Brisbane rally to be held in wake of Gerard Baden-Clay appeal decision

THEY’VE accused a court of sending the message that “you can kill your wife and get away with it”. And they’re not going to stand for it.

Allison Baden-Clay copy photo - Photo Supplied Copyright Unknown

THE family and friends of Allison Baden-Clay have asked Queenslanders to join them on the streets of Brisbane in an unprecedented rally to vent their outrage over the decision to downgrade Gerard Baden-Clay’s murder conviction to manslaughter.

High-profile Australians including Libby Trickett have thrown their support behind the rally, and will today record a promotional video for release on social media and television in aid of the event.

Organisers are hopeful Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will also record a video message to be played at the event, which will also pay homage to all victims of family violence.

The rally – #doingit4allison #doingit4all – will urge the state’s Attorney-General to take the matter to the High Court to appeal the decision by the Court of Appeal.

It comes as the Courier Mail revealed Baden-Clay was acting “smug” behind bars and was still wearing his wedding ring in one final insult to Allison’s family.

“He seemed happy, he wasn’t nervous. Smug. He is always smug,” a jail source was quoted as saying after last week’s stunning conviction backflip.

The Court of Appeal set aside the murder conviction against Baden-Clay, 45, last Tuesday and replaced it with manslaughter, finding he may have unintentionally killed his wife in April 2012.

Family members including Allison’s cousin Jodie Dann and friends will attend the rally to be held in Brisbane’s CBD on Friday at 12.15pm.

“We obviously don’t want to see him walking out any time soon,” Ms Dann said.

More than 71,000 people had yesterday signed a change.org petition urging the Attorney-General to appeal the decision by the Court of Appeal.

Allison Baden-Clay.

Family and friends of Allison Baden-Clay release yellow balloons to celebrate the guilty verdict of Gerard Baden-Clay murder trial. Pic Darren England.

“It’s just to show people want justice,” Ms Dann said.

“The government has been talking about domestic violence and stopping it and then something like this happens (the Court of Appeal decision) and you say where is the justice in that?

“He sat there (in court) and lied through his teeth.

“You can kill your wife and walk away in five years. You don’t even have to admit you did it,” she said.

Allison’s friend Nicole Morrison helped organise the rally and said it was being held for all future victims of domestic violence.

Libby Trickett posted a photo on Instagram of the Doing it for Allison walk.

“We feel this downgrading in the sentence is going to set quite a dangerous precedent,” she said.

“We’re doing this for Allison because this is wrong. The decision on Tuesday was wrong.

“We feel that she deserves better than this. Her life was worth more than this.”

Ms Morrison said Allison was a very private person and would be “deeply humbled” by the rally which she hoped would attract thousands of people.

“I certainly know Allison’s extended family will be there,” she said.

Ms Morrison said businessman Bevan Slattery was instrumental in the rally going ahead.

“The really heartening thing is that he never met Allison, he never met any of us, but he was really incensed on Tuesday by the downgrading in the sentence and he felt that we needed to do something about it,” she said.

Mr Slattery said he was dumbfounded by the Court of Appeal decision.

“It’s about making sure she and her family get justice. We want to do it for all women.

“It’s about getting the Attorney-General to do everything in their powers to not just appeal it but to appeal it successfully.

“It’s about getting the laws changed. It’s deeply disturbing what has happened there.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday said acting Attorney-General Cameron Dick was methodically undertaking a process of seeking advice about whether to appeal the Court of Appeal decision to downgrade the conviction.

“I checked in with the acting Attorney-General this morning, there is no change to the situation that he stated on Friday and that is to ensure that we get the best, comprehensive advice from the Department of Public Prosecutions,” she said.

On Friday, Mr Dick said he understood “the very great community concern and interest in this case.”

“Three young children now live their lives without their mother and on all of the legal determinations their mother’s life was taken by their father.”

Go to www.doingit4allison.com for more information.

Originally published as Brisbane rally to be held in wake of Gerard Baden-Clay appeal decision