Grandfather of alleged Hillier murder victims says he has no faith in heartless prosecutors, ‘incompetent’ State Government
EXCLUSIVE: The grandfather of the children slain at Hillier has lost all faith in the justice system — especially prosecutors who, he says, have lied to him and his family throughout their ordeal.
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THE grandfather of the children slain at Hillier has lost all faith in the justice system — especially prosecutors who, he says, have misled him and his family throughout their ordeal.
Steven Egberts says the Director of Public Prosecutions’ “appalling” lack of empathy over the deaths of Amber Rose Rigney and Korey Lee Mitchell has cost his family its sanity.
Its conduct, he says, follows that of “incompetent” State Government departments who not only failed to protect the children, but could not bury them without mistakes.
Mr Egberts broke his silence on Sunday, after The Advertiser revealed the trial of alleged killer Steven Graham Peet had been postponed until January.
He said prosecutors did not warn him of the delay — nor did they disclose how the children died before those confronting details were revealed at Peet’s trial.
“These prosecutors aren’t helping us at all, they’re just there to ensure this bloke gets a fair trial – and the cost of that is the sacrifice of all of our sanity,” he said.
“I know we can never get back what we’ve lost but the lack of respect, the lack of preparation, the lack of empathy, is appalling and abhorrent.”
Director of Public Prosecutions Adam Kimber SC said on Sunday he would investigate the complaint.
The Department for Child Protection, declined to comment and referred all questions about the funeral to Victims’ Rights Commissioner Michael O’Connell.
Amber, 6, Korey, 5, and their mother, Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney, 28, were killed in May last year.
The children were strangled and hogtied and had “layers” of sticky tape around their heads – Amber had also been gagged with a sock, while Korey had partially freed himself.
Peet, 31, pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Wilson-Rigney but denied murdering the children, claiming he was in a “disassociative state”.
Prosecutors are challenging that claim and, in a closed court session on Tuesday, the trial was postponed until January.
On Sunday, Mr Egberts – the children’s paternal grandfather – said Amber and Korey “died the day before my 50th birthday”.
“Nobody expected this, but we had grave concerns for the children’s welfare ... Families SA did not once investigate, despite 14 mandatory notifications over 18 months,” he said.
“Nobody went to look for them ... so many people told them, and they just absolutely ignored them.”
His family was “totally outraged” when the State Government offered to cover funeral expenses for Ms Wilson-Rigney and the children, then “botched” arrangements.
“I had never been to a funeral before, this was all a really new thing for us ... we were just told to sit back and everything would be taken care of,” he said. “It’s not that we’re not appreciative, but the bill was $40,000 and there were no headstones included.
“It was absolutely agonising to go out to the cemetery and have to look at blades of grass on the ground – absolutely heartbreaking. Once again, they were willing to help us but we were subjected to delay after delay, and a refusal to answer emails and calls. The headstones finally went in at least a year after they passed.”
Mr Egberts said prosecutors had never properly communicated with his family, and did not warn them about the manner of the children’s deaths prior to trial.
“It was the most heartbreaking thing in the world to hear, absolutely heartbreaking ... we just lost a piece of ourselves at that moment,” he said. “It’s all biased opinion because I’m their grandfather, but those kids were just beautiful ... Amber spent her life singing and dancing, and she had a laugh that you could sell.
“Korey was autistic and just would have had no idea why or how this happened.
“The story of him struggling out of those bonds haunts me ... that kid earned his freedom, and it was taken away.”
He said he struggled to understand how prosecutors could have been caught off-guard by Peet’s mental health claims.
“We’d put questions to them ... like everybody else, we expected him to plead some form of insanity ... and they’d deny all possibility of those outcomes,” he said. “When we got frustrated they’d tell us they needed to ensure a fair trial ... we understand that, but we don’t want to hear it every single time we talk to them.
“We don’t feel there has ever been enough co-operation or empathy – and all of those outcomes we asked about have ended up coming true. I understand this (claim) is more complex, but the lack of preparation is appalling ... I’m not sure the DPP knows exactly what it’s going to do.”
Mr Egberts said he was “absolutely shocked” to learn of the latest delay.
“There’s nothing ‘fair’ ... about what happened to Amber and Korey,” he said.
“It’s so hard to be constantly told ‘we have to ensure a fair trial’ ... where’s the empathy?”
Mr O’Connell said he had sought to assist the family, calling them “victims of tragic atrocities” who were “entitled to compassion and dignity”.
“It would be inappropriate for me to try and dress up the timeliness of my responses – I have done all they asked but clearly not as quickly as they wished,” he said. “I kept them informed and apologised whenever a delay happened.”
Mr O’Connell said the Department had undertaken to “explore” Mr Egberts’ concerns, adding he would assist any coronial inquest.
“Every child has a right to life … should those tasked with protecting a child fail, they should be called to account,” he said.
His office paid for the funerals after being contacted by the department but the headstones exceeded the maximum $14,000 funeral benefit under state law, prompting “negotiations”.
“During these months other legal issues had to be addressed, which I am not at liberty to disclose,” he said.
“Despite the time taken, I have throughout sought to do no more harm.”
A Child Protection Department spokeswoman said: “As the matter is before the courts we are unable to comment.”