Wrongful Convictions Report

Andrew L. Urban.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019, marks the 10th anniversary of Sue Neill-Fraser’s arrest and incarceration for the Australia Day 2009 murder of her partner Bob Chappell, on board their new yacht, Four Winds. (See below for details of vigils.) But the case against her was never convincing and many Tasmanians, among others, have expressed anger and shame at the monstrous miscarriage of justice in the name of their State – and subsequent inaction to correct it. And no wonder: after years of grave doubts about her guilt, on March 10, 2019, Meaghan Vass, the eye witness to the murder, finally told the world publicly (on 60 Minutes) that Neill-Fraser was not there; she was not the killer. She repeated that yesterday.

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Andrew L. Urban.

Meaghan Vass says she will say in court what she said on 60 Minutes, that she was on board Four Winds (the crime scene) when Bob Chappell was killed – and Sue Neill-Fraser (who has been convicted of his murder) was not. “If I have to go to court I will say the same as I said to 60 Minutes – as it’s the truth.” Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban.

In the lead-up to her new appeal getting to court, and on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Sue Neill-Fraser’s arrest in Hobart on August 20, 2009 for the murder of Bob Chappell, we look at how the grounds of appeal focus on real evidence. (Our Special 10th Anniversary report will be published on Thursday, August 15, 2019.) Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban.

Tasmania’s Integrity Commission has dismissed my complaint against Assistant Police Commissioner Richard Cowling, in which I raise the contradiction between his statement to the media and the summary of facts presented in court, regarding Meaghan Vass recanting her statement made on 60 Minutes (March 10) in which she admitted witnessing the murder of Bob Chappell and stating Sue Neill-Fraser was not there. Continue reading →

Andrew L. Urban.

Sue Neill-Fraser and her family have responded with guarded optimism to the lodgement of appeal grounds with the Supreme Court yesterday (2/8/19), the first step towards the hearings that will determine whether her 2010 murder conviction was wrong and should be quashed. See yesterday’s report.

Neill-Fraser’s daughter Sarah Bowles said her mother had been told that the papers were lodged and was glad, but with the history of delays and complications, she was quietly optimistic. Sarah and her sister “Emma and our whole family is very lucky to have these wonderful lawyers (Paul Galbally and his team, Tom Percy QC and his team) but we don’t really know what to expect.” Or when to expect it … a hearing date is yet to be set, and there are indications that it may not be too far away. “The family certainly hopes so,” Bowles told wrongfulconvictionsreport.org

The Mercury, August 3, 2019

Neill-Fraser was convicted of murdering Bob Chappell on Australia Day 2009, but Meaghan Vass, the eye witness whose DNA was found at the crime scene, has recently (March 10, 2019) stated on 60 Minutes and in an affidavit to the court that Neill-Fraser was not the killer. This will be the leading (and compelling) ground on which the appeal will be built.

Three judges will be assigned to hear the appeal.

Andrew L. Urban

Lawyers for Sue Neill-Fraser have today (August 2, 2019) lodged paperwork in the Hobart Supreme Court to start the long awaited process for her new appeal against the murder conviction which saw her sentenced to 23 years in prison at the end of the 2010 trial. Neill-Fraser was convicted of murdering Bob Chappell on Australia Day 2009, but Meaghan Vass, the witness whose DNA was found at the crime scene, has recently (March 10, 2019) stated on 60 Minutes and to the court that Neill-Fraser was not the killer. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →