Darryl Beamish
Encyclopedia
Darryl Beamish is a Western Australian who was wrongfully convicted of willful murder in 1961 and sentenced to hang. The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he served 15 years.
Mr Beamish, a deaf man, was 18 in 1959, when the 22-year-old socialite and MacRobertson's
chocolate heiress, Jillian MacPherson Brewer, was slain in her Cottesloe
flat by an intruder who mutilated her body with a tomahawk and a pair of dressmaking scissors.
His conviction for the murder in 1961 caused continuing concern in legal circles. An Australian Professor of Jurisprudence, Peter Brett, wrote a short book titled The Beamish Case, in 1966; arguing that the affair was a "monstrous miscarriage of justice". (Beamish had narrowly escaped the gallows.)
Western Australian journalist Estelle Blackburn
's book Broken Lives, prompted an appeal by John Button
. He and Mr Beamish had both been convicted of crimes committed by the serial killer
, Eric Edgar Cooke
, and to which Cooke had insistently confessed before his death by hanging. Mr Beamish's conviction was finally overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal
in Western Australia on 1 April 2005, after five failed appeals in the 1960s.
Mr Beamish's appeal was made possible by the successful appeal of John Button. His appeal judges' decision was based on fresh forensic evidence established by the publisher of Broken Lives, journalist and Post Newspapers
publisher Bret Christian. This forensic evidence also showed Cooke was telling the truth when he confessed to the murder for which Mr Button had been convicted.. Prior to the court hearing the fresh forensic evidence abtained by Mr Christian, Cookes' confessions had not been believed. Mr Button's success opened the way to an appeal by Darryl Beamish, the appeal judges finding that in both cases the murders were probably the work of Cooke.
On 2 June 2011 Beamish was granted a A$425,000 ex gratia payment by the Western Australian government.
MacRobertson's
MacRobertson's, officially the MacRobertson's Steam Confectionery Works, was the name of a company that produced chocolates and various other confectionery in Australia. The company was founded in 1880 by Sir Macpherson Robertson and takes its name from a combination of his first and last name...
chocolate heiress, Jillian MacPherson Brewer, was slain in her Cottesloe
Cottesloe, Western Australia
-Transport:Cottesloe is served by Swanbourne, Grant Street, Cottesloe, Mosman Park and Victoria Street railway stations on the Fremantle line. Various bus routes along Stirling Highway and through the suburb's western and eastern sections link Cottesloe to Perth and Fremantle. All services are...
flat by an intruder who mutilated her body with a tomahawk and a pair of dressmaking scissors.
His conviction for the murder in 1961 caused continuing concern in legal circles. An Australian Professor of Jurisprudence, Peter Brett, wrote a short book titled The Beamish Case, in 1966; arguing that the affair was a "monstrous miscarriage of justice". (Beamish had narrowly escaped the gallows.)
Western Australian journalist Estelle Blackburn
Estelle Blackburn
Estelle Blackburn is a journalist who has played a crucial role in the review of some controversial criminal cases in Western Australia.-Early life:...
's book Broken Lives, prompted an appeal by John Button
John Button (campaigner)
John Button, born in Liverpool, England on 9 February 1944, is a Western Australian who was the victim of a significant miscarriage of justice.-Conviction:...
. He and Mr Beamish had both been convicted of crimes committed by the serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, Eric Edgar Cooke
Eric Edgar Cooke
Eric Edgar Cooke nicknamed The Night Caller was an Australian serial killer. From 1959 to 1963, he terrorised the city of Perth, Western Australia, by committing 22 violent crimes, eight of which resulted in deaths....
, and to which Cooke had insistently confessed before his death by hanging. Mr Beamish's conviction was finally overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal
Supreme Court of Western Australia
The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters.The Supreme Court consists of a General Division The Supreme Court of Western...
in Western Australia on 1 April 2005, after five failed appeals in the 1960s.
Mr Beamish's appeal was made possible by the successful appeal of John Button. His appeal judges' decision was based on fresh forensic evidence established by the publisher of Broken Lives, journalist and Post Newspapers
Post Newspapers
Post Newspapers comprises the four editions of a community newspaper covering a group of western suburbs in Perth, Western Australia.The Post Newspapers group was established as the Subiaco Post by reporter Bret Christian and his wife Bettye in September 1977 at a house in Churchill Avenue,...
publisher Bret Christian. This forensic evidence also showed Cooke was telling the truth when he confessed to the murder for which Mr Button had been convicted.. Prior to the court hearing the fresh forensic evidence abtained by Mr Christian, Cookes' confessions had not been believed. Mr Button's success opened the way to an appeal by Darryl Beamish, the appeal judges finding that in both cases the murders were probably the work of Cooke.
On 2 June 2011 Beamish was granted a A$425,000 ex gratia payment by the Western Australian government.
External links
- Article dated 1 April 2005, covering Beamish's vindication, from the website of the Sydney Morning Herald