Friday, July 1, 2016
Catch-up one: David Eastman: Australia; Bulletin: Appeal to prevent Colin Winchester murder retrial to begin in October 2016; "Mr. Eastman was tried and found guilty of murder in 1995, but an inquiry later exposed significant flaws with the forensic evidence used to link him to the crime scene. That inquiry eventually led to his release from custody." Reporter Megan Gorrey: The Age;
"Three Supreme Court judges from Victoria will begin hearing in October an appeal that could prevent David Eastman's retrial over the shooting death of ACT police chief Colin Winchester. But first Mr Eastman's lawyers will have to summarise the lengthy grounds of appeal into 10 pages for the Victorian judges. Mr Eastman's stay application to permanently halt a retrial over Mr Winchester's murder in January 1989 was thrown out in April, meaning Mr Eastman is set to face a second jury over the killing. His appeal against the decision not to stay his retrial came before the registrar's list in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday. The court heard that Mr Eastman's appeal over five days before three Victorian judges would begin on October 24, but the judges would require the grounds of appeal in writing by July 7 to properly prepare. ........Mr Eastman was freed from jail in 2014 after serving nearly 19 years behind bars for the killing of Mr Winchester, who was assistant Federal Police commissioner at the time. Mr Winchester was shot twice in the head as he got out of his car in his neighbour's Canberra driveway in January 1989. Mr Eastman was tried and found guilty of murder in 1995, but an inquiry later exposed significant flaws with the forensic evidence used to link him to the crime scene. That inquiry eventually led to his release from custody."
