What really happened at the North Stockton Surf Club? | Forensic Files

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this episode features violent sexual crimes against a minor that won't be suitable for all listeners
Lili's double-barrelled name was a happy accident she was born who Lera named ears on July 24 1975 two parents Robin
and Robert theirs was a tumultuous marriage that only persisted due to their mutual love of their daughter but
ultimately ended in divorce when Lee was seven years old after her birth parents
separated Lee's mother entered into a de facto relationship with a man whose surname was Lee the couple had a
daughter in 1983 whom they named Jesse Lee wanted to share her youngest sister's surname and to laughed at the
fact that it would give her her duplicate name she liked her unique names so much she kept it after her
mother ended that relationship Robin was close to her eldest daughter and took Lee aged 10 on a two-month
holiday to Sri Lanka to experience her familial heritage by 1986 Robin and her two daughters had moved to a house on
Fullerton Street in Fern Bay a working-class suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales
just south of firm Bay was Stockton technically a suburb of the city of Newcastle
it lay across the harbour mouth of the hunter River meaning anyone wanting to get there from Newcastle would either
have to take a five minute ferry ride or a half hour drive its isolation from the
city gave stopped in more of a provincial atmosphere with an insula and close-knit community the township was
characterized by low incomes and high unemployment it was while living in Fern Bay that
Robin met local man Brad seaman who became Lee and Jessie's stepfather Lee was a popular and outgoing girl and made
friends easily at both Stockton primary school and later at Newcastle high by age 14 she had
aspirations to become a veterinarian and was well behaved at school but exhibited
a rebellious streak with her mum and stepdad in these moments it was clear she had inherited her mother's strength
of character and her biological father's single-minded determination nevertheless
her mother and grandmother regarded Atlee as a typical teenager who cared deeply for her family it was a warm
spring evening on Friday November 3 1989 and early Lee was excited she was going
to her first a late night party to celebrate the 16th birthday of one of the local boys Jason Robertson
more than 50 use would be in attendance mostly here 10 students from Newcastle higher but some younger girls had
received an invitation to Lee was one of them even though she was only 14 years old and in eure
this made her feel important and mature as only a handful of girls her age had been invited the party was being held at
the old North Stockton Surf Club a popular venue for such events the one-story red brick building was
positioned on a large patch of open lawn with its rear facing the Stockton's waterfront a short walk away
both Lee's mother and stepfather were apprehensive as the invitation said the party was an all-night affair from 7:00
p.m. until dawn he'd also stipulated bring your own which suggested there would be alcohol present but Lee had
been persuasive and convinced to them that the night could be viewed as a test if she behaved herself and was ready to
be picked up at the surf club at exactly 11:00 p.m. she would be given more freedom to attend other parties and
social events if she wasn't waiting at the allotted time she would be grounded into banned from going to the upcoming
dance at Newcastle high which late desperately wanted to attend there wasn't a lot to do for teens in
the area as the Disco's that used to be hold at the Masonic Hall had come to an end and at the local movie house had
shut down there were the occasional gatherings at the surf club on a Friday night when they would listen to the
local band practice while drinking beer or cask wine acquired by an older sibling or friend
otherwise they would all hang out at Roberto's pizza bar which had arcade games to play Li's social life until
then consisted of going to the movies in New Castle rollerskating and hanging out
with friends Jason Robertson's 16th birthday was her first real party and she was going with
a couple of girlfriends she was secretly thrilled to be seeing the boy she had a
crush on who would be playing in cardinal sin the local band that was the night's entertainment she assured her
mother that adult supervision had been arranged for the event and that she knew most of the kids at the party
at 7:00 p.m. Robin dropped her daughter off at Roberto's pizza bar where Lee had
planned to meet her fellow party going friends the three girls would have then walk the two kilometres to the surf club
Robin waved to Lee goodbye and reminded her to be ready to be picked up by her stepfather four hours later at the
agreed meeting spot or there would be consequences [Music] [Music] just before 11 o'clock that night Brad
chairman left home to go and pick up his stepdaughter from the North Stockton surf club he returned over an hour later
