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offer code case file ship station comm mate ship happen [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often
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distressing incidents if you feel at anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested
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phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website
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this episode features violent sexual crimes against a minor that won't be suitable for all listeners
00:02:11
Lili's double-barrelled name was a happy accident she was born who Lera named ears on July 24 1975 two parents Robin
00:02:22
and Robert theirs was a tumultuous marriage that only persisted due to their mutual love of their daughter but
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ultimately ended in divorce when Lee was seven years old after her birth parents
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separated Lee's mother entered into a de facto relationship with a man whose surname was Lee the couple had a
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daughter in 1983 whom they named Jesse Lee wanted to share her youngest sister's surname and to laughed at the
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fact that it would give her her duplicate name she liked her unique names so much she kept it after her
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mother ended that relationship Robin was close to her eldest daughter and took Lee aged 10 on a two-month
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holiday to Sri Lanka to experience her familial heritage by 1986 Robin and her two daughters had moved to a house on
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Fullerton Street in Fern Bay a working-class suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
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just south of firm Bay was Stockton technically a suburb of the city of Newcastle
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it lay across the harbour mouth of the hunter River meaning anyone wanting to get there from Newcastle would either
00:03:38
have to take a five minute ferry ride or a half hour drive its isolation from the
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city gave stopped in more of a provincial atmosphere with an insula and close-knit community the township was
00:03:53
characterized by low incomes and high unemployment it was while living in Fern Bay that
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Robin met local man Brad seaman who became Lee and Jessie's stepfather Lee was a popular and outgoing girl and made
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friends easily at both Stockton primary school and later at Newcastle high by age 14 she had
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aspirations to become a veterinarian and was well behaved at school but exhibited
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a rebellious streak with her mum and stepdad in these moments it was clear she had inherited her mother's strength
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of character and her biological father's single-minded determination nevertheless
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her mother and grandmother regarded Atlee as a typical teenager who cared deeply for her family it was a warm
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spring evening on Friday November 3 1989 and early Lee was excited she was going
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to her first a late night party to celebrate the 16th birthday of one of the local boys Jason Robertson
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more than 50 use would be in attendance mostly here 10 students from Newcastle higher but some younger girls had
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received an invitation to Lee was one of them even though she was only 14 years old and in eure
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this made her feel important and mature as only a handful of girls her age had been invited the party was being held at
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the old North Stockton Surf Club a popular venue for such events the one-story red brick building was
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positioned on a large patch of open lawn with its rear facing the Stockton's waterfront a short walk away
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both Lee's mother and stepfather were apprehensive as the invitation said the party was an all-night affair from 7:00
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p.m. until dawn he'd also stipulated bring your own which suggested there would be alcohol present but Lee had
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been persuasive and convinced to them that the night could be viewed as a test if she behaved herself and was ready to
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be picked up at the surf club at exactly 11:00 p.m. she would be given more freedom to attend other parties and
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social events if she wasn't waiting at the allotted time she would be grounded into banned from going to the upcoming
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dance at Newcastle high which late desperately wanted to attend there wasn't a lot to do for teens in
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the area as the Disco's that used to be hold at the Masonic Hall had come to an end and at the local movie house had
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shut down there were the occasional gatherings at the surf club on a Friday night when they would listen to the
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local band practice while drinking beer or cask wine acquired by an older sibling or friend
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otherwise they would all hang out at Roberto's pizza bar which had arcade games to play Li's social life until
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then consisted of going to the movies in New Castle rollerskating and hanging out
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with friends Jason Robertson's 16th birthday was her first real party and she was going with
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a couple of girlfriends she was secretly thrilled to be seeing the boy she had a
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crush on who would be playing in cardinal sin the local band that was the night's entertainment she assured her
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mother that adult supervision had been arranged for the event and that she knew most of the kids at the party
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at 7:00 p.m. Robin dropped her daughter off at Roberto's pizza bar where Lee had
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planned to meet her fellow party going friends the three girls would have then walk the two kilometres to the surf club
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Robin waved to Lee goodbye and reminded her to be ready to be picked up by her stepfather four hours later at the
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agreed meeting spot or there would be consequences [Music] [Music] just before 11 o'clock that night Brad
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chairman left home to go and pick up his stepdaughter from the North Stockton surf club he returned over an hour later
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alone and agitated selling Robyn that Lee had not been at the agreed meeting spot he went out again to look for her
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and checked the building where the party was being held finding drunk and to drug affected
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teenagers throughout and spilling onto the beach they were in various states of undress
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screaming and carrying on with some vomiting in the bushes or passed out in the gutter he sighted around 15 or 16
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cases of beer and evidence of cannabis usage Brad had discovered the promised adult supervision consisted of two older
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male teenagers an 18 and a 19 year old who had been tasked as bouncers for the event in exchange for a case of beer
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Brad asked the partygoers about Lee but none could offer him a coherent answer and two nobody seemed to know where she
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was someone suggested she might have gone home early Brad drove home in case she had walked
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or got a lift bare but upon realizing she hadn't he headed out again he drove around to the streets before returning
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to the surf club where the party was winding up there was still no sign of a lead by 2:00 a.m. so he retrieved his
