Wife killer Clive Nicholson challenges Qld’s ‘no body, no parole’ laws

A Gold Coast man sentenced to life for killing his wife with a hammer and dumping her in the Southport Seaway has now launched a sensational bid for freedom in a challenge to Queensland’s tough “no body, no parole” laws.

Clive Nicholson arriving at Southport watchhouse with detectives after handing himself in. Picture: David Clark

A GOLD Coast man jailed for life for brutally murdering his wife and dumping her body in the Southport Seaway has launched a legal challenge to Queensland’s tough “no body, no parole’’ laws.

And he is set for a showdown with Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll as he fights to be freed from prison.

Clive Anthony Nicholson received a life sentence in 2006 for bludgeoning his wife Julie to death with a hammer at their Southport home and stuffing her body in a walk-in wardrobe before dumping her in the Seaway.

He later wrote suicide letters in which he told their young daughter: “Mummy died as a result of an accident in a fight with Daddy … and Daddy died as a result of a broken heart.”

Clive Anthony Nicholson.

Julie Rose Nicholson.

Nicholson, now 67, became eligible for parole last year, 12 months after the state’s “no body, no parole’’ laws came into force.

But despite his wife’s body never having been found, Nicholson has applied for parole.

At a Parole Board hearing last month, he applied to interrogate one of the cops who put him behind bars.

Detective Senior-Sergeant Chris Knight penned two reports to the board about Nicholson’s lack of co-operation to locate his wife’s body.

Under the “no body, no parole’’ laws, the Parole Board must refuse parole to a convicted murderer “unless it satisfied that the applicant has co-operated satisfactorily in the investigation of the offence to identify the victim’s location’’.

Nicholson with detectives after handing himself in in 2004. Picture: David Clark

In one of his last duties before retiring this month, then-Police Commissioner Ian Stewart formally objected to Det Knight being quizzed by Nicholson’s lawyers as part of his parole bid.

But the Parole Board dismissed the objection and allowed the officer to be questioned.

He was ordered to appear at a parole hearing set down for today.

However, days before he retired, Mr Stewart launched Supreme Court action seeking a judicial review of the decision compelling Det Knight to answer questions from Nicholson’s lawyers.

Lawyers for the Commissioner argue that that the decision was “contrary to law’.

Ms Carroll is now set to take over the legal challenge.