BACKGROUND: (Networked Knowledge Derek Bromley Page): Introduction: "Derek Bromley is a proud aboriginal man of the Ngarrindjeri and Narrunga people from South Australia and a member of the stolen generation. He was convicted of the murder of Stephen Docoza in 1984. He is currently the longest serving prisoner in Australia who is still vigorously asserting his innocence. He has served over 38 years in prison and is over 13 years past the expiry of his non-parole period. He has been told that he will not be granted parole unless he takes responsibility for the crime for which he was convicted. He maintains that he cannot do that because it would be untruthful. He did not commit the crime. Indeed, there is fresh evidence, adduced in his most recent appeal to demonstrate that there is no clear evidence that a crime was committed. The new expert reports state that the cause if death of Mr Docoza must be 'undetermined' and that a death by natural causes cannot be excluded. In May 2018 Mr Bromley was refused leave to appeal although there had been 8 experts, including the prosecution's own experts, who maintained that much of the evidence given at the trial was either incorrect or unreliable."
http://netk.net.au/BromleyHome.asp
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QUOTES OF THE DAY: "Supporters Robyn Milera and Graham Archer met with Bromley outside of the Adelaide pre-release centre on Wednesday morning. Ms. Milera said Bromley was relieved after 40 years of consistently contesting that he was not guilty of the crime. "At the same time it's 40 years of having to negotiate the environment of prison — which has been hugely traumatic," Ms Milera said. "I've seen him take everything with courage and I know when he steps out today, he's a man who is very reasonable, compassionate and I have so many evidences that his desire is to come out and to do good. "There is a sense of — there is some opportunity to get on with life." Mr Archer said there is still a strong belief that he should have never been convicted in the first place. "Had he not been convicted we can't guess what his life would be like, because that choice was taken from him," Mr Archer said."
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STORY: "Derek Bromley released on parole after four decades behind bars for murder of Stephen Docoza," by Evelyn Leckie and Bethanie Alderson, published by ABC News, one July 3, 2024: (Evelyn Leckie is a court reporter in Adelaide and was previously a digital producer for ABC's Insiders and Offsiders television programs. Bethanie is a news reporter based in Adelaide and files news for TV, online and radio.")
IN SHORT "Derek Bromley, who was convicted of killing Stephen Docoza, has been released on parole on Wednesday after spending 40 years in prison. The parole board previously said Bromley was granted parole because of his good behaviour in jail. What's next?Bromley will have to comply with his parole conditions."
WARNING: "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article may contain images and names of people who have died."
GIST: "An Adelaide man who has spent four decades in jail for a murder he maintains he never committed has been released on parole.
Derek Bromley was given a life sentence for the murder of Stephen Docoza, whose body was found in the River Torrens in 1984.
Bromley, a Narungga Ngarrindjeri man, who is aged in his 60s, was reported to be the longest-serving Indigenous prisoner in the country.
John Karpany was also convicted over Mr Docoza's murder and was released on parole in 2004.
Bromley has made repeated attempts to overturn his conviction, but last December the High Court ruled against re-opening his case.
In March this year, the state's parole board granted Bromley parole because of his "exemplary" behaviour in prison in recent years.
Parole Board chair Frances Nelson previously said the board was convinced he did not present a risk to the community if he was released on parole.
"His institutional behaviour has been very good, we are convinced that he will not present a risk to the community if he is released on parole," she said.
"He continues to maintain his innocence.
"He's entitled to do that, it's not for us to retry the issue."
The ABC has contacted the Docoza family via Commissioner for Victims' Rights Sarah Quick, who said the family did not wish to comment on this occasion.
In April this year, the Docoza family released a statement, speaking of their heartache after Stephen's death.
"Stephen, raised single-handedly by his father Milenko after the untimely death of his wife, was a gentle soul who grew up to be a kind and hardworking man, cherished by his family and friends," the statement read.
"The tragic aftermath of the crime left Stephen's two children without a father and his partner so overwhelmed by grief that she later took her own life."
They had also said they were concerned ahead of Bromley's release and disappointed with media coverage of the case.
"The family of Stephen Docoza, the victim, remains firmly convinced of Derek Bromley's guilt, despite media portrayals suggesting his innocence," the statement read.
Supporters Robyn Milera and Graham Archer met with Bromley outside of the Adelaide pre-release centre on Wednesday morning.
Ms Milera said Bromley was relieved after 40 years of consistently contesting that he was not guilty of the crime.
"At the same time it's 40 years of having to negotiate the environment of prison — which has been hugely traumatic," Ms Milera said.
"I've seen him take everything with courage and I know when he steps out today, he's a man who is very reasonable, compassionate and I have so many evidences that his desire is to come out and to do good.
"There is a sense of — there is some opportunity to get on with life."
Mr Archer said there is still a strong belief that he should have never been convicted in the first place.
"Had he not been convicted we can't guess what his life would be like, because that choice was taken from him," Mr Archer said."
The entire story can be read at:
http://netk.net.au/Bromley/Bromley74.pdf
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. 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.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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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: "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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