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Tough Nuts: Sept 30

Tough Nuts next explores the life of crime lord, ‘Mr Death’ Dennis Allen.

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The next episode of Crime & Investigation’s Tough Nuts hosted by Tara Moss explores the life of crime lord, ‘Mr Death’ Dennis Allen.

Allen was born in 1951, the eldest son of Melbourne crime matriarch, Kath Pettingill and is suspected of committing at least 11 murders.

Allen’s first major crime was in the 1970s and was appalling in its brutality: the abduction and rape of a 19 year-old woman. Serving six years of a nine year sentence, Allen left the prison gates with the contacts to become a major drug dealer – and went on to traffic in amphetamines and heroin and become one of Melbourne’s biggest suppliers during the 1980s.

Allen had a way of cutting out his competitors by becoming a police informer and making anonymous calls to police to give up his rivals. When that didn’t work, he turned to murder.

Allen knew no loyalty, had no friends and regarded his family as servants to use at his disposal.

In this fascinating episode of TOUGH NUTS, an in-depth profile on one of Australia’s most sadistic criminals is gradually uncovered, through interviews with psychologists, police detectives and investigative journalists.

The product of an appalling home life as a young boy and subjected to violent and abusive treatment by a number of his mother’s boyfriends, Allen went on to learn all he needed to know about being a professional criminal while behind the walls of one of Australia’s most notorious prisons.

Allen died of heart failure in 1987 while awaiting trial for the murder of Wayne Stanhope, as well as for other weapons and drug offences. A heavy drug user, Allen’s heart collapsed under the strain.

He was dead at 38 years of age.

Presented by bestselling crime author Tara Moss, TOUGH NUTS is an eight-part series that blows the lid off Australia’s criminal underworld and reveals the real story behind what made and shaped the most notorious figures in Australian criminal history.

Upcoming episodes will feature Russell Cox, Michael Sayers, Raymond Bennett and Lenny McPherson.

It premieres Thursday, September 30 at 7.30pm AEST.

4 Responses

  1. The promos for ep 4 – Dennis Allen look sensational! Can’t wait for more Tough Nuts. It’s a fantastic series – bring it on! PS I reckon it’s a million times better than CI Australia – I can sleep through an episode of CI and I’m on the edge of my seat with the Tough Nuts eps I’ve seen. Keep up the good work team Tough Nuts.

  2. @Blair Thompson couldnt agree more it was so much better than tough nuts i watched half of the first episode and that was enough for me i didnt miss an episode of crime investigation australia

  4. I’ve watched 2 eps of Tough Nuts and it’s not very good. Lots of padding and repetition – instead of 60min the eps could easily be cut down to 30min. And Tara’s presenting style is all wrong for the subject matter, too much come-hither and absolutely no grit. Give it a miss.

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