2007). Mr Sin: The Abe Saffron dossier. Allen & Unwin. p. 7.
  2. ^ Reeves, Tony: 2007 biography
  3. ^ "Going up: a ride in Abe's lift". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 September 2006.
  4. ^ Meldrum-Hanna, Caro; Begley, Patrick; Balendra, Jaya; Karagic, Dunja (30 March 2021). "Former NSW police officers claim Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron orchestrated the Luna Park Ghost Train fire". ABC News. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ Colvin, Mark (15 September 2006). "Underworld figure Abe Saffron dies, aged 86". PM. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[dead link]