'Ned Kelly's skull' handed to authorities

Updated November 5 2012 - 11:26pm, first published November 12 2009 - 11:54pm
Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly

A skull purported to be that of Ned Kelly has been handed to medical authorities, more than 30 years after the bushranger's skull was stolen from the Old Melbourne Jail.However it is expected to take more than a year to determine if the remains are in fact those of the infamous outlaw.Tom Baxter, a farmer from Derby in remote Western Australia, handed the skull to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine this week.He has had the skull for years, but has not revealed how it came to be in his possession.The skull was stolen from a glass cabinet in the Old Melbourne Gaol in 1978, and its whereabouts has remained a mystery since then.Mr Baxter told ABC Radio his decision came after the discovery in Melbourne last year of a grave believed to contain Ned Kelly's headless skeleton. "It seemed like an appropriate time that the skull be reunited with the bones in an effort to properly bury him,'' he said.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Wollongong news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.