The families of the three children murdered in Bowraville 27 years ago know all about waiting, sadly they are good at it …
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But seven months after the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) hearing into the murders, not one word has come from the court and the families are starting to feel anxious, puzzled and yes, distressed.
Michelle Jarrett, aunt of four-year-old Evelyn Greenup, said while the families understood that time was needed to make what is a complex decision, some form of acknowledgement would be good.
“We know it’s hard but some communication, anything would be good … we are left completely in the dark here, we can’t plan, we can’t move and we are continually reassuring each other – it’s stressful,” Michelle said.
Spokeswoman for 16-year-old Clinton Speedy-Duroux’s family, Leonie Duroux, said the families were told they could expect something by the end of February.
The longer it takes, the possibility of losing more witnesses gets greater – we have already lost so many
- Leonie Duroux
“The families have been dignified for the last 27 years but once again we feel let down by the system.”
Leonie said the wait for Thomas Duroux, Clinton’s father, was very stressful.
“Over and over he says he’s had his hopes built up and then he’s been kicked in the guts … it is so hard.”
The families are in no way criticising the judges involved. Their frustration is with the lack of communication over such a long period of time.
Lucas Craig, 16-year-old Colleen Walker’s brother, said it was hard waiting because time was of the essence now.
“After nearly 28 years quite a few people have passed and others are suffering from memory loss … it’s so important to move this forward as fast as possible. We’ve already been waiting for years,” Lucas said.
A spokesperson for the CCA said the decision was expected to be delivered in the very near future.
“The Court will advise all parties in advance once a decision date has been set,” she said.
Some background reading: