How An Evil Killer Almost Destroyed A Hero Cop

When double murderer Malcolm Naden shot and almost killed Brad Macfadyen, it began an eight-year nightmare for the cop.

It was New Year’s Eve and the neon lights of Kings Cross had lost their sparkle for Brad Macfadyen, a rising star of the NSW police force who spent five years pounding the pavement of Australia’s most famous red light district.

The following day – the first day of 2006 – the then28-year-old was starting a dangerous new assignment, involving full body armour, high-powered rifles and nasty and dangerous crooks. And stress – lots of stress.

Brad didn’t know it at the time, but his coveted new role as a member of the Tactical Operations Unit would end up costing him relationships, his sanity, his job – and almost his life.

In 2011, Brad was part of a team of just three officers trudging through rugged bushland in the search for Australia’s most wanted fugitive, Malcolm Naden.

The evil double murderer gained almost mythical status during an extraordinary seven years on the run, hiding out in Western Plains Zoo and rural scrubland.

He struck terror into the hearts of local farmers and townsfolk who encountered the killer during his time on the run, mostly in the rugged bushland of the NSW Barrington Tops.

Twenty-four hours before that fateful day in 2011, Brad, two other officers and a police dog had found a cache of weapons and knew they were close to the biggest arrest of their careers.

However, they were far from excited about their find. With the enormous pressure on police to make an arrest, they were deeply concerned about the operation, how it was being run and whether they were being sent into danger without adequate support.

The following morning, the officers resumed their hunt. Just before 7am, a loud crack broke the silence. Brad was shot in the shoulder by Naden after coming into the sights of his stolen .22 calibre rifle. The “expert bushman” was just a few metres away from the policeman.