alone and agitated selling Robyn that Lee had not been at the agreed meeting spot he went out again to look for her
and checked the building where the party was being held finding drunk and to drug affected
teenagers throughout and spilling onto the beach they were in various states of undress
screaming and carrying on with some vomiting in the bushes or passed out in the gutter he sighted around 15 or 16
cases of beer and evidence of cannabis usage Brad had discovered the promised adult supervision consisted of two older
male teenagers an 18 and a 19 year old who had been tasked as bouncers for the event in exchange for a case of beer
Brad asked the partygoers about Lee but none could offer him a coherent answer and two nobody seemed to know where she
was someone suggested she might have gone home early Brad drove home in case she had walked
or got a lift bare but upon realizing she hadn't he headed out again he drove around to the streets before returning
to the surf club where the party was winding up there was still no sign of a lead by 2:00 a.m. so he retrieved his
three-wheeled a motorbike enabling him to scale the sand tracks than dunes along the beach with these yet Lee was
still nowhere to be seen Brad returned home assuming his stepdaughter had gone to a friend's
place to spend the night or perhaps fallen asleep on the shoreline somewhere it wasn't unusual for parties held at
the surf club to end on the beach and carry on until the next morning as far as Robin was concerned her eldest
daughter had failed her first party test there would be no dance and she had a lot of explaining to do
Lee still hadn't arrived home by the next morning so Brad recommenced the search while Robin rang her daughter's
friends to find out if she had a sleepover Brad returned to the surf club and at
9:15 a.m. spotted a group of people standing less than 100 meters away talking animatedly as they stared at
something on the scent below Brad rushed over and realized they were looking at Lee she was sprawled out on
the sand naked her legs were spread apart and her face almost unrecognizable she was still wearing her dunlop folly
shoes and pink socks but her shorts and underwear had been pulled down and to wear around her right ankle the
remainder of her alcohol soaked clothes were found to nearby her face was covered in blood having sustained
several severe blows to the left side of her skull a blood-stained rock of concrete weighing six kilograms was
located nearby there were also bruise marks around her neck an autopsy would later reveal injuries to her genital
region consistent with repeated violent intrusion tucked inside Lee's shorts pocket was the invitation to the 16th
birthday party she had attended the night before Lee's body had been discovered by the birthday boy Jason
Robertson who had helped the Brad Schumann search for her the night before but the darkness shrouding the Santa
Tunes made it difficult for them to see anything at that time Jason had received a frantic called the
next morning from leis mother telling him that her daughter hadn't returned home so he had gone looking for her
along the beach when the Sun came up newcastle police arrived at the beach and declared the site a crime scene they
were aware there was a party at the North Stockton surf club the night prior and had carried out a routine check of
the event at 8:30 p.m. but everything seemed in order at the time following the discovery of a Lila's body
they sought to identify every person who had attended the party asking birthday boy Jason Robertson for a list of
invitees they spoke with residents who lived in the area and today reported that the party had been mostly subdued
but some mentioned hearing a girl screaming and a man swearing loudly before everything went quiet reporters
for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper spoke to two girls who claimed to be leis best friends but who had not been
at the party one described Ali as a very attractive girl which tended to make her
the target of a lot of boys and we used to have to protect her as neither girl had been with laid the previous night
she added maybe late thought she could protect herself locals were reluctant to believe their
youth could do anything so heinous with the owner of Roberto's pizza bar stating
I know these kids well they're pretty responsible over the following days the police tried to piece together what
exactly occurred the night of the party over 50 teenagers were questioned in relation to the event and a pitcher
began to emerge of a wild party most attendees were between the ages of 13 and 18 but there were a couple there as
young as 10 however their investigation was hampered by what the police referred
to as a wall of silence from witnesses reluctant to talk about anything that could get them or their friends in
trouble as many were affected by alcohol or drugs on the night their recollections were impaired and some
invented stories or flat-out lied about being there some witnesses gave as many as 3 different accounts of key events
