- Murder of Janine Balding
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Janine Balding
The murder of Janine Balding was the killing of a woman in New South Wales, Australia by multiple perpetrators. Twenty-year-old Janine Balding was raped and murdered by a gang of five youths on 8 September 1988.
Balding's murder is often compared to the 1986 murder of Sydney nurse Anita Cobby.
Contents
Early life
Janine Balding was born on 6 October 1967 and lived in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales before moving to Sydney and gaining employment as a bank teller at a branch of the State Bank on George Street. She was due to marry boyfriend Steven Moran in March 1989. The couple had purchased a house in Berkeley Vale and were renting their house to help finance their wedding arrangements.[1]
Abduction and murder
Balding was abducted from Sutherland railway station by a group of homeless youths, consisting of four males, and one female.[2] She was repeatedly raped by three of the male offenders, bludgeoned, then hog-tied and drowned in a dam at Minchinbury.[3]
Accused
- Matthew James Elliott, aged 16 at the time of the murder[4]
- Bronson Matthew Blessington, aged 14 at the time of the murder
- Stephen Wayne 'Shorty' Jamieson, aged 22 at the time of the murder
- Wayne Lindsay Wilmot, aged 15 at the time of the murder
- Carol Ann Arrow, aged 15 at the time of the murder
In sentencing the defendants, Justice [Newman] said:
- To sentence people so young to a long term of imprisonment is of course a heavy task. However, the facts surrounding the commission of these crimes are so barbaric that I believe I have no alternative other than to impose upon [these] young prisoners, even despite their age, a life sentence. So grave is the nature of this case that I recommend that none of the prisoners in the matter should ever be released.[5]
In 2007, Elliott and another defendant (presumably Blessington, but identified only as "B" due to his age) were granted an additional appeal based on a missing staple in their files. Essentially, it was argued, because the Crown indictment was not stapled to the court file, it was not "fixed" to the court file as required by law and the judgement was therefore not technically finalised.[6] The High Court of Australia subsequently rejected this ground of appeal.[7]
Summary of sentences
Defendant From Convictions Notes Stephen 'Shorty' Jamieson Murder Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years Matthew Elliott Murder Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years Bronson Blessington Murder Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years Wayne Wilmot Accessory to murder Sentenced to nine years four months imprisonment (later extended by six months for escaping lawful custody; served 7½ years before being paroled; currently incarcerated for multiple parole violations) Carol Arrow Accessory to murder Sentenced to 3-year good behaviour bond plus the nineteen months of time served in prison Further development
In 2003, the NSW Innocence Project (a joint project by the NSW Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Privacy Commissioner) used the latest DNA techniques to review the DNA evidence of the crime. This was done because Stephen 'Shorty' Jamieson denied taking part in the murder, and one of the murderers had claimed that it was 'Shorty' Wells (rather than 'Shorty' Jamieson) who had committed the murder.
The DNA results demonstrated that Stephen Jamieson's DNA was not found in a rectal swab of the victim, and neither was the DNA of 'Shorty' Wells. Police Minister John Watkins announced that the NSW Innocence Project would be suspended.[8] Subsequently, accomplice Carol Arrow stated that 'Shorty' Jamieson was one of the murderers.[9][10]
See also
References
- ^ Howard, Amanda. "The Murder of Janine Balding". Crimeweb. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20090305224753/http://thecrimeweb.com/murder_of_janine_balding.htm. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Prisk, Max; Stephens, Tony; Bowers, Michael (2005). The Big Picture: Diary of a Nation. Sydney: Doubleday. p. 363. ISBN 9781741665741.
- ^ Sheppard, Julia (1997). Someone else's daughter : the life and death of Anita Cobby. Sydney: Pan Macmillan. p. 207. ISBN 9780732909161.
- ^ Dean, Anabel (28 November 1988). "Youth Had Knife: Balding Witness". The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney). http://news.google.com.au/newspapers?id=q3VWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zeQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=janine%20balding&pg=2000%2C2125179. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Kevin, Greene; Debus, Bob (3 May 2005). "Bronson Blessington Sentence Redetermination Application". Parliament of New South Wales. Sydney. http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA20050503015. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Fife-Yeomans, Janet (9 July 2007). "Crime file review after killer appeal". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/crime-file-review-after-killer-appeal/story-e6frf0a0-1111113913304. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Jacobsen, Geesche (8 November 2007). "Balding's killers lose bid to appeal". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/baldings-killers-lose-bid-to-appeal/2007/11/08/1194329368036.html. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ Bolton, Katrina (9 November 2003). "A Question of Innocence". ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s987727.htm. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ "Shorty Jamieson Was Killer". The Daily Telegraph. 22 July 2006.
- ^ Webster, Michelle (27 November 2009). "'Killer should stop wasting public money'". The Daily Advertiser. http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/killer-should-stop-wasting-public-money/1689990.aspx. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
External links
- Regina v Matthew James Elliot and Bronson Matthew Blessington, New South Wales Supreme Court of Appeal, 22 September 2006
Categories:- 1967 births
- 1988 deaths
- Murder in 1988
- 1988 in Australia
- Murder in Sydney
- People murdered in New South Wales
- People from Wagga Wagga
- Murders
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