Janelle Patton
Encyclopedia
Janelle Patton was a 29-year-old Sydney
woman who was brutally murdered on Norfolk Island
on 31 March 2002. The case made national headlines in Australia
and New Zealand
, as she was the first person to be murdered there since 1893.
. Her time on the island was equally tempestuous, with a string of failed relationships by the time of her murder. Her parents had arrived from Australia for a visit the previous day. Patton was last seen around 11.30 a.m. on her morning walk along a coastal track near her home. Her parents became concerned when she failed to appear at a lunch appointment. When they reported Patton's disappearance to police, they were quickly informed that a body matching their daughter's description had been discovered by two tourists from New Zealand. The body was formally identified by Patton's landlady. The investigation into Janelle's murder was protracted and difficult, owing to the large number of potential suspects. At one stage of the investigation, an Australian officer involved was heard to comment that "...it would be easier to compile a list of people on the island who didn't have a motive (to kill Janelle)".
Patton had been stabbed and beaten with a blunt object and had several defence wounds. There were 64 stab wounds in total, and Patton suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis and broken ankle. She died from a stab wound to the chest that punctured her lung. The body was found at the Cockpit Waterfall Reserve at opposite end of the island from where she was last seen, wrapped in a large black plastic sheet.
, was arrested for her murder near the town of Nelson
, on the South Island
of New Zealand, after being identified by an Australian Federal Police
investigation. He was subsequently extradited to Norfolk Island
and formally charged with the crime.
McNeill claimed in the Norfolk Island Court of Petty Sessions that he accidentally hit Patton with his car, a statement he later retracted. He was transferred to Silverwater Correctional Centre
in Sydney
and took part in a directions hearing by conference call in late February 2006. A further directions hearing had been expected on 21 April 2006 followed by a committal hearing on Norfolk Island on 22 May 2006. Late in January 2006, the Norfolk Island Administration revoked a long-standing law enabling death by hanging for capital offences.
On 25 July 2007, McNeill was sentenced to 24 years in prison by Judge Weinberg (acting as Norfolk Island's chief justice) in the Federal Court in Sydney.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
woman who was brutally murdered on Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
on 31 March 2002. The case made national headlines in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, as she was the first person to be murdered there since 1893.
Background
Patton was living and working on the island at the time of her death, but was not a local. She had arrived on the island seeking a new beginning following a string of failed relationships in her homeland of AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Her time on the island was equally tempestuous, with a string of failed relationships by the time of her murder. Her parents had arrived from Australia for a visit the previous day. Patton was last seen around 11.30 a.m. on her morning walk along a coastal track near her home. Her parents became concerned when she failed to appear at a lunch appointment. When they reported Patton's disappearance to police, they were quickly informed that a body matching their daughter's description had been discovered by two tourists from New Zealand. The body was formally identified by Patton's landlady. The investigation into Janelle's murder was protracted and difficult, owing to the large number of potential suspects. At one stage of the investigation, an Australian officer involved was heard to comment that "...it would be easier to compile a list of people on the island who didn't have a motive (to kill Janelle)".
Patton had been stabbed and beaten with a blunt object and had several defence wounds. There were 64 stab wounds in total, and Patton suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis and broken ankle. She died from a stab wound to the chest that punctured her lung. The body was found at the Cockpit Waterfall Reserve at opposite end of the island from where she was last seen, wrapped in a large black plastic sheet.
Arrest
On 1 February 2006, Glenn Peter Charles McNeill, a 28-year-old chef from New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, was arrested for her murder near the town of Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, on the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand, after being identified by an Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
investigation. He was subsequently extradited to Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and formally charged with the crime.
McNeill claimed in the Norfolk Island Court of Petty Sessions that he accidentally hit Patton with his car, a statement he later retracted. He was transferred to Silverwater Correctional Centre
Silverwater Correctional Centre
Silverwater Correctional Centre is a minimum security Australian male prison facility, located in Holker St, Silverwater, west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia.-Notable prisoners:...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and took part in a directions hearing by conference call in late February 2006. A further directions hearing had been expected on 21 April 2006 followed by a committal hearing on Norfolk Island on 22 May 2006. Late in January 2006, the Norfolk Island Administration revoked a long-standing law enabling death by hanging for capital offences.
Trial
On 1 February 2007, McNeill formally went on trial for the murder. A press blackout was imposed by the judge, Mark Weinberg, to prevent any dilution of the limited potential jury pool. On 1 March 2007, McNeill told the Supreme Court, "I did not kill Janelle Patton", "I did not abduct her" and "I did not see Janelle Patton that day". He said he would not now recall what he told police earlier, but "would have admitted to anything" due to his mental health problems. The trial ended on 9 March 2007 when the 11-person jury returned a guilty verdict.On 25 July 2007, McNeill was sentenced to 24 years in prison by Judge Weinberg (acting as Norfolk Island's chief justice) in the Federal Court in Sydney.