investigators were also up against the general distrust of police amongst the boys of Stockton who lived by a code of
mate ship parents of the partygoers were equally dismissive and closed the ranks
due to apathy or in order to protect their children one caller phoned a talkback radio station and said it son
Australian - da [ __ ] main head of the North Region Crime Squad homicide unit Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee told
reporters on looking at 60 suspects but only two parents have bothered to contact us to assist us in what their
kid might have seen he theorized that some parents might have felt guilty for allowing their children to attend such
an unruly event and Ali's murder reflected on their inability to properly supervise them
[Music] gradually investigators were able to piece together a timeline of events from
witnesses who had been reassured that nobody would find out that they had talked to the police they were able to
ascertain that after Lee was dropped off at Roberto's pizza bar she had met with
two of her friends as planned but also a third friend who bought a bottle of bourbon Lee was an inexperienced -
drinker and - consumed half the bottle with coca-cola by the time the group arrived at the surf club the liquor had
impacted Lee significantly and she was staggering and slurring her words she showed a vent bouncer eighteen-year-old
Matthew Webster her invitation and he marked her arm with a green texture in the granted her
entry inside where the party was just getting started known locally as fat Matt due to his 110
kilogram frame Webster told a reporter who interviewed him days after the party the problem with Stockton is that there
is nothing for us to do at night employing that when a party was on everyone let loose one of his friends
added everyone reckons were all bad over here near but we're no different from teenagers in any other suburb the
murderer could have come from anywhere when the police have visited the event at around 8:30 p.m. the partygoers hid
their alcohol in the Sandhills so nothing appeared a mere birthday boy Jason Robertson had admitted there had
been some drinking but maintained it was minimal and most of the alcohol had been
taken by his older France he said Lee had a couple of drinks but most of us were just drinking coke he complained
that he could barely leave his house because he felt the town was whispering and pointing at him knowing it was his
party where the murder happened from the witness accounts investigators zeroed in on one incident they believe
that might have been linked to the crime several female attendees said that around 9:00 p.m.
Lee had left the surf club to go for a walk to the beach and might have been accompanied by a male she returned a
little while later extremely distressed telling two of her friends that she had been raped and was worried about being
pregnant they set her down at a table and attempted to comfort her though was skeptical of her claims that she was
heavily intoxicated they asked if she wanted them to call her parents Lee declined the offer and stumbled back
outside newspaper reports stated that investigators believed Lee Lee had been raped several times and that more than
one person was involved though they were uncertain whether the rape and murder were linked several printed stories
about the prevalence of gang rapes in small industrial towns such as Stockton with the boys will be boys mentality
strong in the 1980s victims of sex crimes were seen as having deserved their treatment or perceived as having
done something to bring it on themselves some were quoted as not reporting their
raper due to shame and the fear of being blamed especially if they were under the
influence of alcohol or drugs at the time Lee Lee was Frank and forthright enter
told her mother that she planned on being a virgin until she was 16 years old post-mortem results indicated that she
was a virgin before the party but during the course of the night she had endured
extreme sexual violence despite this some locals questioned whether she had been raped at all with one resident
telling a reporter yes it's a terrible thing but I hear she was a bit of a sleep around Lee Lee's
funeral was held on November 9 1989 with her biological father Robert Mears and her stepfather Brad Chi Minh acting
as pallbearers one of Lee's favorite songs if I could turn back time by American pop singer sure was played to
the large gathering of mourners many of whom were Lee's friends she was buried at Stockton General symmetry and there a
heart-shaped headstone that read within our hearts memories of you will live on forever after Lee was buried allegations
and gossip in Stockton intensified nearly everyone in town had a theory as to who was responsible for Lee's murder
Stockton's girls lived in fear of a murderer on the loose where his boys started fighting amongst themselves
accusing one another of speaking to the police on November 12 nine days after Lee's murder newspapers were reporting
new leads in the case quote detectives want to trace two school girls who fought off attackers