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three-wheeled a motorbike enabling him to scale the sand tracks than dunes along the beach with these yet Lee was
00:10:15
still nowhere to be seen Brad returned home assuming his stepdaughter had gone to a friend's
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place to spend the night or perhaps fallen asleep on the shoreline somewhere it wasn't unusual for parties held at
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the surf club to end on the beach and carry on until the next morning as far as Robin was concerned her eldest
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daughter had failed her first party test there would be no dance and she had a lot of explaining to do
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Lee still hadn't arrived home by the next morning so Brad recommenced the search while Robin rang her daughter's
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friends to find out if she had a sleepover Brad returned to the surf club and at
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9:15 a.m. spotted a group of people standing less than 100 meters away talking animatedly as they stared at
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something on the scent below Brad rushed over and realized they were looking at Lee she was sprawled out on
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the sand naked her legs were spread apart and her face almost unrecognizable she was still wearing her dunlop folly
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shoes and pink socks but her shorts and underwear had been pulled down and to wear around her right ankle the
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remainder of her alcohol soaked clothes were found to nearby her face was covered in blood having sustained
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several severe blows to the left side of her skull a blood-stained rock of concrete weighing six kilograms was
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located nearby there were also bruise marks around her neck an autopsy would later reveal injuries to her genital
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region consistent with repeated violent intrusion tucked inside Lee's shorts pocket was the invitation to the 16th
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birthday party she had attended the night before Lee's body had been discovered by the birthday boy Jason
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Robertson who had helped the Brad Schumann search for her the night before but the darkness shrouding the Santa
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Tunes made it difficult for them to see anything at that time Jason had received a frantic called the
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next morning from leis mother telling him that her daughter hadn't returned home so he had gone looking for her
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along the beach when the Sun came up newcastle police arrived at the beach and declared the site a crime scene they
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were aware there was a party at the North Stockton surf club the night prior and had carried out a routine check of
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the event at 8:30 p.m. but everything seemed in order at the time following the discovery of a Lila's body
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they sought to identify every person who had attended the party asking birthday boy Jason Robertson for a list of
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invitees they spoke with residents who lived in the area and today reported that the party had been mostly subdued
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but some mentioned hearing a girl screaming and a man swearing loudly before everything went quiet reporters
00:13:39
for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper spoke to two girls who claimed to be leis best friends but who had not been
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at the party one described Ali as a very attractive girl which tended to make her
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the target of a lot of boys and we used to have to protect her as neither girl had been with laid the previous night
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she added maybe late thought she could protect herself locals were reluctant to believe their
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youth could do anything so heinous with the owner of Roberto's pizza bar stating
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I know these kids well they're pretty responsible over the following days the police tried to piece together what
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exactly occurred the night of the party over 50 teenagers were questioned in relation to the event and a pitcher
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began to emerge of a wild party most attendees were between the ages of 13 and 18 but there were a couple there as
00:14:47
young as 10 however their investigation was hampered by what the police referred
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to as a wall of silence from witnesses reluctant to talk about anything that could get them or their friends in
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trouble as many were affected by alcohol or drugs on the night their recollections were impaired and some
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invented stories or flat-out lied about being there some witnesses gave as many as 3 different accounts of key events
00:15:20
investigators were also up against the general distrust of police amongst the boys of Stockton who lived by a code of
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mate ship parents of the partygoers were equally dismissive and closed the ranks
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due to apathy or in order to protect their children one caller phoned a talkback radio station and said it son
00:15:45
Australian - da [ __ ] main head of the North Region Crime Squad homicide unit Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee told
00:15:54
reporters on looking at 60 suspects but only two parents have bothered to contact us to assist us in what their
00:16:03
kid might have seen he theorized that some parents might have felt guilty for allowing their children to attend such
00:16:11
an unruly event and Ali's murder reflected on their inability to properly supervise them
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[Music] gradually investigators were able to piece together a timeline of events from
00:16:27
witnesses who had been reassured that nobody would find out that they had talked to the police they were able to
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ascertain that after Lee was dropped off at Roberto's pizza bar she had met with
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two of her friends as planned but also a third friend who bought a bottle of bourbon Lee was an inexperienced -
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drinker and - consumed half the bottle with coca-cola by the time the group arrived at the surf club the liquor had
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impacted Lee significantly and she was staggering and slurring her words she showed a vent bouncer eighteen-year-old
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Matthew Webster her invitation and he marked her arm with a green texture in the granted her
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entry inside where the party was just getting started known locally as fat Matt due to his 110
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kilogram frame Webster told a reporter who interviewed him days after the party the problem with Stockton is that there
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is nothing for us to do at night employing that when a party was on everyone let loose one of his friends
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added everyone reckons were all bad over here near but we're no different from teenagers in any other suburb the
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murderer could have come from anywhere when the police have visited the event at around 8:30 p.m. the partygoers hid
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their alcohol in the Sandhills so nothing appeared a mere birthday boy Jason Robertson had admitted there had
00:18:05
been some drinking but maintained it was minimal and most of the alcohol had been
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taken by his older France he said Lee had a couple of drinks but most of us were just drinking coke he complained
00:18:21
that he could barely leave his house because he felt the town was whispering and pointing at him knowing it was his
00:18:27
party where the murder happened from the witness accounts investigators zeroed in on one incident they believe
00:18:37
that might have been linked to the crime several female attendees said that around 9:00 p.m.
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Lee had left the surf club to go for a walk to the beach and might have been accompanied by a male she returned a
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little while later extremely distressed telling two of her friends that she had been raped and was worried about being
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pregnant they set her down at a table and attempted to comfort her though was skeptical of her claims that she was
00:19:08
heavily intoxicated they asked if she wanted them to call her parents Lee declined the offer and stumbled back
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outside newspaper reports stated that investigators believed Lee Lee had been raped several times and that more than
00:19:31
one person was involved though they were uncertain whether the rape and murder were linked several printed stories
00:19:40
about the prevalence of gang rapes in small industrial towns such as Stockton with the boys will be boys mentality
00:19:48
strong in the 1980s victims of sex crimes were seen as having deserved their treatment or perceived as having
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done something to bring it on themselves some were quoted as not reporting their
00:20:02
raper due to shame and the fear of being blamed especially if they were under the
00:20:08
influence of alcohol or drugs at the time Lee Lee was Frank and forthright enter
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told her mother that she planned on being a virgin until she was 16 years old post-mortem results indicated that she
00:20:23
was a virgin before the party but during the course of the night she had endured
00:20:28
extreme sexual violence despite this some locals questioned whether she had been raped at all with one resident
00:20:37
telling a reporter yes it's a terrible thing but I hear she was a bit of a sleep around Lee Lee's
00:20:47
funeral was held on November 9 1989 with her biological father Robert Mears and her stepfather Brad Chi Minh acting
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as pallbearers one of Lee's favorite songs if I could turn back time by American pop singer sure was played to
00:21:05
the large gathering of mourners many of whom were Lee's friends she was buried at Stockton General symmetry and there a
00:21:14
heart-shaped headstone that read within our hearts memories of you will live on forever after Lee was buried allegations
00:21:27
and gossip in Stockton intensified nearly everyone in town had a theory as to who was responsible for Lee's murder
00:21:35
Stockton's girls lived in fear of a murderer on the loose where his boys started fighting amongst themselves
00:21:42
accusing one another of speaking to the police on November 12 nine days after Lee's murder newspapers were reporting
00:21:52
new leads in the case quote detectives want to trace two school girls who fought off attackers
00:22:00
trying to abduct them the night Newcastle schoolgirl Lili was raped and murdered police believed there may be a
00:22:08
connection between Lila's brutal murder and the attempted abduction the school girls managed to save themselves when a
00:22:17
gang tried to drag them into a car about 3:00 a.m. on the morning of Saturday November 4 nothing came of that lead and
00:22:28
it joined to the increasing pile of lies half-truths and secrecy that dogged the
00:22:34
investigation meanwhile investigators continued to work diligently to uncover the truth of what occurred at Jason
00:22:45
Robertson 16th birthday party witnesses alleged that event bouncer 18 year old Matthew Webster had told other
00:22:54
boys early in the night quote we're going to get ly pissed and all go through her a male 15 year old attendee
00:23:05
who can't be named for legal reasons was overheard as saying that he was going to
00:23:10
quote Buckley for the sake of clarity case file will refer to the fifteen year old male as quarry as people were
00:23:23
arriving to the party Cory had asked another male attendee were all the baldies coming tonight baldies was a
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colloquialism used to describe young girls who hadn't yet grown pubic hair it was common practice for some of the
00:23:43
older boys to invite underage girls as young as ten to parties for the purpose of getting them drunk been taking
00:23:50
advantage of them [Music] after Cory was observed taking Lee towards the beach she returned to the
00:23:58
surf club a while later crying with blood between her legs she told her friends that Cory had raped her and that
00:24:07
she hated him when questioned by police Cory claimed that Lee had initiated the walk they took together as well as the
00:24:17
sexual activity that came afterwards after informing others what Cory had done Lee headed back outside
00:24:27
several male attendees began teasing and insulting her and several accosted her for sex when she refused she was pushed
00:24:37
to the ground as a group of upwards of ten boys stood in a semicircle around her one of the boys involved told police
00:24:47
they all had twist tops in their hands and too they were pouring beer over her head and body and yelling abuse at her
00:24:54
like you stupid bush pig [ __ ] and things like that I walked over to her and said
00:25:02
get up you stupid [ __ ] I laughed but I didn't pour any beer on her another participant implicated event bouncers
00:25:13
Matthew Webster and to go out Wilson quote while I was standing with them overlay I heard Webster say things like
00:25:22
get that into you yes [ __ ] and to take that yes [ __ ] Wilson said the same things Lee just lay there the whole time
00:25:31
she did not say anything but she was rolling around the group then kicked to lay around to the years quote pretty
00:25:41
hard though a female attendee claimed they were kicking her pretty hard but not as hard as they could have
00:25:51
once the group start Lee slowly got up and staggered across the path and picked up an empty beer bottle
00:26:00
per assailants were still laughing at her prompting Lee to throw the bottle in their direction
00:26:06
though it didn't hit anyone beyond Sir Guy Wilson picked up the bottle and threw it back at Lee hitting her on the
00:26:14
leg the attack was witnessed by approximately audio so youths that were milling about outside Lee returned to
00:26:24
the surf club where another 30 or so attendees were still inside and began vomiting the band stopped playing into
00:26:33
one of its members joined in the assault spitting his beer unto her another boy told police I saw Lee come into the hall
00:26:43
and she came up to us and we were calling her a [ __ ] mole [ __ ] and we poured B's over her and spat on her and
00:26:52
