Supreme Court to weigh public’s right to know against victims’ wishes and decide whether to release key Hillier murder evidence

A JUDGE must weigh the public’s right to know against a grieving family’s wishes when determining whether key Hillier triple murder evidence should be released.

Steven Graham Peet following his arrest. Picture: Emma Brasier.

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A JUDGE must weigh the public’s right to know against a grieving family’s wishes when determining whether key Hillier triple murder evidence should be released.

Supreme Court Justice Malcolm Blue has flagged his intent to publicly release three controversial psychological reports about killer Steven Graham Peet.

Those reports derailed Peet’s trial — for the murders of Adelaide Yvette Wilson-Rigney, Amber Rose Rigney and Korey Lee Mitchell — for five months.

Prosecutors were left in disarray, and relatives in anguish, by Peet’s claim he was in a “disassociative state” when the children died, absolving him of criminal responsibility.

Last week, Justice Blue said he believed the public should know the content of the reports in order to understand the basis for Peet’s inevitable life sentence.

However, in a joint application on Wednesday, prosecution and defence counsel urged him to spare the victims’ families further distress.

Triple murderer Steven Graham Peet.

Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney.

“In my respectful submission, the views of the families should be respected given the nature of this material,” defence barrister Bill Boucaut SC said.

“There would be an enormous amount of upset (in addition to) that which is generally seen in these sort of cases.”

In August last year, Peet, 31, pleaded guilty to having murdered Ms Wilson-Rigney, 29, by bashing and strangling her at Hillier in May 2016.

However he denied murdering her daughter Amber, 6, and son Korey, 5, due to mental impairment.

Last month, Peet pleaded guilty to the children’s murders after telling the court psychologists now agreed he was without impairment.

On Wednesday, Amber and Korey’s grandfather, Steven Egbert, read a victim impact statement to the court.

He said losing his grandchildren was “an incomprehensible tragedy” that had gutted not only him but also his son Sean, the father of both children.

Korey Mitchell, left, his mother Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney, centre, and sister Amber Rose Rigney, right.

“My son is now a shell of the man he once was ... watching him identify the bodies, and bury his children, was harder than anything you can imagine,” he said.

“The impact upon him cannot be explained.

“I ask for the maximum allowable sentence because of the cruelty shown to Amber and Korey, and for the peace of mind of the father left behind.”

Tim Preston, prosecuting, asked the court not to release evidence in the case including the psychological reports.

He said Mr Egberts had expressed concern over the crime scene photos while Ms Wilson-Rigney’s mother, Donna, objected to the reports.

“She has some serious reservations ... the history that’s been given, by Peet, about Ms Wilson-Rigney, amounts to an attack on her character,” he said.

“Both families accept this is a matter for Your Honour, but their preference is that this material not go into the public arena.”

Justice Blue reserved his decision on releasing the material, and will sentence Peet on a date to be set.

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