Russell Manser funeral: Extraordinary reason fiancée of career criminal-turned-TikTok star couldn’t make it to his memorial service

A career criminal who turned his life around to advocate for victims of institutional abuse has been remembered as a ‘lovable larrikin who was loyal to the bone’.

But the funeral of TikTok star Russell Manser – who was farewelled on Monday in an emotional service at Pinegrove Memorial Park in Minchinbury, western Sydney – was missing one of his closest loved ones. 

His fiancée Krystle Piggott ‘couldn’t make it today because she’s on bail at a rehab’, Mr Manser’s son Kye told mourners.

‘I know dad loves them ones,’ he said, to laughter from the audience.

Manser, a former hardened criminal and sexual abuse survivor, transformed his life when he founded the charity The Voice of a Survivor to help victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Manser died suddenly at his Sydney harbourfront apartment on March 23. The cause of his death has not been revealed. 

Mourners at the service recounted stories from Manser’s colourful criminal past, including how he stole a Porsche from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and later escaped prison and pretended to be a German tourist in an attempt to evade capture.

Ex-prisoner John Killick, a good friend of Manser’s who wrote his biography The Voice of a Survivor – the Russell Manser Story, spoke of his early days in Mount Druitt, in Sydney’s west.

Manser was famous for walking around the neighbourhood with his Staffordshire terrier called Butch, who would carry a house brick in its mouth and play fetch, Killick recalled.

He told how Manser ‘saw the poverty around him and wanted to be a bank robber’.

‘One day, that did happen,’ he added.

At a young age, Manser started in petty crime, stole cars, committed a few break-ins, and was eventually caught and sent to the notorious Daruk Boys Home, which later became a subject of the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse. 

Killick recounted that the damage done to Manser in the four months he spent at Daruk ‘stayed with him for the rest of his life’.

After he was released, Manser’s cycle of crime started. He was in and out of prison for years and abused at other correctional institutions. 

Manser then faced his demons and began acting on behalf of abuse victims by giving evidence to the Royal Commission. 

In an emotional eulogy, one mourner said he ‘had the best mate in the world’ and  spoke of how Manser was always ‘dressed to impress’ and ‘that if you think George Clooney was a silver fox… please.’

Ron Isherwood, a retired career criminal who has spent decades helping recovering drug addicts and had been a mentor, also gave an emotional speech, saying ‘I’m supposed to be a tough guy.’

Isherwood said that Manser came to him when he was ‘f***ed up, at his worst, but he picked himself up, dusted himself off and had another crack’. 

Other speakers at the service recounted how Manser touched many lives and advocated tirelessly for the rights of survivors.

Leticia Campbell, Director and General Manager at Warriors Advocacy, said: ‘Russell’s own journey included being placed in an adult prison at 17 where he suffered repeated sexual abuse at the hands of filthy paedophiles. 

‘This experience ultimately led to his addiction and a total of 23 years spent in prisons across different states in Australia.’

Campbell described Manser as: ‘A staunch warrior who could dine with kings and dance with paupers.’

Manser’s son Kye remembered his father as ‘a great man, a loving man, a giving man’ who ‘taught me so much more than you’d ever believe’.

A recorded tribute was played from Manser’s fiancé Ms Piggott. 

Andrew Carpenter, a friend and fellow advocate for survivors of child abuse concluded the tributes by speaking of Manser’s ‘passion for helping people’.

It was a common theme throughout the service.