The number seven has had an esoteric quality for generations. Many major civilizations and religions have some sort of story dealing with seven - from the seven sacred planets of Babylon to the seven heavens of Islam to the Hebrews' seven names of God to the seven year itch. In the book of Revelation alone we have seven churches, candlesticks, stars, trumpets, spirits, horns, vials, plagues, heads on a monster, and eyes on a Lamb. Christ's last sentence had seven words.

This special meaning to the number seven has continued on into today. The Seven Deadly Sins were recently recounted in the popular movie Se7en. Seven is still considered the luckiest of numbers and some people become so obsessed with the number that it severely impacts their lives. One such person is a famous Australian serial killer, Archie "Mad Dog" McCafferty. McCafferty was branded Australia's Charles Manson in 1973 when he led a gang of thrill killers through Sydney's west on a heroin and angel dust-induced killing spree. He was recently re-arrested after a violent siege in Scotland all having to do with the number seven.

His first victim in this latest series of murders was a newspaper peddler in Canterbury whom McCafferty stabbed seven times. It was the first sign of his obsession with the number seven. One of McCafferty's 200 tattoos is a number seven on the back of his hand. Just a few nights later, a 42-year-old man stopped to pick up two hitchhikers. They were members of McCafferty's gang and forced him at gunpoint to drive and meet McCafferty. "There's no need to shoot me. You can have my car. I've got seven children," he pleaded. McCafferty shot him in the back of the head.

Just hours later a third man, a driving instructor, was also forcibly taken to meet McCafferty and murdered by a member of his gang. At his trial, McCafferty claimed his drink and drug-fuelled killing spree was sparked by the accidental death of his seven-week-old son, Craig, who was smothered after his young mother fell asleep while breastfeeding and rolled on to him. McCafferty told officials that his son spoke to him in a dream, and said that if McCafferty killed seven people, Craig would be reincarnated. "I think, if given the chance, I will kill again for the simple reason that I have to kill seven people and I have killed only three, which means I have four to go," he said.

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