When Noongar woman Stacey Thorne was found murdered in December 2007, the small West Australian town of Boddington was torn apart.
Police quickly focused on her casual lover Scott Austic whose arrest and subsequent conviction divided the town.
But a re-investigation by independent lawyer and forensic scientist Dr Clint Hampson revealed a disturbing pattern of tampered evidence. His discovery was backed up by the Court of Appeal which found that there was “credible, cogent and plausible evidence of planting”.
After spending over a decade in jail, Scott Austic was acquitted at a re-trial and is seeking compensation.
But the Thorne family believes there has been no justice for Stacey and in desperation has now hired a private investigator to chase new leads to find her killer. The Austic family also wants the case to be reopened.
