Shirley Finn's friend admits fear of top cop Bernie Johnson continues 42 years on

A witness at an inquest into the 1975 murder of Shirley Finn has admitted he is still afraid to say why he believes one of WA's top police officers organised to have the brothel madam killed.

Dressmaker Glenn Properjohn told Perth Coroner's Court he was a close friend of Ms Finn and had known her for about 10 years at the time she was killed.

The brothel madam's body was found slumped over the wheel of her white Dodge Phoenix at the Royal Perth Golf Course in South Perth in June, 1975.

She was wearing a ballgown — designed by Mr Properjohn — and had four bullet hole wounds in her head.

The mother-of-three was murdered two days before a tax hearing where she had been threatening to blow the whistle on illicit dealings by politicians, businessmen and police.

Mr Properjohn, appearing in person at the inquest, was clearly uncomfortable on the stand.

He told the court he believed the former head of the Vice Squad, Bernie Johnson, had organised to have Ms Finn killed, but was unwilling to explain what led him to believe that.

Mr Properjohn repeatedly told the court it was just his "instinct".

But when the counsel assisting the coroner, Toby Bishop, asked him if he was afraid to tell the court why he believed Mr Johnson was involved, he replied, "maybe a little — yeah".

Top cop was 'ruthless, bombastic'

He said he had met Mr Johnson some time around 1960 through a female friend who owned a shoe store and would see him occasionally.

Mr Properjohn said he remembered one night where the top cop had been in a spa with him and his friend.

He told the court Mr Johnson "was quite nice", but admitted he was also "ruthless" and "bombastic".

The witness was questioned over an incident he later told to Ms Finn's daughter, Bridget Shewring, when he had been punched in the stomach by a detective when giving a statement in 1975.

He said it happened while giving one of two statements at the East Perth police station, but provided little other details.

"I can't remember how it was done or who did it — it definitely wasn't Bernie because I know him, but it was a detective," he said.

Mr Properjohn insisted to the court that Mr Johnson was not one of the detectives who interviewed him, but the Vice Squad boss was included as one of two detectives conducting the interview on the police statement.

He said he had heard through some of the women who worked at Ms Finn's brothel that she the madam paid Mr Johnson "protection money".

Mr Properjohn also admitted that he was afraid of police in those days.

Mr Crowley asked if being a homosexual — a criminal offence in 1975— left Mr Properjohn vulnerable to corrupt police, but he said it did not.

The witness was questioned closely on his statements made in 1975, in which he said he had been at the University of WA the night Ms Finn was killed.

The court heard a toilet block there was known as a "beat" for homosexual activity.

A previous witness, Peter Burns, was a security guard at the Crawley campus who said in court he saw Ms Finn there that night.

He was also asked about his 1975 statement which placed him at the Parklane apartments on Mounts Bay Road the night Ms Finn was killed — the same apartments where her girlfriend at the time, Rose Black, said she had been.

Mr Properjohn said he could not remember being there.

The inquest will resume on December 12.