Letter to The Editor,
Wrongful Convictions Report
Recent developments in Victoria have thrown wide open the question of wrongful convictions. We learn [Sarah Marsh – The Guardian: 27 July 2019] that 40 cases may have been tainted by involvement of police informer Nicola Gobbo. [ https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/26/lawyer-x-case-australian-criminals-line-up-to-appeal-convictions ] Continue reading
In the final interview the day before being imprisoned for nine months on contempt of court charges, British activist Tommy Robinson spoke to Middle East Forum Sentry Radio on July 10, 2019. The charges stem from his livestream reporting in March 2018 outside a courthouse where members of the predominantly Muslim Huddersfield rape gang were on trial. Continue reading
Assistant Commissioner Richard Cowling made a misleading statement to the media on or about March 10, 2019.
At a hearing in Hobart on Thursday, April 18, 2019, the prosecution told Deputy Chief Magistrate Daly that key murder witness in the Sue Neill-Fraser case, Meaghan Vass, had said ‘No comment’ to everything put to her by police when she was picked up for questioning on Thursday March 7. (Vass was in court facing 2 minor counts possession controlled plant/products charges.) Continue reading
By Andrew L. Urban.
The choked, panicked words “I shot the prick!” recorded in an emergency call played at a murder trial would have been significant evidence … unless what the man actually said was “I can’t breathe!”. Deciphering recordings like this needs expertise in phonetics, arguably the least known of the forensic sciences – but Australian law gives the task to detectives, calling them ‘ad hoc experts’. This needs reform, say forensic transcription specialists. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
This appeal underlines the conflict at the heart of many sexual abuse cases: the conflict between a compelling, moving and credible victim on the one hand, and conflicting facts on the other. They can co-exist, with one proviso. Here is how. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
The petition calling for a Royal Commission or a judicial enquiry into the conviction of Sue Neill-Fraser for the 2009 murder of her partner Bob Chappell continues to attract signatures and is now close to 15,000. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
I refer to this matter which I raised over two weeks ago. I now have the audio of the court hearing of April 18 in which the prosecution explained to the court that police advised that Meaghan Vass had said ‘no comment’ to all questions put to her on March 8. The transcript is attached. This clearly contradicts the statement on or about March 11 by Assistant Commissioner Richard Cowling – to which I referred in my original letter – to the effect that Vass had ‘changed her story’ about witnessing Bob Chappell’s murder on Four Winds. Continue reading
A presentation by Andrew L. Urban on Saturday May 18 at Parramatta College, Sydney, will bring to life the contents of his book, Murder by the Prosecution. Continue reading
The report at the centre of South Australia’s scandalous miscarriage of justice in the case of Henry Keogh has finally been released, over 13 years after it was delivered by then Solicitor General Chris Kourakis (now Chief Justice) to then Acting Attorney General Kevin Foley. The report shows that Kourakis had made a disturbing, incorrect decision, which resulted in Keogh’s continued incarceration. Analysing the report, legal academic Dr Bob Moles* concludes Chief Justice Kourakis’ position is now untenable. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
The DNA of the eye witness to Bob Chappell’s murder is central to the new appeal in the Sue Neill-Fraser case. Its importance had been downplayed by the prosecution at every step of the legal process ever since it was found, on January 30, 2009. When the Coroner, Glenn Hay, finally released his findings on January 17, 2014, he not only also dismissed its importance – he shrugged – he even got key facts wrong. Continue reading