Michelle (Lulu) Jarrett is still coming to terms with the devastation of last week’s rejection by the Court of Criminal Appeal of the request for a retrial of a man for the murder of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville nearly 30 years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“Last Thursday there in the court in Sydney was one of the worst days in the whole of the last 28 years,” Michelle, who is Evelyn Greenup’s aunt, said.
“No-one was there to explain what was going on and we didn’t understand … I was looking at other people’s faces to try and gauge what was happening.
“It was so quick and then the judges just stood up and walked out.
“I had to turn to my sister Rebecca (Evelyn’s mother) and tell her they had rejected the request.
“It was just the hardest thing to do, I had the biggest knot in my chest … she just fell apart.”
Michelle takes a deep breath ...
“It felt like twenty-eight years ago, when they found Evelyn’s remains, I had to rush from Bowraville to Sawtell to beat the news, to be with her before it was in the media. And now I’ve had to tell her this bad news again.”
However, Michelle said even this seemingly insurmountable setback was not the end of the road for the families of the three children.
“We have two routes open to us – either we change the law, which is what David will try to set in motion this week or we can go to the High Court of Australia (NSW Attorney General flags this option).
“We have jumped through so many legal hoops … the law needs to be changed to help not hinder the victims.
“We are asking for this case to be opened up because up until now no-one has heard the full story.
“That does not mean the man (who cannot be named for legal reasons) will be found guilty … it still has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt before a full jury in court.
“What we need now is everyone’s support, we need people to lobby their local members … this could happen to anyone.
“We’ve been doing the hard yards for years … right now we are still in a a state of shock, but we will regroup and keep going.”
Also making the news:
Ute Schulenberg
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
