Decision due over appeal to reinstate Gerard Baden-Clay’s murder conviction
A SHOCK decision to downgrade Gerard Baden-Clay’s conviction for the killing of his wife Allison to manslaughter could still be reversed, Australia’s highest court has decided.
A SHOCK decision to downgrade Gerard Baden-Clay’s conviction for the killing of his wife Allison to manslaughter could still be reversed, Australia’s highest court has decided.
The High Court has agreed to hear an appeal against the downgraded murder conviction of Brisbane wife killer Gerard Baden-Clay.
The Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions launched a bid to appeal Baden-Clay’s downgraded conviction of manslaughter over the 2012 death.
After he was convicted of murder in 2014, the Court of Appeal replaced the conviction with manslaughter last December after his lawyers argued the former real estate agent could have unintentionally killed his wife.
In decision handed down in Canberra today, the High Court granted prosecutors special leave to appeal the controversial downgrading, and ruled the matter would be heard by the Full Bench.
The 2015 decision to downgrade Baden-Clay’s previous murder conviction prompted community outrage over his reduced culpability.
A gathering of thousands in Brisbane’s King George Square saw supporters dressed in yellow, the killed mother’s favourite colour, rally for “justice for Allison”.
It has been speculated the amount of public interest could influence the High Court’s decision.