trying to abduct them the night Newcastle schoolgirl Lili was raped and murdered police believed there may be a
connection between Lila's brutal murder and the attempted abduction the school girls managed to save themselves when a
gang tried to drag them into a car about 3:00 a.m. on the morning of Saturday November 4 nothing came of that lead and
it joined to the increasing pile of lies half-truths and secrecy that dogged the
investigation meanwhile investigators continued to work diligently to uncover the truth of what occurred at Jason
Robertson 16th birthday party witnesses alleged that event bouncer 18 year old Matthew Webster had told other
boys early in the night quote we're going to get ly pissed and all go through her a male 15 year old attendee
who can't be named for legal reasons was overheard as saying that he was going to
quote Buckley for the sake of clarity case file will refer to the fifteen year old male as quarry as people were
arriving to the party Cory had asked another male attendee were all the baldies coming tonight baldies was a
colloquialism used to describe young girls who hadn't yet grown pubic hair it was common practice for some of the
older boys to invite underage girls as young as ten to parties for the purpose of getting them drunk been taking
advantage of them [Music] after Cory was observed taking Lee towards the beach she returned to the
surf club a while later crying with blood between her legs she told her friends that Cory had raped her and that
she hated him when questioned by police Cory claimed that Lee had initiated the walk they took together as well as the
sexual activity that came afterwards after informing others what Cory had done Lee headed back outside
several male attendees began teasing and insulting her and several accosted her for sex when she refused she was pushed
to the ground as a group of upwards of ten boys stood in a semicircle around her one of the boys involved told police
they all had twist tops in their hands and too they were pouring beer over her head and body and yelling abuse at her
like you stupid bush pig [ __ ] and things like that I walked over to her and said
get up you stupid [ __ ] I laughed but I didn't pour any beer on her another participant implicated event bouncers
Matthew Webster and to go out Wilson quote while I was standing with them overlay I heard Webster say things like
get that into you yes [ __ ] and to take that yes [ __ ] Wilson said the same things Lee just lay there the whole time
she did not say anything but she was rolling around the group then kicked to lay around to the years quote pretty
hard though a female attendee claimed they were kicking her pretty hard but not as hard as they could have
once the group start Lee slowly got up and staggered across the path and picked up an empty beer bottle
per assailants were still laughing at her prompting Lee to throw the bottle in their direction
though it didn't hit anyone beyond Sir Guy Wilson picked up the bottle and threw it back at Lee hitting her on the
leg the attack was witnessed by approximately audio so youths that were milling about outside Lee returned to
the surf club where another 30 or so attendees were still inside and began vomiting the band stopped playing into
one of its members joined in the assault spitting his beer unto her another boy told police I saw Lee come into the hall
and she came up to us and we were calling her a [ __ ] mole [ __ ] and we poured B's over her and spat on her and
I pushed her with my hands while I was doing it she was crying then she got up and walked out the last time they saw
Lee was around 10:15 p.m. as she headed off towards the beach alone as word of least treatment at the party spread
around town parents warned their sons to keep their mouths shut and spun a different version of events
in which Lee had attended the party intending to get drunk and have sex with the boys there those suspected of
leaking information to police were bullied attacked or ostracized the names of the young men who publicly assaulted
and humiliated Ally were shared around town with some locals expecting them to be brought to justice for their actions
their anger arose from the fact that at least half the party both boys and girls
witnessed what happened to Lee yet no one went to her defense in denier Lee all of them refused to come forward
afterwards to assist the police investigation the corroborating witness accounts
enabled investigators to narrow in on three partygoers that might have had a part to play in Lila's murder police
found Cory the 15 year old alleged to have raped Lee outside Roberto's Pizza bar event bouncer 19 year old guy Wilson
was on his way home from the Gladstone Hotel when he was approached by police and his companion Matthew Webster was
sitting on a fence at the front of a friend's home when police officers asked him to accompany them to clear up a few
things neither Cory nor guy Wilson were able to offer alibis to account for their
specific actions and whereabouts throughout Jason Robertson's birthday party Matthew Webster claimed he had