I pushed her with my hands while I was doing it she was crying then she got up and walked out the last time they saw
00:27:02
Lee was around 10:15 p.m. as she headed off towards the beach alone as word of least treatment at the party spread
00:27:12
around town parents warned their sons to keep their mouths shut and spun a different version of events
00:27:19
in which Lee had attended the party intending to get drunk and have sex with the boys there those suspected of
00:27:29
leaking information to police were bullied attacked or ostracized the names of the young men who publicly assaulted
00:27:38
and humiliated Ally were shared around town with some locals expecting them to be brought to justice for their actions
00:27:46
their anger arose from the fact that at least half the party both boys and girls
00:27:52
witnessed what happened to Lee yet no one went to her defense in denier Lee all of them refused to come forward
00:28:01
afterwards to assist the police investigation the corroborating witness accounts
00:28:12
enabled investigators to narrow in on three partygoers that might have had a part to play in Lila's murder police
00:28:21
found Cory the 15 year old alleged to have raped Lee outside Roberto's Pizza bar event bouncer 19 year old guy Wilson
00:28:31
was on his way home from the Gladstone Hotel when he was approached by police and his companion Matthew Webster was
00:28:40
sitting on a fence at the front of a friend's home when police officers asked him to accompany them to clear up a few
00:28:46
things neither Cory nor guy Wilson were able to offer alibis to account for their
00:28:53
specific actions and whereabouts throughout Jason Robertson's birthday party Matthew Webster claimed he had
00:29:00
left the event early to go drink at a local pub before meeting up with friends at Roberto's pizza bar both he and
00:29:08
Wilson were of legal drinking age and admitted to supplying the beer and cannabis for the party Webster's pub
00:29:17
related alibi did not check out and he admitted he was not being honest all three youths were charged with the
00:29:26
various offences relating to events that took place at the party Webster and Wilson were charged with common assault
00:29:34
pertaining to the group attack on Lee with the latter also charged for supplying cannabis to two teenagers Cory
00:29:43
was charged with sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 16 and also supplying cannabis
00:29:52
none were charged in relation to Lee's murder Corey being underage was released into the custody of his mother
00:30:02
whereas Webster and Wilson were kept in police custody overnight they were bailed by a magistrate the following day
00:30:10
for $1,000 and released into the care of their parents by now many residents of Stockton were hoping that the matter
00:30:20
would go away viewing Lee Lee's assault and murder as a tragedy that arose from a party that
00:30:26
got out of hand other community members came to Lee's defense with posters plastered all over
00:30:34
town that depicted a drawing of three male figures one of whom clutched a rock standing over a cowering girl across the
00:30:44
image were the words shame Stockton's shame table at the gutless bastards in in an interview for sticks and stones
00:30:56
the killing of Lee Lee by the ABC Stockton local Gram Parsons said the posters aims to break the code of
00:31:04
silence that developed in the days after Lee's murder by the following day all the posters had been torn down just over
00:31:18
a month after Lilly's murder Matthew Webster pleaded guilty to assaulting the fourteen-year-old schoolgirl and of
00:31:26
supplying cannabis at the party guy Wilson entered no plea and was eventually sentenced to six months Cori
00:31:36
pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 to 16 but maintained that it was Lee who
00:31:44
initiated the act he was convicted and given a six-month sentence which he appealed
00:31:52
at the appeal a judge ruled that the sexual intercourse had been consensual despite witness reports describing Lee
00:32:01
as being so intoxicated she could barely stand and her distressed state afterwards Corey's sentence was reduced
00:32:10
to community service for unlawful carnal knowledge when news spread that a judge
00:32:19
had ruled the sexual intercourse between Corey and Lee as consensual public opinion of the murdered teen within her
00:32:27
home town was scathing her morals were described as loose and she was referred to as a goodtime girl and the town park
00:32:38
she was even derided for ruining the lives of those who had been convicted of crimes in relation to her a soul
00:32:46
meanwhile rumors regarding who killed Ali Lee and Dwyer continued to emerge one prominent rumor implicated her
00:32:57
stepfather brad sherman with some accusing him of being in a sexual relationship with Lee they speculated
00:33:05
that when he came across Lee on the beach on the night of the party she divulged that she had been sexually
00:33:11
assaulted this caused brad to explode in a violent rage that resulted in her murder
00:33:20
although there was no evidence to support this theory it was so persistent the police did view
00:33:26
brad as a suspect however aerial photography taken by a police helicopter of the surf
00:33:33
club and adjacent beachfront displayed the tire tracks made by Brad's motorbike who during the time he was out searching
00:33:41
for Lee there were tracks all across the shoreline accepted the area where her body was found
00:33:51
tensions remained high in the small town and on January 28 1990 a group of four boys taunted Matthew Webster in the
00:34:00
street about Lee's murder Webster grabbed one of them and reportedly quote went off his head
00:34:08
smashing the boy through a car windscreen before thumping him repeatedly on the ground he was fined
00:34:15
two hundred and fifty dollars for offensive behavior Brad seaman was charged with assault
00:34:23
when he punched guy Wilson after he said that six-year-old Jesse Lee would suffer
00:34:28
a fate similar to that of her older sister Robyn also enjoyed a judgement into mistreatment at the hands of her
00:34:36
local community with some longtime residents believing if the family hadn't moved into the area nothing would have
00:34:44
happened even Jesse experienced harassment from other students that the kindergarten she attended prompting
00:34:52
Robyn to pull her out of the school On February 16 1990 Matthew Webster and guy Wilson were again interviewed by
00:35:05
police in relation to Lila's murder the pair were initially questioned separately then placed together in an
00:35:13
interview room that had been bugged with a covert listening device however neither teen said anything that
00:35:21
incriminating themselves or any others in the crime they were split up once more when suddenly Matthew Webster made
