New suspects emerge in Australian wrongful conviction

A PETITION seeking to pardon convicted killer Graham Stafford will point the finger at three men suspected of Leanne Holland's murder. Stafford's legal team is preparing documents containing new evidence to present to the Governor, Quentin Bryce, in a bid to clear Stafford, 43, of the killing of the 12-year-old in 1991. The petition will focus on three men. Two are serving life sentences for unrelated murders. The third was released from jail in 2003 after serving seven years for rape. Lawyers will not say one suspect is more likely than another to have killed Leanne, but will urge authorities to reopen the homicide inquiry and investigate the trio.

Stafford was given early release from jail last year after serving less than the state minimum of 15 years for murder. He has always strenuously denied killing his then-girlfriend's sister.

Police zeroed in on Stafford early in the investigation because they believed he was the last person to see her alive. They did not question the three other men. But inquiries over 15 years by former Queensland police detective and private eye Graeme Crowley and The Sunday Mail uncovered new leads and potential suspects.

Leanne was bashed over the head at least 10 times with a hammer, stabbed, tortured and sexually assaulted before her body was dumped in bushland at Redbank Plains 10km from her home. All three suspects lived near her Goodna address in 1991, and two of them knew her. Two of the three bragged about details of the shocking sex killing.

In his book, Who Killed Leanne Holland?, which was updated and re-published last month, Mr Crowley said the police investigation was "sadly lacking". "The police were so sure that they had arrested the right man for Leanne's murder that they ignored other witnesses and irrationally eliminated alternative suspects," Mr Crowley said.

Graham Stafford's petition is expected to be filed this month with the State Attorney-General Kerry Shine.

Report here



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