The matriarch who built a crime empire and inspired a movie John Silvester August 4, 2026 — 5:12pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Share A A ACrime matriarch Kath Pettingill had one eye, nine lives and the hide of a rhinoceros. Kath Pettingill poses for a photo at a bridge near the Cherry Tree Hotel in Cremorne while promoting her book The Matriarch in 1996. Police threatened Jamie Pettingill with a murder charge unless he talked. AdvertisementTo police, Kath Pettingill was always "Granny Evil".