00:35:31
an unexpected confession even though the 18 year old was a suspect police had no
00:35:39
hard evidence against him it seemed to come out of nowhere Webster had admitted quote well I did it but I just couldn't
00:35:51
believe it happened it's just unbelievable I went to look for my beers and I saw
00:35:57
Lele sitting down on the grass and my beers weren't there somebody must have pinched them and -
00:36:04
then I walked up to Lele and she carried on with her normal [ __ ] and I tried to
00:36:09
get on to her then we walked it down to the bushes and I pulled her clothes off and I pulled my shorts down I thought I
00:36:18
was right for a route and - then she started pushing me away saying dude I lost my temper and I did what I did when
00:36:31
asked to elaborate on his final remark Webster said she was punching and pushing and I grabbed her by the throat
00:36:39
and she said don't and I choked her a bit she stopped punching and I grabbed the rock and - killed her
00:36:48
I thought she would squeal on me for trying to rape her after the murder Webster ran to a nearby boat ramp and
00:36:58
washed his hands in a sink before sprinting home through the back streets he met up with several other partygoers
00:37:05
at Roberto's pizza bar later in the night and told them he had left the party early to have a beer at the
00:37:12
Stockton hotel he admitted to police that he told the others this lie to give himself an alibi
00:37:22
despite the matter-of-fact manner in which Webster described assaulting and murdering Leigh he reportedly asserted I
00:37:30
am just so so so sorry I would do anything to go back in time so it would not happen I feel like a
00:37:39
[ __ ] Matthew Webster was charged with the Lila's murder and sexual assault he was
00:37:49
refused bail and remanded in custody due to the serious nature of his charges is there something interfering with your
00:38:12
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i l OT v / case file despite Matthew Webster admitting to sexually assaulting than murdering
00:44:20
fourteen-year-old early lay some residents have stopped and rallied around the confessed killer while the
00:44:26
mistreatment of Lee's family continued their home was regularly broken into and whenever Robin ran into any of the boys
00:44:35
who had been at the party with her daughter they would swear and spit at her the relentless harassment and rumors had
00:44:43
a profound impact on Lee's loved ones with her biological father Robert attempting suicide in September 1990
00:44:51
Lee's stepfather Brad spent a week in a mental health facility haunted by memories of her brutalized the body and
00:44:59
unable to cope with being viewed as a suspect in the crime the pressure became too much for him and Robin and to the
00:45:07
couple separated the town remained to divide it between those who blame to the male perpetrators and to those who blame
00:45:17
to Lee Lee herself as the word rape wasn't included in any of the charges filed in relation to the
00:45:25
crime it created the legal fiction that the sex acts committed against Lee were consensual fueling disbelief was the
00:45:34
judgment that Lee's outfit of a jumper tank top shorts and sneakers was revealing and to thus inviting trouble
00:45:44
one local girl who was the same age as Lee told ABC radio a lot of people said Ali was a [ __ ] and she deserved it
00:45:55
I remember my mum telling me that little to nothing was done to pursue any others involved in the group attack on
00:46:04
Lee but police assured her mother that the truth would come out during Matthew Webster's trial however by the time
00:46:13
court proceedings began in October 1990 at the Supreme Court of New South Wales the narrative had shifted from a violent
00:46:22
gang assault and the rape to an act of violence committed by a single person on October 22 1990 Matthew Webster
00:46:33
pleaded guilty to murdering Lee Lee the sexual assault charge had been dropped without explanation a psychologist
00:46:43
offered a possible motive stating that Lee fighting off Webster's advances could have been perceived as
00:46:50
the ultimate rejection especially if he was under the impression that she had sexual intercourse with someone else
00:46:57
earlier in the evening the psychologist stated Webster attacked two laylee not so much because she would not let him
00:47:07
have sex with her but because she became the living proof that even someone he perceived to be a [ __ ] the property of
00:47:15
the Klan thought he was not good enough to have sex with her at the conclusion of two days of court
00:47:28
proceedings Justice James would described a Lilly's murder as totally unnecessary and totally preventable
00:47:35
though lay some of the blame at the feet of the parents of those who attended the
00:47:40
party he found it entirely reprehensible that the party took place without adult
00:47:46
supervision quote a duty is owed to all young persons to ensure that they are protected from the inevitable peer group
00:47:56
pressures that functions such as this those pressures are exceedingly strong they cannot be swept under the carpet it
00:48:05
should not have been left to the police to check on this party or to endeavor to
00:48:10
exercise control over functions such as this police have other valuable work to do and to the care of young teenagers
00:48:19
cannot be delegated to them it is the responsibility of parents who organize such parties or who allow their children
00:48:28
to attend to ensure that they are appropriately supervised and that the children have properly counseled about
00:48:36
the dangers in the use of alcohol and drugs and also in relation to intimate relationships when judge wood spoke of
00:48:46
what Lee had endured his language suggested that she had not been raped but rather had sexual intercourse in
00:48:55
reference to Matthew Webster judge wood remarked in generally he has a reputation amongst friends and family of
00:49:05
being a gentle shy and polite young man who was somewhat lacking in self-confidence on the basis of his
00:49:13
reputation and antecedents the offense would seem to be out of character this prisoner is a first offender of
00:49:21
otherwise good character he behaved with uncharacteristic and impulsive ferocity
00:49:27
whilst disinhibited by alcohol into drugs he's sentenced Matthew Webster to 20 years in prison with a non-parole period
00:49:37
of 14 years the ongoing diminishing of Ally's sexual assault devastated her family Robyn later told ABC radio
00:49:51
Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee said that yes Lee had been gang-raped and yes in his belief that Corey did raped Lee
00:50:00
but it was Corey's word against a dead person he told me I had no say in whether others should be charged with
