BACKGROUND: The Mercury: "Susan Blyth Neill-Fraser, 58, was sentenced to 26 years behind bars with an 18-year non-parole period after a jury found her guilty of the crime in 2010......Bob Chappell, 65, was the Royal Hobart Hospital's chief medical physicist at the time of his disappearance. His body has never been found. Mother-of-three Neill-Fraser has staunchly maintained her innocence from the start and has the full support of her family and friends. She appealed the conviction and sentence on eight grounds in August last year with her legal team focusing on a homeless girl's DNA found on the partially submerged yacht."
STORY: "Neill-Fraser loses appeal bid," by reporter Zara Weytrey, published by "The Mercury" on September 7, 2012.
GIST: "Convicted husband-killer Susan Neill-Fraser has lost her bid to appeal her conviction to the High Court. Neill-Fraser's legal team sought special leave to appeal to the nation's highest court on the basis that the trial judge's refusal to allow the defence to recall a homeless girl to the stand resulted in a fundamental miscarriage of justice. Victim Bob Chappell, the Royal Hobart Hospital's chief medical physicist, vanished from his yacht moored off Sandy Bay on Australia Day, 2009. The 65-year-old's body was never found, nor was a murder weapon, and Neill-Fraser has maintained her innocence since she was charged with his murder seven months after he disappeared. She was jailed for 26 years with an 18-year non-parole period in October 2010 after jurors found her guilty of murdering her partner of 20 years. That sentence was reduced to 23 years with a 13-year non-parole period by the Court of Criminal Appeal in March."
The entire story can be found at:http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/09/07/359615_tasmania-news.html
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
