Neddy Smith, 76, dies in Sydney’s Long Bay jail hospital

A notorious Sydney gangster who was a potential suspect in the 1975 gangland-style murder of Perth brothel madam Shirley Finn has died in prison.

Arthur ‘Neddy’ Smith, 76, died in New South Wale’s Long Bay jail hospital on Wednesday. He had been battling Parkinson’s disease for 30 years.

Smith was a key figure during Sydney’s gangland war in the 1980s and had spent decades in jail over the course of his life.

• The underworld killings that shook a nation
• Neddy Smith has died in a jail hospital.
• Smith a survivor of a long and violent criminal past

During a 2017 inquest into Ms Finn’s death it was claimed Smith was paid $5000 to fly to Perth and kill her on behalf of her business partners.

Details of the alleged hit were provided to the Coroner’s Court by former WA detective James Archibald Boland, who confirmed he received what he believed to be “credible” information from another career criminal just weeks after the murder about Smith’s possible involvement.

However, Mr Boland, said he did not know if the tip was ever followed up by the team investigating the murder because he had been ordered to “let it go” when he passed the information to a superior officer.

Smith cut a terrifying figure, standing at 1.98cm tall, and weighing in at more than 100kgs.

While Smith had been charged with eight murders, he was only convicted of two – the killing of brothel owner Harvey Jones and the murder-in-company of a tow-truck driver named Ronnie Flavell during a road rage incident.

It was widely known that he made money from dealing heroin and was behind a spate of armed robberies.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1981. His health really took a turn in 2008 when his medication stopped working effectively.