00:50:08
Lee's murder or rape he also told me this was a private conversation which he would deny publicly ever being a party
00:50:16
to so there was no point mean mouthing off about it to anyone a feature article in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
00:50:25
titled in cold blood perpetuated the victim blaming the article implied that Lee had instigated the sexual activity
00:50:35
that occurred prior to her murder quote Lee Lee had chosen November 3 1989 as the day to make the move
00:50:45
she had assured her mother was at least two years away it also attributed blame to Robyn stating Robyn maintained an
00:50:55
open mother-daughter relationship with Lee probably as a result of that relationship Lee developed an outlook on
00:51:03
life that was older than her years they discussed the sex often as Lee moved through puberty Robyn remembers that her
00:51:12
daughter also developed quicker physically than her friends assuming the body of a woman at age 14 that made her
00:51:20
the subject of admiration among some girlfriends and the target of acute jealousy among others it also ensured
00:51:28
that she acquired a trail of a male admirers the article quoted local priest father David Donley
00:51:37
who conducted at least funeral as saying you don't see that many kids on the street at night now which is a good
00:51:46
thing it is often said that something good often comes from the worst thing and in this case I suppose it is that
00:51:55
parents have begun to question the level of control they exercised over their children
00:51:59
I think Stockton feels that it has been made a scapegoat for Australian society's realization that too much
00:52:07
freedom can have disastrous effects after most of the publicity had died down Robyn was left with the realization
00:52:21
that others who were involved in assaulting her daughter had never been charged nor did it appear there but
00:52:28
would be she and surviving daughter Jessie would ultimately be awarded a combined total of twenty nine thousand
00:52:37
two hundred and fourteen dollars in victim compensation an amount deemed woefully inadequate by the family
00:52:44
supporters three years after her daughter's murder Robyn was forced to leave Stockton unable to deal with the
00:52:54
ongoing harassment gossip and public shaming directed towards her family on a daily basis too many she was the
00:53:03
embodiment of an incident that the town longed to forget despite Stockton's efforts to move on Lilly's case garnered
00:53:14
the attention of various academics including associate professor Cary Carrington formerly of the University of
00:53:22
Newcastle professor Carrington was a criminologist that had spent years examining every aspect of the case and
00:53:29
had become an outspoken advocate of lis professor Carrington was of the belief that more than one person was involved
00:53:38
in Lee's murder and that the crime had come at the culmination of an escalation of degradation and violence over the
00:53:46
course of the evening she wrote that Newcastle culture seemed to exhibit a high level of tolerance for
00:53:54
sexual violence among its adolescent population and was critical of the sentencing remarks of Justice James Wood
00:54:01
had the trial of Matthew Webster quote justice woods judgement made no reference whatsoever to the sexual
00:54:11
violence which the victim endured prior to her murder his judgement expressed considerable concern about sexual
00:54:20
promiscuity that occurred at the party attended by the victim and her assailants
00:54:25
and the lack of parental supervision justice woods judgment also considerably diminished the extent of collective
00:54:34
violence inflicted upon Lee at the party just prior to her murder stating only a
00:54:41
small group of men mistreated her she was critical of justice woods description of Matthew Webster as a
00:54:50
first offender of otherwise good character who behaved with uncharacteristic and impulsive ferocity
00:54:57
whilst disinhibited by alcohol and drugs in contrast professor Carrington pointed
00:55:05
out that Lee Lee was represented in the judges comments as a victim of parental failure and a willing participant in a
00:55:12
wild party involving sexual promiscuity and the reckless consumption of drugs and alcohol quote this reversing of the
00:55:22
attribution of guilt and innocence rendered the victim the offender and her attacker a victim
00:55:35
in January 1994 professor Carrington received a letter that read I am the mother of Lili for the last four and a
00:55:47
half years I have been fighting for the truth of what really happened that night
00:55:51
the way the police handled the whole case sickens me I have written to anyone I could think of who could help me but
00:56:01
all the politicians Police Ombudsman Commissioner for Human Rights all ignored my pleas for help
00:56:08
I appreciate you standing up for lay people forget Leigh was the victim not the boys Stockton or the kids at the
00:56:18
party but Leigh I am praying to anyone who will listen to the truth on what really happened to that night professor
00:56:29
Carrington would later say it was this personal plea from Robin that spurred her deeper involvement and continuing
00:56:37
research into the case she arranged for the academics for justice to funds Robin's appeal against her inadequate
00:56:45
victim's compensation payout and introduced her to a lawyer from the Newcastle Legal Center to represent her
00:56:52
they also wanted to have Leigh Leigh's case reopened so that there would be an official record that Lee had been raped
00:57:01
professor Carrington also arranged for a number of new forensic opinions on Leigh's autopsy report and other case
00:57:08
materials one of the experts she consulted dr. Ruth Armstrong said in her affidavit as a female general
00:57:19
practitioner I examined normal and abnormal female genitalia on a daily basis the injuries described to Leigh Leigh's
00:57:28
genitals are consistent with non consensual intercourse of an extremely violent nature the deputy director of
00:57:37
the New South Wales Institute of Forensic Medicine stated in their after David I am of the opinion that it is
00:57:45
much more probable that an inflexible object such as a beer bottle caused the majority of the genital injuries in
00:57:54
response to this assertion professor Carrington developed the theory that Lili was raped and murdered as
00:58:01
punishment for refusing her assailants invitation to have sex forensic scientist professor Harry betcha
00:58:10
concluded that Lee's fatal head injuries were indicative of someone having restrained her as Matthew Webster hit
00:58:17
her questions had also been raised about Matthew Webster's confession as it didn't align with evidence from the