left the event early to go drink at a local pub before meeting up with friends at Roberto's pizza bar both he and
Wilson were of legal drinking age and admitted to supplying the beer and cannabis for the party Webster's pub
related alibi did not check out and he admitted he was not being honest all three youths were charged with the
various offences relating to events that took place at the party Webster and Wilson were charged with common assault
pertaining to the group attack on Lee with the latter also charged for supplying cannabis to two teenagers Cory
was charged with sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 16 and also supplying cannabis
none were charged in relation to Lee's murder Corey being underage was released into the custody of his mother
whereas Webster and Wilson were kept in police custody overnight they were bailed by a magistrate the following day
for $1,000 and released into the care of their parents by now many residents of Stockton were hoping that the matter
would go away viewing Lee Lee's assault and murder as a tragedy that arose from a party that
got out of hand other community members came to Lee's defense with posters plastered all over
town that depicted a drawing of three male figures one of whom clutched a rock standing over a cowering girl across the
image were the words shame Stockton's shame table at the gutless bastards in in an interview for sticks and stones
the killing of Lee Lee by the ABC Stockton local Gram Parsons said the posters aims to break the code of
silence that developed in the days after Lee's murder by the following day all the posters had been torn down just over
a month after Lilly's murder Matthew Webster pleaded guilty to assaulting the fourteen-year-old schoolgirl and of
supplying cannabis at the party guy Wilson entered no plea and was eventually sentenced to six months Cori
pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 to 16 but maintained that it was Lee who
initiated the act he was convicted and given a six-month sentence which he appealed
at the appeal a judge ruled that the sexual intercourse had been consensual despite witness reports describing Lee
as being so intoxicated she could barely stand and her distressed state afterwards Corey's sentence was reduced
to community service for unlawful carnal knowledge when news spread that a judge
had ruled the sexual intercourse between Corey and Lee as consensual public opinion of the murdered teen within her
home town was scathing her morals were described as loose and she was referred to as a goodtime girl and the town park
she was even derided for ruining the lives of those who had been convicted of crimes in relation to her a soul
meanwhile rumors regarding who killed Ali Lee and Dwyer continued to emerge one prominent rumor implicated her
stepfather brad sherman with some accusing him of being in a sexual relationship with Lee they speculated
that when he came across Lee on the beach on the night of the party she divulged that she had been sexually
assaulted this caused brad to explode in a violent rage that resulted in her murder
although there was no evidence to support this theory it was so persistent the police did view
brad as a suspect however aerial photography taken by a police helicopter of the surf
club and adjacent beachfront displayed the tire tracks made by Brad's motorbike who during the time he was out searching
for Lee there were tracks all across the shoreline accepted the area where her body was found
tensions remained high in the small town and on January 28 1990 a group of four boys taunted Matthew Webster in the
street about Lee's murder Webster grabbed one of them and reportedly quote went off his head
smashing the boy through a car windscreen before thumping him repeatedly on the ground he was fined
two hundred and fifty dollars for offensive behavior Brad seaman was charged with assault
when he punched guy Wilson after he said that six-year-old Jesse Lee would suffer
a fate similar to that of her older sister Robyn also enjoyed a judgement into mistreatment at the hands of her
local community with some longtime residents believing if the family hadn't moved into the area nothing would have
happened even Jesse experienced harassment from other students that the kindergarten she attended prompting
Robyn to pull her out of the school On February 16 1990 Matthew Webster and guy Wilson were again interviewed by
police in relation to Lila's murder the pair were initially questioned separately then placed together in an
interview room that had been bugged with a covert listening device however neither teen said anything that
incriminating themselves or any others in the crime they were split up once more when suddenly Matthew Webster made
an unexpected confession even though the 18 year old was a suspect police had no
hard evidence against him it seemed to come out of nowhere Webster had admitted quote well I did it but I just couldn't
believe it happened it's just unbelievable I went to look for my beers and I saw
Lele sitting down on the grass and my beers weren't there somebody must have pinched them and -
