An Australian company has been criticized for running ghost tours on the site where serial killer Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers from Australia, Britain and Germany in the 1990s.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the so-called "extreme terror tour" was only revealed when the business, Goulburn Ghost Tours, applied for a permit to conduct the tours worth $150 in the Belanglo State Forest, around 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Sydney.
A cached version of Goulburn Ghost Tours' site showed the "paranormal investigation" held on June 27th was sold out while there were only six tickets left for the upcoming August 8th tour.
Premier of the state of New South Wales, Mike Baird, said the tour was "completely and utterly outrageous," and "in bad taste." He told the ABC he would reject the group's application to continue the outings in Belanglo.
Victims' support groups also condemned the nocturnal excursions, describing them as insensitive to the relatives of the deceased. Also, the police officer who headed the hunt for the murderer, retired assistant commissioner Clive Small, also agreed it smacked of bad taste.
Milat, now 70, was convicted in 1996 of murdering seven backpackers after a lengthy and highly publicized investigation. He was only caught after the sensational evidence from Paul Onions, a British hitchhiker who escaped death in 1990 by jumping out of Milat's vehicle when he pulled a gun on him.
Onions reported the incident to police at the time and years later when he saw news reports of bodies found in Belanglo. He then contacted the Australian High Commission in London, eventually providing crucial evidence to the trial.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the tour company, Louise Edwards, told television network Channel Ten on Tuesday night that the tours had been permanently canceled.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the so-called "extreme terror tour" was only revealed when the business, Goulburn Ghost Tours, applied for a permit to conduct the tours worth $150 in the Belanglo State Forest, around 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Sydney.
A cached version of Goulburn Ghost Tours' site showed the "paranormal investigation" held on June 27th was sold out while there were only six tickets left for the upcoming August 8th tour.
Premier of the state of New South Wales, Mike Baird, said the tour was "completely and utterly outrageous," and "in bad taste." He told the ABC he would reject the group's application to continue the outings in Belanglo.
Victims' support groups also condemned the nocturnal excursions, describing them as insensitive to the relatives of the deceased. Also, the police officer who headed the hunt for the murderer, retired assistant commissioner Clive Small, also agreed it smacked of bad taste.
Milat, now 70, was convicted in 1996 of murdering seven backpackers after a lengthy and highly publicized investigation. He was only caught after the sensational evidence from Paul Onions, a British hitchhiker who escaped death in 1990 by jumping out of Milat's vehicle when he pulled a gun on him.
Onions reported the incident to police at the time and years later when he saw news reports of bodies found in Belanglo. He then contacted the Australian High Commission in London, eventually providing crucial evidence to the trial.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the tour company, Louise Edwards, told television network Channel Ten on Tuesday night that the tours had been permanently canceled.