Dante Arthurs
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Dante Wyndham Arthurs (born August 8, 1984) from Perth, Western Australia, Australia is a remand prisoner charged with the wilful murder, sexual penetration and deprivation of liberty of 8-year-old Perth girl, Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu, whose naked body was discovered on June 26, 2006 by her 14-year-old brother in a disabled toilet of Livingston Shopping Centre in Canning Vale, 10 minutes after she disappeared. [1]
On June 28, 2006, Arthurs' home was vandalised with windows being smashed by rocks thrown at the premises following his address being divulged on-air during a popular Perth talk-back radio show. Arthurs is currently detained in Hakea Prison, [2] and entered a plea of not guilty on October 13, 2006. [3]
On December 1, 2006, Arthurs appeared via video link in the Supreme Court of Western Australia from Casuarina Prison where it was ordered he undergo further psychiatric tests and reappear before the court in February 2007 [4].
[edit] Legal proceedings
As of July 2006, to avert a possible mistrial, no further details have been released to the Australian public regarding Arthurs' childhood in Perth such as the school(s) he attended before the family moved to England in 1993. It is anticipated that such details will be made available at the conclusion of the trial. [3][4][5] [5] The Western Australian Liberal Opposition party have asked for clarification from the Western Australia Attorney General over a claim reported in the Perth media that Arthurs had assaulted another young girl in the past, however, the charge was dismissed for reasons that are yet to be disclosed. The Western Australia Attorney General has refused to provide any details whatsoever regarding this claim for fear of jeopardising the fairness of the trial. [6] [7]
[edit] Other allegations
In a widely circulated email, it was claimed that Arthurs was one of the killers of English toddler James Bulger, Robert Thompson, who was granted permanent anonymity in 2001 [8] [9] and given a new identity and place of abode by the British government. The claim was denied by the Australian government, the police and the British government. [10] On June 29, 2006, the British High Commission in Canberra issued a media release stating "There is no connection between the man arrested in Western Australia and the individuals involved in the James Bulger case." [11]
[edit] References
- ^ Community weeps for young murder victim, The Age, July 4, 2006
- ^ Home of girl's accused killer vandalised, The Age, June 29, 2006
- ^ Alleged murderer to plead charges (August 2, 2006). The Border Mail. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
- ^ Accused child killer to undergo more psych testing (December 1, 2006). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
- ^ Fair trial fears for WA murder accused, The Age, June 29, 2006
- ^ [1], Parliament of Western Australia Hansard
- ^ [2], Parliament of Western Australia Hansard
- ^ Bulger injunction, cyber-rights.org
- ^ Bulger killers granted anonymity for life
- ^ Adshead, Gary; Morfesse, Luke; Cowan, Sean (June 29, 2006). "I didn't kill UK toddler". The West Australian. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
- ^ British High Commission, Media release, June 29, 2006
