Sydney 'Night Stalker' pleads guilty to string of sexual assaults in 1990s

A Sydney man known at the time as the Night Stalker pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults from the early 1990s, in a breakthrough that helped close a decades-old cold case. Glenn Gary Cameron, 61, admitted to 13 of 36 offences connected to eight women attacked between 1991 and 1993, prosecutors said.

Cameron was arrested at Sydney International Airport last February after detectives revisited unsolved cases with the aid of modern DNA and fingerprint technologies. He appeared in Downing Centre Local Court via video link and pleaded guilty to 13 charges. Nine charges were withdrawn, and 14 remaining offences will be taken into account when he is sentenced, authorities indicated. The charges he admitted to include multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault using a weapon as a threat, reflecting the severity and intimidation reported in the period’s attacks.

Authorities noted that Cameron’s case drew longstanding attention after the string of assaults prompted early-1990s media coverage. One of the victims even dialled into the court proceedings, according to reports. The Associated Press-type of public interest was underscored by the case’s lingering questions about how the attacks were carried out and why they remained unsolved for so long.

Historical reporting from the Sydney Morning Herald described the victims as predominantly Asian women aged 17 to 45, attacked near train stations and enticed with the lure of fake job opportunities. The assailant reportedly spoke a few Cantonese phrases, and the assaults often occurred at night with the use of a weapon. The first known attack occurred in April 1991 in the inner-west suburb of Strathfield, with additional assaults in Moore Park in the eastern suburbs.

The prosecution and police described Cameron’s guilty pleas as a significant development in a case that endured for decades. He is due to be sentenced next month, with the 14 remaining charges to be considered as part of the sentencing process. The court record indicates that the nine withdrawn charges are no longer before the court, while the 14 that will be taken into account reflect offenses that occurred during the same time frame but were not part of the guilty pleas.

Overall, this case illustrates how advances in forensic science have enabled authorities to revisit cold cases and secure accountability years after the crimes were committed. The investigation underscores the enduring effort to support victims who endured years of fear and uncertainty while awaiting resolution over events that shook Sydney’s communities in the early 1990s.