7NEWS PRESENTS: 'FRAMED' AIRS ON MONDAY 18 MAY AT 9.45PM (PER 8.45PM) ON 7 AND 7PLUS;
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BACKGROUND: "A West Australian man who is 13 years into a life jail term for murdering his pregnant girlfriend has had his conviction quashed and a retrial ordered, amid allegations police planted crucial pieces of evidence. Scott Austic has always maintained he did not murder 34-year-old Stacey Thorne, who was 22 weeks' pregnant with his child.Ms Thorne was stabbed 21 times and left to die at her home in Boddington, south-east of Perth, in December 2007. Prosecutors said the motive for the killing was that Mr Austic — who lived about 350 metres from Ms Thorne and kept their relationship secret — did not want her to have the baby.Mr Austic was not in court to hear the unanimous decision.The reasons for the decision have been suppressed by the Appeal Court because of the retrial.His previous appeals failed, but in 2018 WA Attorney-General John Quigley — in a rare move — referred his case back to the Court of Appeal after Mr Austic's legal team raised concerns about some key evidence in the case.Those concerns included allegations that the evidence may have been planted by police, including a bloodied cigarette packet that was not in the first photographs and a crime scene video taken at Mr Austic's house, but did appear in a photograph that was taken more than 30 hours later.The murder weapon was alleged to be a folding knife, but it was not found by detectives until three days after Ms Thorne's death, despite an earlier search of the same area by State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers. A British forensic pathologist testified at Mr Austic's appeal that it was unlikely the same knife had caused Ms Thorne's fatal wounds, because its blade was too short. There were also questions about a Jim Beam can located on a road verge near Ms Thorne's home that had Mr Austic's DNA on it. His legal team suggested the can could also have been "placed" where it was found. The appeal was heard by three Supreme Court judges in July last year, who delivered their unanimous judgment this morning.
Reporter Joanna Menagh: abc.net.au. May 13, 2020.
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RELEASE: 7NEWS special report to reveal bombshell new evidence in the case of Scott Austic, published on May 13, 2020.
GIST: "The father of two, who has languished in jail for 13 years for the murder of his partner Stacey Thorne, has been granted a retrial following a successful Supreme Court appeal.
The major legal victory announced today follows a two-year investigation by 7NEWS’ Michael Usher which presented convincing proof that crucial evidence against Austic was planted by police.
7NEWS will broadcast a special report, hosted by Michael Usher, on Monday at 9.45pm, detailing the case. 7NEWS Presents: Framed will feature explosive new evidence, fresh insight from legal and forensic experts at the centre of the case and exclusive interviews with Austic’s mother and daughter – two determined women and their untold story in how they could never let this go.
Commenting on today’s landmark win, Austic’s mother Robyn Austic said: “We’re very grateful for 7NEWS and Michael Usher for shining a big spotlight on Scott’s case, and so is he. The Seven report on the investigation into the case gave Scott’s legal fight a huge push, and was crucial in winning the right to appeal. We’re very thankful.”
Michael Usher added: “This is a big victory. Scott’s mother and daughters and his entire legal team have fought so hard for this. Now he gets a chance to have the evidence truly tested.”
Austic was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing murder of Stacey in Boddington, 120km from Perth. Austic, his family and team of lawyers and forensic experts have always maintained he didn’t do it.
The original 7NEWS investigation, which aired in 2018, led WA Attorney-General John Quigley to refer Austic’s case back to the Court of Appeal.
The entire release can be read at:
The entire release can be read at:
https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2020/05/14/7news-special-report-to-reveal-bombshell-new-evidence-in-the-case-of-scott-austic/
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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