BACKGROUND: "Sue Neill-Fraser was convicted of murdering her partner Bob Chappell on Australia Day 2009, on board their yacht, Four Winds. She has maintained her innocence. She has been granted leave to appeal (in March 2019) after a three year process in which then homeless 15 year old Meaghan Vass admitted she was a witness to the murder and Neill-Fraser was not involved. Vass’ DNA was found on the deck." As per Yahoo News: 2020: "Ten years after being found guilty of murdering her partner Bob Chappell, Hobart grandmother Susan Neill-Fraser's second appeal against her conviction will be heard. Neill-Fraser is serving 23 years' jail for killing Mr Chappell on Australia Day 2009 on the couple's yacht in Hobart. Her legal team argues there is "fresh and compelling" evidence that places then-homeless teenager Meaghan Vass on board the boat the night in question. The Supreme Court is likely to hear the appeal in May."
STORY: "Susan Neill-Fraser's second appeal hearing set to start on May 25," published by The Advocate on January 31, 2020.
The
Hobart Supreme Court on Friday heard Neill-Fraser's counsel had met
with the prosecution's office and both had agreed to a timetable which
would allow the appeal to begin before the Court of Criminal Appeal on
May 25. Neill-Fraser is serving 23-years' jail for the murder of her partner Bob Chappell who was last seen on the couple's yacht the Four Winds on Australia Day 2009. She
maintains her innocence and in March successfully gained leave to
appeal her conviction a second time provided she can induce "fresh and
compelling" evidence. Neill-Fraser's
counsel Paul Galbally suggested the court spend 10 days hearing
evidence on ground one of the appeal, that key witness Meaghan Vass had
been on the Four Winds when Mr Chappell had been attacked, and make a ruling on that single ground. "If required, the matter can proceed on the balance of the grounds," Mr Galbally said. Mr
Galbally said he would indicate to the prosecutor's office if the
appellant was going to continue with ground three of the appeal, that
the dingy seen near the Four Winds around the time Mr Chappell was attacked was not the Four Winds' tender, by March 16. Director
of Public Prosecutions Daryl Coates raised questions about evidence
which applied to multiple grounds in the appeal notice. "Some of the evidence induced in respect of ground one could be relevant to ground two," Mr Coates said. Justice Helen Wood said the court would work through these matters and accepted the proposed timeline. A further directions hearing may be held at the request of counsel. Outside the court, supporters of Neill-Fraser said they were happy to finally have a date for the appeal. Supporter Jennie Herrera said Neill-Fraser was positive about the appeal. "I think she is really happy with her legal team and full of hope," Ms Herrera said. "Once you've got a definite date you've got something to work toward." Supporter
Rosie Crumpton-Crook said she realised Friday, January 31, marked
exactly four years since Neill-Fraser first submitted her application
for the appeal. "It
seems pretty tragic to us that this is how long this has taken and
there's still a few months until it starts," Ms Crumpton-Crook said. "It's sad for Sue and her family this is taking so long. One can't really imagine the toll it takes on them.""
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. 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;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices.""
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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