Janine Balding murder
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The Janine Balding murder was the murder of a woman in New South Wales, Australia by multiple perpetrators. Twenty-year-old Janine Balding was raped and murdered by a gang of five youths on 8 September 1988.
Balding's murder is often compared to the 1986 murder of Sydney nurse Anita Cobby.
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[edit] Early life
Janine Balding was born on the 6 October 1967 and lived in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales before moving to Sydney and gaining employment as a bank teller at a branch of the State Bank on George Street. She was due to marry boyfriend Steven Moran in March 1989. The couple had purchased a house in Berkeley Vale and were renting their house to help finance their wedding arrangements.[1]
[edit] Abduction and murder
Balding was abducted from Sutherland railway station by a group of homeless youths, consisting of four males, and one female. She was repeatedly raped by three of the male offenders, bludgeoned, then hog-tied and drowned in a dam at Minchinbury.
[edit] Accused
- Matthew James Elliott, aged 16 at the time of the murder
- Bronson Matthew Blessington, aged 14 at the time of the murder
- Stephen 'Shorty' Jamieson, aged 22 at the time of the murder
- Wayne Wilmot, aged 15 at the time of the murder
- Carol Arrow, aged 15 at the time of the murder
In sentencing the defendants, Justice [Newman] said:
- To sentence people so young to a long term of imprisonment is of course a heavy task. However, the facts surrounding the commission of these crimes are so barbaric that I believe I have no alternative other than to impose upon [these] young prisoners, even despite their age, a life sentence. So grave is the nature of this case that I recommend that none of the prisoners in the matter should ever be released.[2]
In 2007, Elliott and another defendant (presumably Blessington, but identified only as "B" due to his age) were granted an additional appeal based on a missing staple in their files. Essentially, it was argued, because the Crown indictment was not stapled to the court file, it was not "fixed" to the court file as required by law and the judgment was therefore not technically finalised.[3] The High Court of Australia subsequently rejected this ground of appeal. Because the High Court is the final appellate court in Australia, no further appeals are possible.[4]
[edit] Summary of sentences
| Defendant | From | Convictions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jamieson | Sentenced to life imprisonment | ||
| Matthew Elliott | Murder | * Sentenced to life imprisonment * |
|
| Bronson Blessington | Murder | * Sentenced to life imprisonment * |
|
| Wayne Wilmot | Sentenced to ten years imprisonment | ||
| Carol Arrow | Sentenced to 3 year good behaviour bond plus the nineteen months of time served in prison |
[edit] References
- ^ Crimeweb, The Murder of Janine Balding
- ^ NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard Bronson Blessington Sentence Redeterminiation Application, May 3, 2005
- ^ Crime file review after killer appeal (Daily Telegraph, July 9, 2007)
- ^ Balding's killers lose bid to appeal - National - smh.com.au
