Death of Jill Meagher

Death of Jill Meagher

Time	c. 1:45 am (disappearance)
Date	22 September 2012 (2012-09-22)
Also known as	Gillian Meagher, Jill McKeon
Cause	Strangulation
Deaths	Jill Meagher
Burial	Fawkner, Melbourne, Australia
Suspect(s)	Adrian Ernest Bayley
Charges	Rape, murder
Verdict	Guilty

Jill Meagher /ˈmɑr/ was a 29-year-old Irish woman living in Australia who was raped and murdered while walking home from a pub in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria in the early hours of 22 September 2012.

Meagher's case was initially that of a missing person, as she had failed to return home to her husband, Tom Meagher. Her disappearance attracted widespread media attention and a review of closed-circuit television images from the area of her disappearance. Her body was discovered six days later at Gisborne South, about 50 kilometres from Brunswick.

Adrian Ernest Bayley pleaded guilty to Meagher's rape and murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 35 year non-parole period. His bid to appeal his minimum term, on 26 September 2013, was unsuccessful.

Victim

Gillian "Jill" Meagher was born on 30 October 1982 in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland.^[1] She worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in an administrative and occasional on-air role at the 774 ABC Melbourne radio station.^[2][3]

Disappearance

After work on 21 September 2012, Meagher went with co-workers from ABC Melbourne to the Brunswick Green bar in Sydney Road, Brunswick, later moving to Bar Etiquette (also in Sydney Road). She left the bar at around 1:30 am and began the short walk back to the home she shared with her husband Tom.^[4][5]

While walking home Meagher called her brother, Michael McKeon, and spoke with him briefly about their father. At their flat her husband woke to realise she was not home and started searching for her.^[4][5]

The search for Meagher attracted high levels of media attention, including social media. Over the next few days, closed-circuit television (CCTV) video emerged and was released by Victoria Police. The video, recorded in front of the Duchess Boutique bridal shop at around 1:43 am on the night she disappeared, showed her speaking to a man in a blue hoodie who had also been filmed walking outside the shop four minutes earlier.^[6] This was the last known time the 29-year-old was captured on camera.

Investigation, arrest and guilty plea

Adrian Ernest Bayley
Born	Adrian Ernest Edwards[7] (1971-07-14) 14 July 1971[7]
Residence	Coburg, Victoria
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Pastry cook[7]
Criminal charge	Rape, murder
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 35 years[8]
Criminal status	Imprisoned
Conviction(s)	Guilty

The police investigation was assisted by the CCTV video. Police questioned and arrested Adrian Ernest Bayley, then 41, of Coburg. At around 10:00 pm on 28 September, five days after Meagher's disappearance, he led police to where her body was buried in a shallow grave on Black Hill Road in Gisborne South. Meagher had been strangled.^[9] He was charged with rape and murder and was held in custody to await trial. While in custody he attempted suicide.^[10]

At a precommittal hearing in January 2013 a two-day committal case in the Melbourne Magistrates Court was scheduled to begin on 12 March 2013. According to news reports at the time the accused intended to fight the charges.^[11] On 5 April 2013, Bayley pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Meagher. On 26 April 2013, he pleaded not guilty to a number of other sexual assaults in Melbourne dating back to 2000. He appeared in court on 11 June 2013 for a pre-sentencing hearing.^[12][13]

A suppression order was lifted by Justice Geoffrey Nettle allowing Bayley's "extensive history of rape and violence" to be revealed.^[14] On 19 June 2013, Adrian Bayley was sentenced by Justice Nettle to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 35 years.^[8]

In September 2013, Bayley lodged an appeal against his sentence through Victoria's Legal Aid. The appeal argued that the minimum sentence was too long and that he has not taken "perverted pleasure" in murdering Jill Meagher as stated by Justice Nettle. The appeal was dismissed in less than 10 minutes.^[15]

In March 2015 Bayley was found guilty of another rape, committed before he killed Meagher. This is Bayley's third rape conviction since his murder conviction. He has now been convicted of sexual crimes against 12 people.^[16]

Social media and impact

Social media outlets, including Twitter and Facebook, played a significant role in bringing the case to prominence and in helping with the police investigation.

