Mark-Bry Andrew Leedham has appeal dismissed for murder of Michael Purse
Amid court closures, a callous murderer’s appeal was handed down and dismissed by email with the victim’s father saying the family has finally been given some closure.
The father of murder victim Michael Purse said his killer’s appeal being knocked back has finally given the family some closure, as the search for his son’s body continues.
Mark-Bry Andrew Leedham’s appeal was handed down by email after dozens of sheriffs officers gathered outside the District Court on Thursday to join their corrections colleagues in strike action for better pay.
The sheriffs in attendance voted unanimously for a 24-hour work stoppage, which shuttered the Supreme, District, Magistrates and Coroners courts.
Mr Purse was killed in February 2019 after he was lured to a unit in Kilburn where he was bound, repeatedly struck, stabbed and jumped upon for being unable to pay a drug debt.
His body has never been found.
The Court of Appeal, comprising President Mark Livesey and Justice Sam Doyle and Auxiliary Justice Mitchell dismissed Leedham’s appeal on Thursday.
Outside court, Michael’s father, Jeffrey Purse, who flew in from Sydney, told media the result was a “great weight” lifted off the family’s shoulders.
“So we had a scare this morning that the courts were cancelled … but the Court of Appeal handed down this decision by email and we got a great result,” he said.
“Finally some justice for Michael.”
Mr Purse said he had just had a discussion with the Major Crime Investigation branch and they told him they were still actively looking for Michael.
“Hopefully they will find him, unfortunately in 11 days time it’s Michael’s birthday,” he said.
“He’ll forever be 32.”
Speaking to his son’s killers, Mr Purse said: “You’ve deserved what you’ve got, you’ve deserved what you brought upon yourself. You did not have to kill Michael but what you did”.
Leedham was found guilty of murder during a judge-alone trial.
Justice Kevin Nicholson sentenced Leedham to life imprisonment with a 24-year non-parole period.
The non-parole period was added to a current non-parole period he is sentencing for unrelated offending – resulting in 28 years and three months backdated to February 2022.
Edwin James Hinrichsen and David Graham Young were sentenced to 11 years’ jail in 2023, after pleading guilty to manslaughter for their role in killing Mr Purse.
Leedham appealed against the verdict, arguing it was unreasonable or couldn’t be supported by the evidence.
His counsel argued it couldn’t be concluded beyond reasonable doubt that the knife wound inflicted by him was a substantial cause of Mr Purse’s death.
After a review of the evidence, Justices Livesey, Doyle and Mitchell determined the only reasonable inference was that Leedham retrieved a knife from his car and stabbed Mr Purse at least once in the abdomen.
“This conduct clearly demonstrated his intention at that time to at least cause really serious bodily harm to the deceased,” they said.
“We are not satisfied that it would be dangerous to permit the guilty verdict to stand, or that there is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted.”
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Originally published as Mark-Bry Andrew Leedham has appeal dismissed for murder of Michael Purse
