WRONGFULLY CONVICTED AUSTRALIAN RELEASED AT LAST



The parents of convicted killer Graham Stafford have told of their joy at his release from prison and say he is more determined than ever to clear his name. The 42-year-old, sentenced to life in 1992 for the brutal sex slaying of schoolgirl Leanne Holland, 12, was given full parole this week – four months earlier than authorities had indicated. Family and friends who have led the campaign to have his conviction overturned believe his release is a clear indication the State Government has accepted that an innocent man might have been jailed. Stafford is now living with his parents Jean and Eric on the Sunshine Coast.

"Obviously we are very pleased, very happy, very relieved," Mrs Stafford said yesterday. "I think we are all a little bit stunned . . . as if we cannot believe it has happened." Stafford's early release came after Police Minister Judy Spence told The Sunday Mail in April that he would not be eligible for parole until serving a minimum 15 years in jail, which would have been late September.

Stafford's family says the next step is to seek a pardon. "It does not stop here . . . Graham did not kill Leanne Holland. The next step is trying to get a pardon, which will not be easy," Mrs Stafford said. "He is happy to be out. Now he just wants to try and get on with his life, make some sense of the rest of his life."

Stafford spent the first days of freedom with his parents and sister Stacey at their Mooloolaba home. He had been on work release in Brisbane this year, residing at a Corrective Services halfway house. Mrs Stafford said he would continue to work at a glass-making company on Brisbane's northside, commuting each day from the Sunshine Coast. "It will take him some time to adjust. He seems OK, thankfully he has a lot of support," she said.

Corrective Services have placed some restrictions on Stafford, including that he has no contact with the media, and does not profit from or promote the book Who Killed Leanne? Mrs Stafford said her son wanted to go to the beach again, as well as the movies. "He will look forward to that," she said.

Stafford was convicted for the 1991 killing of his fiancee's sister at their Goodna home, west of Brisbane. He strenuously denied any involvement. Police claimed he bashed the schoolgirl over the head with a hammer at least 12 times, stabbed and raped her, hid her mutilated body in his car boot for two days, then dumped it in bushland. But new evidence has cast doubt on the conviction. Experts disputed the time of death and lack of blood connecting Stafford to the case.

Attorney-General Linda Lavarch handed Stafford a lifeline in February, inviting him to apply to the Queensland Governor for a pardon. A legal team is now preparing a petition to support the application. Ms Lavarch described as "compelling" information in a book, Who Killed Leanne? by former policeman Graeme Crowley and criminologist Paul Wilson, which disputed much of the police evidence from the original trial. Mr Crowley, a former police detective and private investigator who had investigated the Holland murder since 1992, repeated calls for the Government to reopen the case. "The early release of Graham Stafford is tacit acknowledgement by government that there were serious flaws with the initial investigation," Mr Crowley said. "It is now up to government to go the extra yards and reopen the investigation to identify those who are responsible."

The Holland family had declined all previous Sunday Mail requests for comment. Mrs Stafford said her son had not talked much about life behind bars. "It is something he would probably like to forget."

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"Sunday Mail" editorial comment:

Graham Stafford is a free man but his joy must be tempered by the fact he remains a convicted murderer. He served almost 15 years in prison for the brutal 1992 sex slaying of schoolgirl Leanne Holland and has been released on full parole about three months earlier than might have been expected. Observers believe those three short months of leniency are a strong indication the State Government has accepted he is an innocent man. If so, a terrible injustice has been done, and we face the prospect that a savage killer is at large in our community. The accumulation of doubt that led to a vigorous and compelling campaign to free Stafford is sufficient to warrant an inquiry into the conduct of the police investigation and the presentation of evidence for our courts. Justice – and faith in our justice system – demands the conviction be reviewed.



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