Dante Arthurs

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Dante Arthurs
Born August 8, 1984 (1984-08-08) (age 23)
Subiaco, Western Australia
Conviction(s) Murder
Penalty Life imprisonment (min. 13 years)

Dante Wyndham Arthurs (born August 8, 1984) from Perth, Western Australia, is a prisoner who has been convicted of the murder and unlawful detention of eight-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 radio show. Since then online chat forums indicate that he is one of the most reviled persons in Australia with discussions expressing wishes for him to receive a death sentence.[2] Arthurs is currently detained in Hakea Prison,[3] and entered a plea of guilty on 17 September 2007.[4]

[edit] Legal proceedings

In July 2006, to avert a possible mistrial, no further details have been released to the public regarding Arthurs' childhood in Perth, such as the school(s) he attended before the family moved to England in 1993. It was anticipated that such details would be made available at the conclusion of the trial.[5] The Western Australian Liberal opposition have asked for clarification from the Western Australian Attorney General, Jim McGinty, over a claim reported in the Perth media that Arthurs had assaulted another young girl in the past only for the charge to be dismissed for reasons that were, at that time, not disclosed. McGinty refused to provide any details regarding this claim for fear of jeopardising the fairness of the trial.[6][7] 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.[8]

On July 31, 2007, Chief Justice Wayne Martin ruled that Arthurs receive a bench trial.[9] Martin said that the "extensive, continuous and in some respects extraordinary" pre-trial media coverage, the circumstances of the offence and the fact that a judge would provide reasons for his or her decision supported a trial by judge alone.[9] On August 31, 2007, Justice Peter Blaxell ruled that the bulk of the admissions made by Arthurs in a video recorded interview with police on the morning after the offence would be inadmissible at his trial on ground of "persistent importunity, or sustained or undue insistence or pressure".[10] On September 17, 2007, Arthurs pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to charges of murder (a lesser offence than wilful murder with which he was originally charged) and unlawful detention. Two counts of sexual penetration were withdrawn because forensic analysis could not conclude if Sofia had been sexually assaulted before or after she died.[11].

Following Arthurs' guilty plea, it was confirmed that he had been charged in 2003 with indecently assaulting another eight-year-old girl, but that the charges were dropped because the Director of Public Prosecutions considered that the police had been too robust in interviewing Arthurs and that a conviction was unlikely to be obtained.[12] On November 7, 2007, Arthurs was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum non-parole period of 13 years. He was also sentenced to two years for depriving Sofia of her liberty.[13] Describing Arthurs' crimes as 'so evil they shock the public conscience,' Justice John McKechnie also advised Arthurs of the possibility that he may never be released as the release of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment must be signed off by the Western Australian Attorney-General.

[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 and given a new identity and place of abode by the British government.[14][15] Australian government, the police and the British government denied the claim.[16] 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."[17]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Community weeps for young murder victim (English). theage.com.au. The Age (2006-07-04). Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
  2. ^ Dante Wyndham Arthurs | People You'll See In Hell
  3. ^ "Home of girl's accused killer vandalised" (June 29, 2006). The Age, June 29, 2006
  4. ^ "Arthurs pleads guilty to Sofia murder". Retrieved 17 September 2007
  5. ^ "Fair trial fears for WA murder accused" (June 29, 2006). The Age. Retrieved July 14, 2006.
  6. ^ Parliament of Western Australia (June 28, 2006).Dante Arthurs. Hansard. Retrieved July 16, 2006.
  7. ^ Parliament of Western AustraliaQuestions without Notice: Dante Arthurs. Hansard. Retrieved July 16, 2006.
  8. ^ "Accused child killer to undergo more psych testing" (December 1, 2006). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  9. ^ a b Arthurs v The State of Western Australia [2007] WASC 182. Retrieved 3 September 2007
  10. ^ Arthurs v The State of Western Australia [2007] WASC 209. Retrieved 3 September 2007
  11. ^ "Unlikely child-killer will ever be freed" (18 September, 2007). news.com.au
  12. ^ Sofia's parents criticise DPP (20 September, 2007). news.com.au. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
  13. ^ Sofia toilet killer jailed for life (7 November, 2007). news.com.au. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
  14. ^ Bulger injunction (July 10, 2001). From cyber-rights.org. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
  15. ^ Dyer, Clare (January 9, 2001). "Bulger killers granted anonymity for life" The Guardian. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
  16. ^ Adshead, Gary; Morfesse, Luke; Cowan, Sean (June 29, 2006). "I didn't kill UK toddler". The West Australian. Retrieved August 19, 2006.
  17. ^ British High Commission (June 29, 2006). Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu. Media release. Retrieved August 28, 2006.