Allison Baden-Clay’s relatives upset by continued lies and no remorse from Gerard

RELATIVES and friends of Allison Baden-Clay have spoken for the first time of the shock of seeing her killer husband’s conviction downgraded and told how he had still not apologised or showed remorse.

Gerand Baden-Clay pictured in a Twitter image on Day 21 of his trial. He has been found of murdering his wife Allison. Supplied

RELATIVES and friends of Allison Baden-Clay have spoken for the first time of the shock of seeing her killer husband’s conviction downgraded and told how he had still not apologised or showed remorse.

Jodie Dann, Allison’s cousin, said Gerard Baden-Clay put her family through hell by denying any knowledge of how his wife died and was not being held accountable for his lies and deception.

“Shock and disbelief,” Ms Dann told The Courier-Mail when asked about the family’s reaction to the decision.

“He stood up there and said he didn’t do it. Now we’ve heard well, maybe he probably did, but it might have been an accident.”

The appeal court found on Tuesday a jury was not entitled to convict Baden-Clay of murder because there was another reasonable scenario – he had unintentionally killed his wife during an argument.

His conviction was downgraded to manslaughter and he could next month argue he should be immediately released for time served.

After Allison vanished from her Brookfield home in April 2012 it took 10 days to find her body on the banks of Kholo Creek at Anstead, 14km from home.

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In that time her family gathered each day at Brookfield Showgrounds as Baden-Clay dealt with police through lawyers he had hired within hours of reporting her missing.

“We sat and watched for days him deny, deny, deny and for 10 days say he didn’t know where she was and through the funeral pretend to be the grieving husband,” Ms Dann said.

“He’s just lied every step of the way. He knew all along where she was. He obviously didn’t want her found.”

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She suspects if Allison’s body was discovered earlier it would have shown how she died and may have answered questions about intent.

She also confirmed Baden-Clay had to this day admitted to nothing when it came to Allison’s death and had not apologised to her family.

“He has never shown remorse. He has never shown anything except fear for himself,” she said.

“He still talks like he’s getting out after the appeal process, and he just might.”

Ms Dann, a domestic violence court advocate, said the decision would have ramifications for women at risk.

Jodie Dann.

Gerard and Allison Baden-Clay on their wedding day.

“There is no accountability. It would frighten women off,” she said.

“We’ve spent the last six months really pushing hard on domestic violence with (advocate) Rosie Batty and (former governor-general) Quentin Bryce. It feels like we’ve just gone 10 steps back.”

The court could still deliver a strong message about domestic violence when it sentences Baden-Clay as early as next month.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment – the same sentence he was given after being convicted of murder in July last year.

“It would send a message domestic violence isn’t acceptable. Otherwise it goes to the High Court, gets overturned and stays as a murder,” she said.

Kerry-Anne Walker, one of Allison’s oldest and closest friends, said there was disappointment and anger at the result but the family had been buoyed by community support since the decision.

They spoke as senior police questioned if the Court of Appeal took into account all the evidence presented at Gerard Baden-Clay’s trial.

“They just haven’t considered the full facts of the five-and-a-half week trial sufficiently to form an opinion in relation to intent,” claimed one investigator involved in the case.

“He had four days in the witness box for the jury to look at his actual nature and character and they assessed him in making that determination. Why have a jury system?”

As reported yesterday, the decision came despite Justice John Byrne ruling during the trial there was sufficient evidence for a jury to decide Baden-Clay intentionally took his wife’s life.

Acting Attorney-General Cameron Dick is waiting for the Director of Public Prosecutions to provide a report which will include advice on the likelihood of success if the State Government seeks leave to appeal to the High Court against the decision.