JUSTICE BAILS OUT

Two weeks ago a 72-year-old woman was savaged bashed around the head with a blunt weapon and left to die in the hallway of her own home in Templestowe.. When Police and paramedics found her she was unconscious and surrounded by blood. They couldn’t revive her and Rosa Caruso died.

Her husband of 50 years, 74-year-old Peter Caruso, said he’d come back from the shops and found her there. Their son Santo made an impassioned plea for help to catch his mother’s killer. Apparently a burglary gone horribly, violently, wrong.

Police did quickly catch the man they believe killed Rosa Caruso. Her own husband. He’s been charged with her murder but today is walking around free after being given bail.

Why he is free I do not know. It seems it has something to do with the fact that he is an elderly man, has health problems, was reportedly not allowed to use his hearing aid while in custody (which is odd), got a cold in prison, and has a brother dying of leukemia. Rosa Caruso couldn’t oppose the bail application.

 Lawyer Philip Dunn QC said Caruso found jail ‘significantly confusing’. Yep, it can do that to you. And then he argued that the fact Caruso was the oldest person in the state’s prison system should be taken into account. Why?  Age shouldn’t come into it. Whether he be the oldest or the youngest. Or the tallest or the shortest. The crime is the only issue here. Or it should be.

It’s like the Jewish community now outrageously attacking the head of the ACCC, Graeme Samuel, for prosecuting Richard Pratt because they are both prominent Jews.

Caruso is now free on bail, in the custody of his son,  and according to  the Herald Sun headline today ‘Accused wife killer may attend funeral’.

It’s accompanied by yesterday’s photo of father and son. For some reason the son is smiling for the cameras.

He says’ The person we have forgotten about is my mother. We’re organising a funeral, hopefully next week’.  A funeral that wouldn’t be necessary if his Dad hadn’t allegedly murdered her.

Incidentally, Peter Caruso may have been the oldest man in our jails yesterday. He’s not today.

An 81-year-old Inverloch man Bernard Rolfe has been charged with murdering his 85-year-old wife at their home last November. He appeared at the Wonthaggi Magistrates Court this morning.

He’s been remanded in custody until September. Maybe Philip Dunn  can play the age card again and get him out while he’s at it.

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2008