In the days after she went missing, Meagher's ABC colleagues used Twitter to help in the search for her. A Facebook group, "Help us Find Jill Meagher", was also set up in the hope of finding her alive. By 27 September, five days after her disappearance, the group had received over 100,000 "likes".^[17]

As a suspect had been charged with rape and murder, Victoria Police tried, initially unsuccessfully, to have Facebook pages about the case removed. As a result of the social media response the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, suggested that law reform might be necessary to avoid social media coverage prejudicing the jury pool.^[18][19]

Public reaction

The public reaction to Meagher's disappearance and the discovery of her body was immense.^[20]

An early indication were the media reports of 40 prison inmates attending a Requiem Mass for Meagher celebrated by the prison's chaplain, Fr Joe Caddy.

Thousands of flower bouquets began to be placed at numerous locations near where Meagher disappeared and died, most notably outside the Duchess Boutique and the nearby Brunswick Baptist Church, the latter due to it being near the scene of her disappearance as Meagher was a Roman Catholic. A candlelight vigil was also held at the church.^[21][22] When authorities began to dismantle the floral tributes it became a media story.^[23]

A public march, organised by Melbourne photographer Phillip Werner, took place on 30 September 2012. Approximately 30,000 people walked along Sydney Road in memory of Meagher.^[24][25] The march also symbolised broader concerns about violence against women, with ensuing discussion on current issues websites.^[24] A followup march took place the following year on 29 September 2013. The turnout was smaller, but many thousands participated.^[26]

Another march in reaction to Meagher's death, sometimes confused with Werner's, took place on 20 October 2012. This was organised by the Reclaim the Night movement and involved approximately 3000 people.^[27]

Meagher's family thanked the public for its support.^[28] In a media statement they also asked that the public respect their privacy at the cremation ceremony, which took place at Melbourne's Fawkner Memorial Park on 4 October 2012. The cemetery was locked for the day, with only invited guests allowed in. The guests included police officers and ABC colleagues. A special area for media representatives was also made available.^[29][30]

A memorial Mass was held for Meagher at St Peter’s Church in her home town of Drogheda on 5 October 2012 shortly after her cremation. The town was at a stand-still for the occasion. The service was for her relatives who still lived there. It was preceded by a silent march through the streets of the town and the handing over of numerous condolence books to Meagher's uncle, Michael McKeon. The Mass also attracted much media attention.^[31][32][33]

On 17 January 2014, the Australian TV and radio presenter Derryn Hinch began serving a fifty-day prison sentence for breaching a suppression order which was in effect at the time of Adrian Bayley's sentencing (the suppression order was later lifted). Hinch had attempted to reveal Bayley's extensive record of prior rapes and other violent offences.^[34]

A condolence book for Meagher was set up on the Legacy website by the Herald Sun newspaper. As of February 2015 it has attracted nearly 3000 entries, many from people who have stated that they had never met Meagher.^[35]

Memorials

A stonemason placed an engraved 50 kilogram granite slab and memorial plaque at the Black Hill Road, Gisborne South site where Meagher's body was found. The Melton City Council later removed the memorial "with the permission of the family and in consideration of the Black Hill Road community". The council said that local residents were upset over the continuing attention and concerned it was attracting too much traffic. It was, however, a controversial move as other local residents had been tending the site.^[36]

A street art memorial called "RIP Jill" was created in Hosier Lane, Melbourne by a mystery artist in September 2012. In early November 2012 the 20 metre mural was painted almost completely over by other street artists. The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle, said that "The street art community painted the original message and have now painted over it. Personally I would have preferred just the name Jill to remain as a more permanent gesture but that is obviously no longer possible."^[37] Of the transient nature of such works, the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, said that "The tribute to Jill Meagher was created very much in the spirit of Hosier Lane, an iconic part of Melbourne, and no doubt that will continue."^[37]

References

External links

• "Timeline of Jill Meagher's disappearance", News Ltd website.