then I walked up to Lele and she carried on with her normal [ __ ] and I tried to
get on to her then we walked it down to the bushes and I pulled her clothes off and I pulled my shorts down I thought I
was right for a route and - then she started pushing me away saying dude I lost my temper and I did what I did when
asked to elaborate on his final remark Webster said she was punching and pushing and I grabbed her by the throat
and she said don't and I choked her a bit she stopped punching and I grabbed the rock and - killed her
I thought she would squeal on me for trying to rape her after the murder Webster ran to a nearby boat ramp and
washed his hands in a sink before sprinting home through the back streets he met up with several other partygoers
at Roberto's pizza bar later in the night and told them he had left the party early to have a beer at the
Stockton hotel he admitted to police that he told the others this lie to give himself an alibi
despite the matter-of-fact manner in which Webster described assaulting and murdering Leigh he reportedly asserted I
am just so so so sorry I would do anything to go back in time so it would not happen I feel like a
[ __ ] Matthew Webster was charged with the Lila's murder and sexual assault he was
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i l OT v / case file despite Matthew Webster admitting to sexually assaulting than murdering
fourteen-year-old early lay some residents have stopped and rallied around the confessed killer while the
mistreatment of Lee's family continued their home was regularly broken into and whenever Robin ran into any of the boys
who had been at the party with her daughter they would swear and spit at her the relentless harassment and rumors had
a profound impact on Lee's loved ones with her biological father Robert attempting suicide in September 1990
Lee's stepfather Brad spent a week in a mental health facility haunted by memories of her brutalized the body and
unable to cope with being viewed as a suspect in the crime the pressure became too much for him and Robin and to the
couple separated the town remained to divide it between those who blame to the male perpetrators and to those who blame
to Lee Lee herself as the word rape wasn't included in any of the charges filed in relation to the
crime it created the legal fiction that the sex acts committed against Lee were consensual fueling disbelief was the
judgment that Lee's outfit of a jumper tank top shorts and sneakers was revealing and to thus inviting trouble
one local girl who was the same age as Lee told ABC radio a lot of people said Ali was a [ __ ] and she deserved it
I remember my mum telling me that little to nothing was done to pursue any others involved in the group attack on
Lee but police assured her mother that the truth would come out during Matthew Webster's trial however by the time
court proceedings began in October 1990 at the Supreme Court of New South Wales the narrative had shifted from a violent
gang assault and the rape to an act of violence committed by a single person on October 22 1990 Matthew Webster
pleaded guilty to murdering Lee Lee the sexual assault charge had been dropped without explanation a psychologist
offered a possible motive stating that Lee fighting off Webster's advances could have been perceived as
the ultimate rejection especially if he was under the impression that she had sexual intercourse with someone else
earlier in the evening the psychologist stated Webster attacked two laylee not so much because she would not let him
have sex with her but because she became the living proof that even someone he perceived to be a [ __ ] the property of
the Klan thought he was not good enough to have sex with her at the conclusion of two days of court
proceedings Justice James would described a Lilly's murder as totally unnecessary and totally preventable
though lay some of the blame at the feet of the parents of those who attended the
party he found it entirely reprehensible that the party took place without adult
supervision quote a duty is owed to all young persons to ensure that they are protected from the inevitable peer group
pressures that functions such as this those pressures are exceedingly strong they cannot be swept under the carpet it
should not have been left to the police to check on this party or to endeavor to
exercise control over functions such as this police have other valuable work to do and to the care of young teenagers
cannot be delegated to them it is the responsibility of parents who organize such parties or who allow their children
to attend to ensure that they are appropriately supervised and that the children have properly counseled about
the dangers in the use of alcohol and drugs and also in relation to intimate relationships when judge wood spoke of
what Lee had endured his language suggested that she had not been raped but rather had sexual intercourse in
reference to Matthew Webster judge wood remarked in generally he has a reputation amongst friends and family of
