THE PLOT THICKENS

One of the things that the media gets criticized for, sometimes justifiably, in these frenetic days of instant news is that stories don’t get followed up on. Things that make headlines one day just disappear into the ether or end up as next day wrappers for fish and chips. And life goes on. One such story which intrigued me at the time and seemed to sink without trace was a postscript to the tragedy of  four-year-old Darcey Freeman who died after being thrown off the West Gate Bridge. A morning peak hour tragedy that shocked and stunned Australia.

Darcey’s father has been charged with her murder. He and his ex-wife were due in court again that morning.

A week later, a strange thing happened. A Family Court Judge reportedly had her car broken into and transcripts of papers concerning the Freeman case were apparently stolen.

A spokeswoman for the Family Court would only say, at the time, that a car belonging to a Family Court Judge was broken into. She said ‘There were no court files but the papers included a transcript of the proceedings before the court in the Freeman case.’ She said she could not give any more details for security reasons.

I would have thought a transcript of proceedings in a judge’s car would constitute ‘court files’ and I’m not sure how  ‘security reasons’ come into this. Apart from the lack of security shown by the judge.

The Family Court Chief Justice Diana Bryant refused to confirm to The Age whether she was the judge or that her briefcase had been stolen.

Well, according to my sources, it was Judge Bryant. She told Police she parked her car in Little Collins Street – near the Spring Street corner – around 7p.m. on February 5. She returned to her car around midnight and discovered her briefcase had been stolen.

I believe she told Police it contained ‘sensitive documents’ including a transcript of one witness’s evidence given at a recent Family Court custody hearing. Judge Bryant also told Police she may have left the car doors unlocked because there was no sign of forced entry. And when Police checked the car they found no foreign fingerprints.

Police also searched rubbish bins in nearby streets and lanes and found nothing.  The next day Victoria Police appealed for witnesses to the theft of ‘documents pertaining to an ongoing court matter’. Nobody came forward.

You have to wonder did the person who removed the briefcase know what was in it?  And did they know that the Federal Attorney-General Robert McLelland had just announced a review of the Freeman custody case?

The plot, as they say, thickens.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2009