00:58:25
crime scene Webster claimed to have choked Lee with his left hand but the bruising on her
00:58:32
neck was consistent with a right hand the clothing he wore on the night of the murder was clean
00:58:40
despite the blows to Lee's head causing her blood to spatter 2.8 meters in one direction and 1.3 meters in another a
00:58:50
blood stain was found on the shirt worn by Webster's cohort guy Wilson though it
00:58:56
was not known whether any testing had been carried out on it following the murder
00:59:03
Webster described her running to a nearby boat ramp to wash his blood-stained hands yet it would have
00:59:09
been less conspicuous and far easier for him to rinse his hands in the nearby surf these inconsistencies led to the
00:59:19
belief that more than one person might have been involved in the murder and that Matthew Webster had agreed to take
00:59:26
the fall to protect them supporting this multi perpetrator theory where assertions made by professor
00:59:35
Carrington who stated publicly on a number of occasions that she had obtained a witness statement that
00:59:42
verified two people were involved in the murder she told the press that she had reached
00:59:48
out to numerous authorities about this statement though no one was willing to take action on it in May 1995 in what
01:00:01
was described as a landmark legal decision Judge Joseph Moore approved Robyn's appeal from the decision of the
01:00:09
victim's compensation tribunal she and daughter Jessie were awarded an additional one hundred and thirty four
01:00:16
thousand and forty eight dollars for a total of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in compensation
01:00:24
judge Moore found that Lee was subjected to a number of criminal assaults in the
01:00:30
hours before her death beginning with a rape perpetrated by 15 year old Corey whose actions had previously been deemed
01:00:38
consensual by his appeal judge the second act of violence lay sustained was the group assault in which she was
01:00:47
surrounded outside and inside the surf club by a group of young men then spat at kicked and verbally abused
01:00:57
according to an article titled in her death she remains as the limit of the system by lawyer and PhD student
01:01:07
Jonathan morrow and University of Sydney lecturer Mayerson roki the appeal judgment named some of the boys involved
01:01:15
in the group assault against Ali one participant was her killer Matthew Webster along with fellow event
01:01:23
bouncer guy Wilson a number of other party goers were also identified yet judge Moore pointed out that one of the
01:01:33
assailants and only one has been detected and charged with a soul as Matthew Webster's common assault charge
01:01:42
had been upgraded to murder judge Moore was referring to God Wilson the third and final act of violence committed
01:01:52
against Ali has described to by Judge Moore was sexual assault related to the act of murder the judge supported claims
01:02:01
that more than one person might have been involved in this attack and agreed that forensic evidence had shown that
01:02:08
Lee had sustained quote a severe violent and to resist an invasion of her body judge Moore's findings coupled with the
01:02:20
research by Professor Carrington and other academics formed the backbone of a three hundred page report by the
01:02:27
Newcastle legal center to heavily Lee's murder reinvestigated on July 26 1995 the New South Wales attorney-general
01:02:38
urged the state's Minister for police pour Whelan to reopen the investigation Wheelan acknowledged that nobody had
01:02:48
ever been charged with least sexual assault and called the upcoming review an opportunity to write the terrible
01:02:55
wrongs that occurred on the night that she died in his statement to Parliament on October 15 1996 Whelan said the New
01:03:07
South Wales Crime Commission has the powers needed to get this job done but it is time for those who know what
01:03:14
happened to come forward it is time to stop the lies and cover-ups and to set the record straight it is time for the
01:03:23
truth to come out as efforts were underway to reopen her daughter's case Robyn had to once again flee her home
01:03:33
after receiving death threats from her detractors one local woman told ABC radio
01:03:42
I think that there was more involved but I don't know whether it's too late to bring it up now I mean most people have
01:03:49
got on with their lives it's been seven years and it's a sad thing for Matthew Webster's family for all to be brought
01:03:57
up again and I think it's just being left too late really in his first ever addressed to the media following his
01:04:06
conviction in 1990 Webster insisted he acted alone and was not covering for anyone else
01:04:17
the New South Wales Crime Commission released their findings on March 31 1998 concluding that Lily's murder happened
01:04:27
exactly as Matthew Webster had described and that his sentence was adequate while they accepted that some of the
01:04:35
police investigation methods were improper they did not lead to important relevant facts being emitted for the
01:04:43
purpose of sentence proceedings although they agreed that the evidence suggested
01:04:49
other persons could have been charged with offences committed on the night of the murder the Commission found that
01:04:56
police did not act inappropriately in failing to do so they concluded that there would be no further action taken
01:05:05
in relation to Lily's murder in reference to the allegations made by Professor Carrington in her various
01:05:14
works on the case the Commission stated they have each been investigated those that have not been reported on a
01:05:23
regarded as groundless as to the rest most but not all a ring consistent with the Commission's findings the New South
01:05:33
Wales Crime Commission only found fault in relation to the possible unlawful arrests of Matthew Webster and Korey
01:05:41
and to refer this matter to the police Integrity Commission among those called to give evidence before the police
01:05:49
integrity commission was Professor Cary Carrington though she was not informed wire academic observers who worked
01:05:58
alongside professor Carrington expressed to their opinion that she had been summoned quote for the sole purpose of
01:06:07
attacking her credibility on issues that they had no intention of investigating and to discredit someone who had
01:06:14
attracted considerable media attention for criticizing police professor Carrington had since released
01:06:22
the book on the case titled who killed lili a story of shame and meat ship in an Australian town which was highly
01:06:31
critical of the way police handled the investigation during cross-examination professor Carrington revealed that her
01:06:40