being a gentle shy and polite young man who was somewhat lacking in self-confidence on the basis of his
reputation and antecedents the offense would seem to be out of character this prisoner is a first offender of
otherwise good character he behaved with uncharacteristic and impulsive ferocity
whilst disinhibited by alcohol into drugs he's sentenced Matthew Webster to 20 years in prison with a non-parole period
of 14 years the ongoing diminishing of Ally's sexual assault devastated her family Robyn later told ABC radio
Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee said that yes Lee had been gang-raped and yes in his belief that Corey did raped Lee
but it was Corey's word against a dead person he told me I had no say in whether others should be charged with
Lee's murder or rape he also told me this was a private conversation which he would deny publicly ever being a party
to so there was no point mean mouthing off about it to anyone a feature article in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
titled in cold blood perpetuated the victim blaming the article implied that Lee had instigated the sexual activity
that occurred prior to her murder quote Lee Lee had chosen November 3 1989 as the day to make the move
she had assured her mother was at least two years away it also attributed blame to Robyn stating Robyn maintained an
open mother-daughter relationship with Lee probably as a result of that relationship Lee developed an outlook on
life that was older than her years they discussed the sex often as Lee moved through puberty Robyn remembers that her
daughter also developed quicker physically than her friends assuming the body of a woman at age 14 that made her
the subject of admiration among some girlfriends and the target of acute jealousy among others it also ensured
that she acquired a trail of a male admirers the article quoted local priest father David Donley
who conducted at least funeral as saying you don't see that many kids on the street at night now which is a good
thing it is often said that something good often comes from the worst thing and in this case I suppose it is that
parents have begun to question the level of control they exercised over their children
I think Stockton feels that it has been made a scapegoat for Australian society's realization that too much
freedom can have disastrous effects after most of the publicity had died down Robyn was left with the realization
that others who were involved in assaulting her daughter had never been charged nor did it appear there but
would be she and surviving daughter Jessie would ultimately be awarded a combined total of twenty nine thousand
two hundred and fourteen dollars in victim compensation an amount deemed woefully inadequate by the family
supporters three years after her daughter's murder Robyn was forced to leave Stockton unable to deal with the
ongoing harassment gossip and public shaming directed towards her family on a daily basis too many she was the
embodiment of an incident that the town longed to forget despite Stockton's efforts to move on Lilly's case garnered
the attention of various academics including associate professor Cary Carrington formerly of the University of
Newcastle professor Carrington was a criminologist that had spent years examining every aspect of the case and
had become an outspoken advocate of lis professor Carrington was of the belief that more than one person was involved
in Lee's murder and that the crime had come at the culmination of an escalation of degradation and violence over the
course of the evening she wrote that Newcastle culture seemed to exhibit a high level of tolerance for
sexual violence among its adolescent population and was critical of the sentencing remarks of Justice James Wood
had the trial of Matthew Webster quote justice woods judgement made no reference whatsoever to the sexual
violence which the victim endured prior to her murder his judgement expressed considerable concern about sexual
promiscuity that occurred at the party attended by the victim and her assailants
and the lack of parental supervision justice woods judgment also considerably diminished the extent of collective
violence inflicted upon Lee at the party just prior to her murder stating only a
small group of men mistreated her she was critical of justice woods description of Matthew Webster as a
first offender of otherwise good character who behaved with uncharacteristic and impulsive ferocity
whilst disinhibited by alcohol and drugs in contrast professor Carrington pointed
out that Lee Lee was represented in the judges comments as a victim of parental failure and a willing participant in a
wild party involving sexual promiscuity and the reckless consumption of drugs and alcohol quote this reversing of the
attribution of guilt and innocence rendered the victim the offender and her attacker a victim
in January 1994 professor Carrington received a letter that read I am the mother of Lili for the last four and a
half years I have been fighting for the truth of what really happened that night
