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Pentridge Prison has never been a place for the faint of heart. Built in 1851, it once housed the worst hardened criminals from all over Australia. Today, the mass structure stands sombre against the backdrop of a moonlit night; forever guarded by its infamous bluestone walls. Although its sole purpose serves no longer, the echoes of a long and violent past remain.
I joined in on a ghost tour of Pentridge Prison on a night back in June 2016 with my partner. Safe to say, it was a night I will not soon forget.
The Ghost Tour
It was a cold and windy evening when my partner and I arrived at the gates of Pentridge Prison, located in Coburg, Victoria. We were partaking in a group ghost tour that would take us inside the confined walls of the prison, courtesy of Lantern Ghost Tours, Australia. It was the perfect night for some morbid history and the company of ghosts.
We approached the entrance steadily, sizing up the looming fortress in our midst. My thoughts running wild with excitement. I had waited so long to do this, and now it was finally happening. Growing up, I always held a strong curiosity about this old prison. I personally have connections to Pentridge Prison within my family's history. Even before I was aware of this fact, it was always a place I was desperate to see inside of. I would often fathom as a child what it looked like on the inside whenever we would drive by through Coburg. Finally, after many years of curiosity, I was about to find out.
At the beginning of the tour, we wandered around the outside of D Division, tuning into the history of the building, stories of construction, and what each of the surrounding wards was used for in the past (types of prisoners held, categories of the buildings, rankings of inmates, etc.). For instance, D Division was once used to hold remand prisoners and was also the prisons execution wing back when it was operative.
When it was time to enter the inside of the prison, we were shown inside a small white bricked entrance room and told to wait there. Around us cases of memorabilia had been intricately displayed in glass cases. Vintage photographs lined the walls, and cabinets were filled with old mementos and trinkets from the prisons hay day. We looked around for a moment, admiring each of the pieces, and soaking in the energy of the building as we did. We waited patiently for the tour guides to open the main door that would lead us into the cell block. Soon enough, they ushered us inside, one by one, and my nerves began to rise. Here we go. Beginning at the base of the division, we walked up and down the long narrow corridor, past rows of heavy wooden cell block doors that were opened wide. As we walked further down, we peered into each of the tiny, cramped cells, each one of us curious but careful not to get too close; myself included. Visions of cold peering eyes from howling, blood-soaked men intruded my thoughts, forcing a shiver down my spine. I felt them searching me, just as I was searching for them throughout the darkness of those cells.
We were informed that D Division housed one of the most notorious criminals in the country for a period of time. Criminal and gang member, Mark 'Chopper' Read, who served his time at Pentridge in the late 1970's. 'Chopper' (as he was most known) died in 2013 from liver cancer. A dominion in the Australian underbelly, Chopper was - for lack of a better word - the Australian 'Dexter.' He would often kidnap, torture, and murder other underground criminals within Melbourne. The reasoning for his crimes was mostly fueled by either pure hatred of the person; arguments, or his need to seek information or intel from other hardened criminals and drug lords. Sometimes, there was simply no logical reason for Chopper's crimes at all, but he never once hurt an innocent civilian. Our guides showed us inside the cell that belonged to Chopper during his stay at Pentridge Prison. It was dingy, cramped, claustrophobic, and barren. Standing directly inside of it, you suddenly begin to imagine how this teeny tiny room once confined the life force of a man like Chopper Read; a strong, disturbed, outspoken, and violent being.
One of the tour guides eerily recounted the story of a night tour, where the group visiting was forced to evacuate from the building and call Police to investigate. During the tour, it was reported that a man's voice was heard from the end of the Division - seemingly located right next to Chopper's cell. The voice had very loudly and aggressively shouted at the group, ‘GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!’ Fearing an intruder was present, the tour guide swiftly exited the building with the group, assuring them that this was not part of the tour and that they may be in danger. When the Police arrived, they searched through the entirety of the division and looked through every cell by torchlight, but to no avail. What they assumed to be an elaborate prank, turned out to be a completely unexplainable event. Everyone on the tour (including the guides) had been accounted for that night, so there was no logical explanation for the mysterious, angry male voice that was heard. People believe they have also sighted Chopper lurking around the outside of his cell and have even photographed dark figures within that specific area of D Division.