views of ally Leeds case had since changed following the release of the New South Wales Crime Commission report she
01:06:48
once thought it was a common purpose murder and to that other persons were involved in a criminal logical sense
01:06:54
though now believed Matthew Webster had in a legal sense acted alone when asked to provide her current views on her past
01:07:06
assertions that the police deliberately excluded evidence professor Carrington replied in all
01:07:14
honesty I can say that's what I thought at the time with the material I had on closer examination of the material I
01:07:23
didn't come to that conclusion I've sat through six days of hearings here I've read the Crime Commission
01:07:30
report and my views have changed I hold the view that there was an exclusion of material but not that it was deliberate
01:07:42
the police integrity Commission rejected professor Carrington's claims that the full details of Layla's autopsy report
01:07:51
including the extent of her genital injuries were not among the brief of evidence provided to justice James Wood
01:07:58
during the trial of Matthew Webster the Commission found that the full medical report was tendered as evidence by the
01:08:06
prosecution and to justice wood had it in his possession when handing down his sentence they also addressed professor
01:08:16
Carrington's assertions that she had obtained a statement from a witness who had observed Ali's murder and declared
01:08:23
two people were involved in a televised interview in late June 1995 professor Carrington stated that
01:08:33
she had attempted to give the witness statement to the Attorney General but was brushed aside as quote no one wants
01:08:42
to take any responsibility for the mantle of Justice here when questioned about the statement during the police
01:08:50
integrity Commission hearing professor Carrington conceded that it was penned by someone who had overheard others
01:08:57
talking about the crime and - thus was a witness to it emissions and not the actual murder she admitted that she had
01:09:06
never had in her possession a statement from a witness to the actual murder of lili the police integrity Commission
01:09:18
review was released in October 2000 it found that the police had acted properly in their investigation into Lily's
01:09:26
murder and reiterated that no one else would be charged in relation to the case in one final blow to Lee's family the
01:09:36
Commission's findings offered Matthew Webster a possible Avenue for appeal there was evidence that he had been
01:09:43
detained unlawfully when he was initially arrested and quite likely had been assaulted by police at that time in
01:09:52
addition fifteen-year-old Corey had not been provided an opportunity to contact his parents when he was arrested
01:09:59
despite being underage the review had recommended the dismissal of Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee who fronted the
01:10:09
investigation for gross dereliction in duty in relation to the arrests by all accounts Matthew Webster's time
01:10:19
in prison wasn't difficult his potential Avenue for appeal as expressed by the police Integrity Commission didn't go
01:10:27
anywhere and in 2003 in preparation for his release Webster started a program of day and
01:10:34
weekend leave from prison a few months before his parole hearing he began work release which permitted trusted
01:10:43
prisoners to leave confinement to pursue employment and to report back at the end
01:10:48
of the day Webster's boss was pleased with his performance and intended to retain the
01:10:55
convicted killer as an employee thirty-three-year-old Matthew Webster was granted parole in June 2004 after
01:11:05
serving his minimum term of 14 years in prison 60 years shy of his maximum the New South Wales parole board stipulated
01:11:15
that he not live in Stockton or the larger Newcastle area for at least the next six years meaning he was unable to
01:11:22
live at his mother's house and could only visit under strict conditions he instead moved into a halfway house in
01:11:31
Sydney a news report at the time described Matthew Webster's family as quote relieved his crime has finally
01:11:42
been forgiven now they would like it to be forgotten within five months of his release Webster was charged with assault
01:11:53
after allegedly breaking another man's jaw his parole was revoked and he was sent back to prison but the charges were
01:12:01
dismissed in April 2005 due to lack of evidence a devastated and dejected Robin accepted
01:12:11
that as long as she remained stonewalled by the community of Stockton 11 news of
01:12:16
justice for her daughter would remain closed after a decade of doing all she could Robin resigned herself to the fact
01:12:24
that there was nothing more she could do for Lee in an attempt to make her feel better the police told her what became
01:12:33
of every person who had attended Jason Robertson's 16th birthday party some were in prison
01:12:41
others were drug addicts and several were stuck in abusive relationships hearing about their misfortune did not
01:12:50
bring Robin any sense of justice the murder of Lee Lee has been the subject of many academic papers and is taught in
01:13:00
law schools throughout Australia as an extreme example of victim blaming in the community media and courtroom
01:13:09
her case became the basis of the play the property of the clan later renamed Blackrock which was a fictionalized
01:13:17
account concentrating on the fallout of a rape and murder at a teenage party Blackrock was also made into a movie
01:13:26
however had featured one major difference to its real-life inspiration in the movie a character named - Jared
01:13:35
witnessed the rape and breaks the code of silence causing the murderer to end his life rather than be arrested Jared
01:13:45
is a fictional character with no real world counterpart though he has been interpreted as a metaphor for everyone
01:13:53
who witnessed Ali being assaulted yet did nothing as Professor Carrie Carrington explained the brutal rape and
01:14:04
murder of lili which followed hours of brutalization by a group of stockton boys is one of the most heinous crimes
01:14:13
in recent Australian legal history yet most of the boys involved in this extremely brutal crime have escaped
01:14:21
prosecution completely and continue to be protected from prosecution on the day Matthew Webster was sentenced
01:14:32
for the murder of her daughter Robyn was approached outside court by a woman who
01:14:37
offered her a kiss on the cheek Robyn told The Sydney Morning Herald quote Ida never seen her before she said she had a
01:14:48
fourteen-year-old daughter and that she felt sorry for me the same day someone stole a basket of
01:14:56
flowers from the top of Lee's grave [Music] you [Music]