Andrew L. Urban
In 2012, following her 2010 conviction for the murder of Bob Chappell on their yacht on Australia Day 2009, Sue Neill-Fraser’s appeal against the verdict was refused by Crawford CJ, Tennent and Porter JJ. In light of a new appeal to be heard later this year, it is instructive to look at (some of) the reasons behind that refusal. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Meaghan Vass (fb 2019)
When Meaghan Vass finally identified herself to the court in March 2019 as an eye witness to Bob Chappell’s 2009 murder, confirming the evidence of her DNA at the crime scene, the prosecution’s circumstantial case against Sue Neill-Fraser fell apart. The new appeal is due to be heard later this year, but Vass has already changed everything. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Australians concerned that Sue Neill-Fraser is destined to spend her tenth year in prison despite it being now known for sure by the legal system* that she is innocent of the murder conviction that put her there, would agree that reform across the legal system is badly needed. Former High Court judge, Michael Kirby would also agree. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
You will be caught. You will be charged. You will be convicted. You will be heavily sentenced. But you can shave years off your sentence. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
The biggest irony in yesterday’s granting of leave to appeal by Supreme Court of Tasmania’s Justice Brett in Sue Neill-Fraser’s case is that it is based on exactly the subject – the impact of DNA at the crime scene – on which the 2012 High Court leave to appeal failed. But then the High Court was not properly informed. And there are many other grounds that can be cited to overturn the conviction. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
What are the ramifications of keeping Sue Neill-Fraser in jail as a convicted murderer when the whole world has heard she is innocent of the crime? What excuse can Tasmania’s slow-lane legal system have for allowing an obviously unsafe murder conviction to loll about the courts for eight years (since first appeal)? At what cost protect the conviction? Which judges will sit on the appeal bench? Continue reading
Thanks to media pressure on the NSW Attorney General, a judicial review of the controversial case of Kathleen Folbigg begins today (three years after her petition was lodged) at Lidcombe coroner’s court. Folbigg is serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing all four of her infant children. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
It will be a momentous Thursday (March 21, 2019), in Sue Neill-Fraser’s quest seeking leave to appeal her 2010 murder conviction. Via a sworn affidavit, Meaghan Vass is expected to admit that she witnessed the murder – Neill-Fraser wasn’t there. But this is just one of the troubling cases that litter the landscape of legal mistakes in Australia. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
There are many flaws that have been identified in both the investigation and the trial of Sue Neill-Fraser, sometimes so many that some crucial details are overlooked. We remind our readers of a conflict between what the DPP, Mr Ellis SC, said in front of the jury while speculating about the murder, and what he told the judge – jury absent. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
In the wake of Meaghan Vass admitting her presence at the murder of Bob Chappell on Australia Day 2009, during her interview on 60 Minutes (Sunday, March 10, 2019) – contradicting the murder conviction of Sue Neill-Fraser – police have interviewed her, but no further action is foreseen.