This was published 8 years ago
Tiahleigh Palmer's mother arrives at court for murder hearing
By Jorge Branco
A crowd of supporters has flanked Tiahleigh Palmer's biological mother as she arrived at court to watch the girl's alleged murderer appear before a magistrate.
Wearing a white T-shirt bearing the "Justice 4 Tiahleigh" inscription, she made her way into the Beenleigh Magistrates Court precinct about 10 minutes before the doors swung open at 8.30am.
Ms Palmer declined to comment as she made her way toward the courthouse.
It wasn't clear whether accused murderer Richard Thorburn, 56, would appear before a magistrate in court or go through a bedside hearing, after collapsing in the watchhouse on Tuesday.
Mr Thorburn's son Trent, 19, has been charged with perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Police will allege Mr Thorburn, 56, never dropped the 12-year-old at school on the morning of October 30, as he originally told police, instead killing her and dumping her body in a river.
Tialeigh's badly decomposed body wasn't found until November 5, a few hours after a missing person alert went out to the public, but it wasn't clear whether police would allege it was taken to the river immediately or moved the next night.
Late Tuesday night, at the end of a marathon, fast-moving day in the 11-month investigation, police confirmed they'd also charged Josh Thorburn, 20, and Tia's foster mother, Julene, with perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
It's understood the perjury charges stem from alleged lies told to Crime and Corruption Commission officers in secret hearings compelling the family to testify.
All four family members were separately hauled into the Logan District Police Headquarters on Tuesday morning after being taken into police custody in various places around the region, including a shopping centre.
Mr Thorburn was led back out and bundled into a police van little more than an hour later after allegedly refusing to speak to police, staring ahead as two detectives held his handcuffed arms.
He was taken to the Beenleigh watchhouse to be charged, where he fainted at 3.45pm and was taken to the Princess Alexandra hospital in a stable condition.
Police welcomed the breakthrough in an 11-month investigation that was "close to the hearts" of all officers and saw members of the public offering their congratulations throughout the day.
The charges came after Tia's biological mother, Cindy Palmer, posted to Facebook revealing a "vehicle of interest" in the investigation had previously belonged to Mr Thorburn.
Police asked her to take the post down but admitted it had forced them to move more quickly than originally planned.
Detective Inspector Damien Hansen said an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip in April changed the course of the investigation, describing it as a key moment.
He said former lead investigator Superintendent David Hutchinson, who retired before charges were laid, was "very happy" with the outcome.
"You're pleased with the result but I'd rather be standing here and ... Tia still be alive, you know," Inspector Hansen said.
"It's a tragic event that has occurred."
Despite the speed of developments on Tuesday, police said they were confident with the evidence they had gathered.
Rick and Trent Thorburn are due in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, with Josh and Julene scheduled to appear on October 10.