Another cell we visited on the ground level of the division belonged to an American soldier and criminal by the name of Eddie Leonski. During the 1942 brownout period that occurred during WW2, Eddie would frequent bars in Melbourne where he would drink until intoxicated and perform strange acts of entertainment for his fellow soldiers, such as walking on his hands, and, strangest of all, imitating women's voices. At some point during the evening, Eddie would wander off from the bar and out into the pitch-dark Melbourne streets without a word to anyone. Soon, the bodies of three women would be found strangled to death across various Melbourne parks over the course of three-weeks.
People, of course, had their speculations about who was committing these heinous murders and eventually the name 'Eddie Leonski' caught up to the authorities and he was brought in for questioning. He would later be charged for all three of the women's murders and arrested. Upon his arrest, it was discussed who should try Eddie: The U.S, the Military, or Australia. Eventually it was decided that he would be tried under American military law, but since he had committed crimes upon Australian soil, he was to be locked up and executed within Australia. Eddie made a full confession to all three of the murders and was sentenced to spend the remainder of his days at Pentridge Prison in D Division, cell number fifty-two. His reasoning? Eddie wanted to capture the voices of the woman he murdered. In the moment of strangling these women to death, Eddie would cup his mouth over their mouths and would suck in their last dying breath in hopes that he would collect their voices.
When I first walked into Eddie's cell, without any other glimpse around the room, my eyes were first drawn directly down at the floor. There, on the cold dirty wood, was a large white painted pentagram pointed in reverse to the doorway in the centre of the room. It was then explained that Eddie Leonski was a strong believer and practitioner of the occult, often partaking in seances and rituals. After his arrest, Eddie spent time in his prison cell drawing pentagrams on the floor with white chalk. It is said and believed that he was attempting to summon the voices of women through the pentagrams he drew. Pentridge Prison staff have since recreated this pentagram (see image below) to acknowledge that this cell belonged to Eddie. Woman who come to the prison for the ghost tour are encouraged (if brave enough) to stand in the centre of the pentagram in Eddie’s cell by themselves and wait for a sign of Eddie's presence. Most people, particularly women, who visit Eddie's cell have reported feeling hands wrapping around their necks and the sensation of losing their breath or being choked. Some have also received visible welts or red hand like prints around their neck, and some have reported hearing a strange sound in their ear that can only best be described as someone sucking in a breath next to them.
Aftermath
I was deeply impressed by the information, as well as the tour in general. The guides were well informed, and the sensations were all too surreal inside. After the tour concluded, we were granted fifteen minutes to wander freely around the ward to capture photos and videos before the night's end. To be honest, I think I took photos in just about every crack and crevice of that ward that I could get into. After photographing the building, we headed back home; completely satisfied. I decided that I would look through all the photos properly in the morning, as I was much too tired after the tour to be bothered. Now, I always hope to find something in the photos that I take on ghost tours... but to say the least, I never expect that I will find anything much. This time, however, I was wrong.
The next morning when I awoke, I began shuffling through the numerous images I had captured inside D Division, assessing each one carefully. When I finally arrived at this picture (see image below), I almost had to double-take to reassure myself of what I was seeing.
This photo was taken on the second-floor balcony, pointing down towards the base level of the ward. If you look carefully enough (where the red circle is indicating) you can start to see the face of a man lurking around beside the cells. From what I can make out, he has little to no hair, a furrowed brow expression, and I can clearly make out the outline of his heavy-set eyes, the bridge of his nose, and the shape of his face. The details of his face are too hard to dismiss as anything else, in my humble opinion.
I was astounded to think that I captured this myself - a photo of a ghost, and someone who I believe was possibly an inmate at Pentridge, a long time ago. One that still haunts these prison walls, searching for a way out, eternally.
What’s your story, prisoner?
Tell me what you see in this photo, do you think it's a ghost?
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Sources:
The Daily Mail, Prison tour guide sights ghost of Mark 'Chopper' Read, Retrieved 19 April 2021, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1102078/Prison-tour-guide-sights-ghost-Mark-Chopper-Read.html
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