Andrew L. Urban.
The long awaited decision of the judges in Sue Neill-Fraser’s final appeal against her 2010 murder conviction will be handed down in the Supreme Court of Tasmania at 9.45am on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
The appeal was heard March 1- 3, 2021, six years after the then new further right to appeal legislation was introduced in 2015 by then Attorney-General the late Vanessa Goodwin.
Neill-Fraser was convicted of murdering her partner Bob Chappell on their recently purchased yacht, Four Winds, on Australia Day 2009, in a circumstantial case. Chappell’s body has never been found, neither a murder weapon. The controversial case has since been examined by investigative writers, authors, TV documentaries and a movie; none could find any evidence probative of her guilt.
Revelations in the Etter/Selby papers (tabled in Parliament in August 2021) of evidence withheld and other problems with the police investigation, have fuelled preparations to call for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the case, in the event that the appeal is dismissed.
A devastating outcome for Sue. I can’t but not think that given time served and her now approaching administrative entitlement to parole, the powers that be are not just further psychologically terrorising her with the enticement of freedom, based on their rules and standards, that unfortunately if paroled into their system, could be interpreted as an admission of guilt to some degree. A shocking indictment on the credibility of the Taswegian legal and judicial system, straight from the archives of colonial brutality.
The judges have been dealing with this appeal decision for over 8 months I understand.
Is that full time every working day or part time?
Excuse my lack of knowledge on this issue.
If part time how many hours per week?
Fair question … but of course the judges have a big workload. Still, it has taken far too long, especially as the grounds of appeal are pretty narrow….
Benchmarks.
Please tell me, on an historic basis; which appeals have taken the longest time in Tasmania & how long does an average appeal take in this court?
Should a requirement in future be that, judges report after 3 months, 4 months, 5 months etc etc. & explain reasons for the delay?
I don’t have that information, sorry. I’m not even sure if there is such a thing as an ‘average’ …
Andrew, do you know if will this be live streamed? What will be the best way to find out the result asap? Not sure I can rely on the Mercury to put it up online in a timely manner!
Not to be live streamed. I think the result will be posted online by several organisations, ABC News from Hobart probably among them. I will endeavour to put up a story ASAP, but it will be more than a mere announcement of the decision, so will take a bit longer…
It will be in the news eg ABC covered the story today
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-29/susan-neill-fraser-appeal-decision-tuesday-murder-bob-chappell/100656716.
She must be released.
We pray that Sue and her family are at peace in this time of uncertainty.
We pray that Justice Will Be Done in Jesus Name; Amen.
Hallelujah
What an agonising time for Sue? I wish you well Sue. I imagine, what ever the outcome, you will still have much to face and endure?
How hopelessly compromised these three judges were in having to throw their boss under the bus to uphold Sue’s appeal.
Don’t hold your breath anyone. If the decision were in Sue’s favour then there would be no reason to hold her one more minute, formal procedure would be unnecessary.
Don’t forget, there has never been a word about the alleged culprit publicly named and ignored by the “authorities”, not one mention of someone who quite likely knows where Bob’s remains are located. A blackout by public officials who have been entrusted with just process and the protection of their office. Even if Sue is released and I pray to God, there is the stigma of what is a crime in itself on the stain of all of Tasmania.
And there is always the Royal Commission.
Peace be with you, and your family Sue.
Lets all hope for the correct outcome and ongoing investigation into who removed Bobs body from the Four Winds and that we find his remains and put him to rest with respect.
Thanks Andrew
We know that Truth Will prevail eventually.
Let us hope that next Tuesday brings some relief for Sue.
However I agree that this is not the end, but just the beginning of a long fight to get a Criminal Cases Review Commission established.
Unfortunately Sue Neill-Fraser is not the only one to be wrongly convicted.
About bloody time! My nasty suspicious mind harbours thoughts that the timing of this decision, so close to Jeff Thompson’s trial beginning, does not bode well. For those of you who believe in God, pray hard! For those who believe in justice, hold your breath. For those who believe anything is possible, you are right! Roll on Tuesday, let’s be optimistic and hope this dreadful travesty of justice will be put to bed!
May justice prevail on Tuesday and Ms Neill-Fraser’s wrongful conviction be finally quashed.
That headline gave me butterflies!! Imagine dear Sue and her family? The wait is coming to an end, but what end? May there be tears of joy.
I hope all of those believers in true justice for one so wronged by the powers of a corrupted system, and especially those who believe in the power of prayer to some form of God, I hope they will all be praying to the max between now and Nov 30 for this horrible nightmare to stop. Sue must be released, the guilty verdict should be quashed. This gross injustice, one of the worst in Australia’s long history of injustices by a State against an innocent person, must be brought to its natural, common sense conclusion, NOW! What happens next, as important as it must be, is of far lesser significance than returning this poor, wronged, now frail woman to the loving care and protection of her long-suffering family and friends.
Let us hope that the judges have courage to hand down a ruling based on truth and evidence and not supposition as was presented to the jury. It is way past time to correct this travesty and release Sue.
Then an independent inquiry into how this occurred and those responsible for deliberate misleading be held accountable. This does not end with Sue’s release.
So now, after such an agonising time for Sue, we all will wait with bated breath for a decision from those who have been widely and grossly condemned, by all and sundry.
Whatever is the outcome on Tuesday it will not put to rest all the problems with the case you have described. It will always require a proper independent inquiry to expose all facts for the public interest and restore some confidence in our legal processes. (Reform suggestions of a CCRC and definitely a full parliamentary inquiry and other suggestions). Sue and Bob after all this time deserve no less.
Rosemary truth has a way of bearing witness to evil;.. Come what may. What ever is stated on Tuesday? If it is not a truthful decision it will bode no good for all of those whom have evilly framed an innocent person?. Truth is/ has bubbled to the surface! Evil will not lie with Justice!