At 6pm ACST, Wednesday 4 June, 2025, legal academic Bob Moles will be leading a three hour class on the materials he is using for the forthcoming book False Witness: The Disgraceful Dr Manock.
A central feature of the discussion will be a focus on the case of Derek Bromley – a proud aboriginal man of the Ngarrindjeri and Narrunga people from South Australia .
Wrongfully convicted, he served 40 years imprisonment before his recent release on parole. Eight of the country’s leading experts (including those retained by the prosecution) gave unequivocal and uncontroverted expert opinions stating that the evidence given at his trial was false and misleading. Despite that, the appeal court and the High Court of Australia, both refused him leave to appeal.
The reasoning of both courts was clearly inconsistent with well established legal principles governing criminal appeals. Two of the judges of the High Court stated that he had clearly been the victim of a substantial miscarriage of justice and should have been acquitted. Henry Keogh had only recently had his conviction for murder overturned on substantially similar evidence.
This is an unprecedented calamity for the Australian legal system. If it is not corrected, the ruling will present insurmountable obstacles to the use of expert witnesses in future criminal cases.
At a time of much talk about ‘reconciliation’ and ‘closing the gap’ we must not become silent witnesses to such egregious misuse of our legal system. You can join us in person or online – just follow the link below – and if you are outside South Australia, please check the time difference with your location. You will be provided with links to substantial online sources to support our discussion.
Dr Bob Moles
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Andrew. Have been perusing the usual second rate junk media reports on the unlawful release of Derrick Bromley – he didn’t admit guilt – how could he be released ?
Logically then , it seems he could have and should have been released 30 years ago !
In the South Australian Soviet Gulag type .courts of justice delivery – isn’t 5 years the usual sentence imposed on the innocent and 10 years for those who may have done something ? No mention was made of Manockistic flexible forensics !
When Derrick Bromley was done over by the fountain of wisdom and then again by the judge’s Appeals Court mates – it was well known that Manock was a fraud – was it not ?
Wouldn’t it then be more appropriate to address the judge as “you dam fool” rather than your honourable one ?
A CCRC would refer doubtful convictions to the judge’s comrades – with often predictable results -Australia needs truly independent observers in the court room- stop the bastards dead in their tracks – with the power to call a halt to the police prosecutors mendacious shenanigans – Monty Python style…
You are right to be critical of the system, it seems prone to so many errors by the very practitioners who should be protecting the innocent. WE must persevere in shining a light on the shortcomings as best and as often as we can.
Andrew. Good works are being done – but can the “System” be reformed ?
The murder of Ray Bailey by a South Australian Judge and the attempted murder of Darryl Beamish by a West Australian Judge. (then a 50 year wait for a pittance in compensation)
If a Judge full of a good merlot fell of his bench – the payout would be quick smart – and extremely adequate..
Will”they” apologise to Derrick Bromley or Ray Bailey ?
That will be the day !