Monday, March 1, 2021

Sue Neill-Fraser: Australia. Appeal: Day 1: She was not at the crime scene, Andrew L. Urban, author of 'Murder by the Prosecution' - an authoritative book on the Neill-Fraser case - reports..."When At 11.50 am on Monday March 1, 2021, at the Sue Neill-Fraser appeal in Hobart, Meaghan Vass replied ‘Yes’ to the first question put to her by Robert Richter QC, the pent up anticipation of a five year wait since the appeal process began, was released. Richter had asked her to confirm that she was indeed on board the Four Winds, as her DNA showed, when and where Neill-Fraser was alleged to have murdered Bob Chappell." Vass thus confirmed what she had said in her latest sworn statement of 25 February, 2017 as she had promised on 60 Minutes in March 2019."


PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am grateful to Andrew Urban for the effort he has poured into revealing the miscarriage of justice that befell Ms. Neill Fraser, starting with posts on his 'Wrongful Conviction Report.' His first report on the Neill-Fraser case - Another Lindy Chamberlain miscarriage of justice - was published on August 15, 2013.  Senior Deputy Senior Prosecutor (New South Wales):  "Urban makes a powerful case that grandmother Neill-Fraser, who had run a successful horse-riding school and been involved in property development, was wrongly accused and prosecuted for the murder of Chappell, a radiation physicist, her partner of 18 years. Murder by the Prosecution is engrossing and troubling. Back and forth, the reader is propelled, much as a jury is during the ‘test match’ that a murder trial resembles. The later stand-alone chapters on other murder trials which have been found to have been unjust stand as sentinels fortifying Urban’s impassioned premise that Susan Neill-Fraser is serving a 23 year sentence for a murder she did not commit. The ethical prosecutor works not for a particular verdict, but for justice to be done. This must be the hope for Susan Neill-Fraser.”  Andrew Urban is reporting  from the appeal court in Hobart. 'Murder by the Prosecution" can be ordered at:

https://www.amazon.ca/Murder-Prosecution-Andrew-L-Urban-ebook/dp/B07NPK2X8H

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Report.

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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.

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Check out  the following  link for a helpful synopsis of key issues in the appeal written  by Andrew Urban: 

← Sue Neill-Fraser appeal check list

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POST: "Sue-Neill-Fraser was not at crime scene," by author/blogger Andrew L. Urban reporting from  the Court of Appeal in Hobart  on his most informative 'Wrongful Conviction Report,' on March 1, 2021.

"When At 11.50 am on Monday March 1, 2021, at the Sue Neill-Fraser appeal in Hobart, Meaghan Vass replied ‘Yes’ to the first question put to her by Robert Richter QC, the pent up anticipation of a five year wait since the appeal process began, was released. Richter had asked her to confirm that she was indeed on board the Four Winds, as her DNA showed, when and where Neill-Fraser was alleged to have murdered Bob Chappell."

Vass thus confirmed what she had said in her latest sworn statement of 25 February, 2017  as she had promised on 60 Minutes in March 2019. 

Giving evidence via a videolink from a nearby room, Vass also provided other details of the confrontation that ended in the death of Bob Chappel, the alleged victim of Sue Neill-Fraser, who Vass stated was not there. 

In the covid restricted court 1 (and by CCTV in court 2) of the Supreme Court in Salamanca, family and supporters of Neill-Fraser strained to hear the hushed words of the lawyers … strained in more ways than one.

After her evidence in chief, Vass was extensively cross examined by the DPP, Daryl Coates SC, who probed her memory, her testimony and her reliability to such an extent the court had to allow Vass to leave early due to her stressed state.

The case continues on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at 9.30am and is expected to last five days."

The entire post can be read at:

sue-neill-fraser-was-not-at-crime-scene

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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FINAL, FINAL WORD (FOR NOW!): "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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