page_title: Billy "The Texan" Longley
hierarchical_section_title: Billy "The Texan" Longley
caption_attribution_description: English: Billy Longley at Pentridge Prison H Division Yard. By Rupert Mann.
context_page_description: Billy "The Texan" Longley was an underworld figure best known as a standover man on the Melbourne waterfront during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1971 he nominated for President of the Victorian branch of the Painters and Dockers Union but lost the election to Arthur Morris in controversial circumstances.
  On the 21 June 1958, he married Patricia Alma who had been previously married to another Painter and Docker member, Harry Heffernan.
  On the night of the 6 January 1961, Longley got into an altercation with his father-in-law; Hector McGowran, known as "Johnny Diamond" at Longley's home in Richmond, Victoria over a gun Longley found. During the altercation, the gun went off and hit Patricia, killing her. On the 10 June 1961, Longley was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years, he appealed against sentence and was granted a new trial in February 1962 and was acquitted in October of that year.
  In 1973, Longley was charged and convicted of the murder of Pat Shannon, then Secretary of the Painters and Dockers Union, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975. He served 13 years in prison for this, maintaining his innocence.
context_section_description: Billy "The Texan" Longley (1926 – 27 March 2014) was an underworld figure best known as a standover man on the Melbourne waterfront during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1971 he nominated for President of the Victorian branch of the Painters and Dockers Union but lost the election to Arthur Morris in controversial circumstances. 
  On the 21 June 1958, he married Patricia Alma who had been previously married to another Painter and Docker member, Harry Heffernan.   
  On the night of the 6 January 1961, Longley got into an altercation with his father-in-law; Hector McGowran, known as "Johnny Diamond" at Longley's home in Richmond, Victoria over a gun Longley found. During the altercation, the gun went off and hit Patricia, killing her. On the 10 June 1961, Longley was convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years, he appealed against sentence and was granted a new trial in February 1962 and was acquitted in October of that year.    
  In 1973, Longley was charged and convicted of the murder of Pat Shannon, then Secretary of the Painters and Dockers Union, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975. He served 13 years in prison for this, maintaining his innocence. While in prison, he made a number of allegations regarding union corruption that led to the establishment of the Costigan Royal Commission.
  Longley died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital on the morning of 27 March 2014.
caption: Billy Longley at Pentridge Prison
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