Andrew L. Urban.
August 12, 2022: The High Court today refused Sue Neill-Fraser leave to appeal her 2010 murder conviction for the 2009 murder of her partner Bob Chappell. The devastating decision comes eight days before the 13th anniversary of her arrest. (And two days before the 2019 six-part Ch. 7 docuseries on the case, Undercurrent, finally becomes available in Tasmania – see below.) Continue reading
STOP PRESS – MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2022
The controversial, five year old charge of perverting justice against Hobart solicitor Jeff Thompson was dropped (nolle prosequi) today before Justice Brett in Hobart’s Supreme Court. Thompson was one of the figures in the long running saga of the Sue Neill-Fraser case, which goes to the High Court four days after this decision, seeking leave to appeal. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
Neither the Major Crime Investigation Unit, nor the Attorney General, nor the State’s Director of Public Prosecution want anything to do with it. ‘IT’ is the legal scandal around Dr Colin Manock’s reign as the unqualified forensic pathologist allowed to give evidence in hundreds of trials including that of Derek Bromley. The scandal has been festering on the body of the South Australian justice system for decades – but now it is about to sully the High Court of Australia. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
A question of profound and long lasting importance will be laid bare before the High Court on Friday, August 12, 2022, when the application for special leave to appeal her 2010 murder conviction by Sue Neill-Fraser will be put before the learned judges – a question not exposed before in any court. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
There is no worse crime than a mother murdering her own toddlers… four of them. Is there? Well, maybe one: wrongfully convicting a mother of such a deed. In his new book, The Big Folbigg Mistake, author John Kerr points the finger at the NSW criminal justice system, which has defied science and is still keeping Kathleen Folbigg in prison as she approaches 20 years behind bars. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
The High Court will hear Derek Bromley’s seeking leave application on September 16, 2022, a month or so after Sue Neill-Fraser’s case (August 12, 2022). Both were convicted of murder and both cases display characteristics of wrongful convictions. (See respective case histories via links at the right.) Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
At 9.30am on Friday, August 12, 2022, the (probably three) High Court judges assigned to hear the seeking leave to appeal her 2010 murder conviction by Sue Neill-Fraser, will watch their screens wherever they are geographically, but no longer within Tasmania’s jurisdiction, to hear the arguments on her behalf by Robert Richter QC on another screen. The DPP will respond, also via videolink, and by 10.30am, the judges will have made a decision: either consent to hear the appeal or dismiss the application. This briefing covers all the issues. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Society does not want prosecutors to win convictions in circumstantial cases based on speculation. It is also impermissible. If it weren’t for professional immunity, the practice would cease. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
How really reliable is testimony from expert witnesses? How can juries and judges tell if what they are told is unbiased, grounded in solid scientific knowledge and not just opinion? How should such witnesses conduct themselves? Try this check list. Continue reading
A month after its publication, the book chronicling the career to date of Margaret Cunneen SC, The Boxing Butterfly, is in its second print-run, after a rush of demand, according to publisher Michael Wilkinson of Wilkinson Publishing. The book was launched at two functions in late June, the first at the Wyllie martial arts gym where Cunneen does her boxing, the second at her chambers in the heart of Sydney’s legal-land. Continue reading