the way the police handled the whole case sickens me I have written to anyone I could think of who could help me but
all the politicians Police Ombudsman Commissioner for Human Rights all ignored my pleas for help
I appreciate you standing up for lay people forget Leigh was the victim not the boys Stockton or the kids at the
party but Leigh I am praying to anyone who will listen to the truth on what really happened to that night professor
Carrington would later say it was this personal plea from Robin that spurred her deeper involvement and continuing
research into the case she arranged for the academics for justice to funds Robin's appeal against her inadequate
victim's compensation payout and introduced her to a lawyer from the Newcastle Legal Center to represent her
they also wanted to have Leigh Leigh's case reopened so that there would be an official record that Lee had been raped
professor Carrington also arranged for a number of new forensic opinions on Leigh's autopsy report and other case
materials one of the experts she consulted dr. Ruth Armstrong said in her affidavit as a female general
practitioner I examined normal and abnormal female genitalia on a daily basis the injuries described to Leigh Leigh's
genitals are consistent with non consensual intercourse of an extremely violent nature the deputy director of
the New South Wales Institute of Forensic Medicine stated in their after David I am of the opinion that it is
much more probable that an inflexible object such as a beer bottle caused the majority of the genital injuries in
response to this assertion professor Carrington developed the theory that Lili was raped and murdered as
punishment for refusing her assailants invitation to have sex forensic scientist professor Harry betcha
concluded that Lee's fatal head injuries were indicative of someone having restrained her as Matthew Webster hit
her questions had also been raised about Matthew Webster's confession as it didn't align with evidence from the
crime scene Webster claimed to have choked Lee with his left hand but the bruising on her
neck was consistent with a right hand the clothing he wore on the night of the murder was clean
despite the blows to Lee's head causing her blood to spatter 2.8 meters in one direction and 1.3 meters in another a
blood stain was found on the shirt worn by Webster's cohort guy Wilson though it
was not known whether any testing had been carried out on it following the murder
Webster described her running to a nearby boat ramp to wash his blood-stained hands yet it would have
been less conspicuous and far easier for him to rinse his hands in the nearby surf these inconsistencies led to the
belief that more than one person might have been involved in the murder and that Matthew Webster had agreed to take
the fall to protect them supporting this multi perpetrator theory where assertions made by professor
Carrington who stated publicly on a number of occasions that she had obtained a witness statement that
verified two people were involved in the murder she told the press that she had reached
out to numerous authorities about this statement though no one was willing to take action on it in May 1995 in what
was described as a landmark legal decision Judge Joseph Moore approved Robyn's appeal from the decision of the
victim's compensation tribunal she and daughter Jessie were awarded an additional one hundred and thirty four
thousand and forty eight dollars for a total of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in compensation
judge Moore found that Lee was subjected to a number of criminal assaults in the
hours before her death beginning with a rape perpetrated by 15 year old Corey whose actions had previously been deemed
consensual by his appeal judge the second act of violence lay sustained was the group assault in which she was
surrounded outside and inside the surf club by a group of young men then spat at kicked and verbally abused
according to an article titled in her death she remains as the limit of the system by lawyer and PhD student
Jonathan morrow and University of Sydney lecturer Mayerson roki the appeal judgment named some of the boys involved
in the group assault against Ali one participant was her killer Matthew Webster along with fellow event
bouncer guy Wilson a number of other party goers were also identified yet judge Moore pointed out that one of the
assailants and only one has been detected and charged with a soul as Matthew Webster's common assault charge
had been upgraded to murder judge Moore was referring to God Wilson the third and final act of violence committed
against Ali has described to by Judge Moore was sexual assault related to the act of murder the judge supported claims
that more than one person might have been involved in this attack and agreed that forensic evidence had shown that
Lee had sustained quote a severe violent and to resist an invasion of her body judge Moore's findings coupled with the
research by Professor Carrington and other academics formed the backbone of a three hundred page report by the
Newcastle legal center to heavily Lee's murder reinvestigated on July 26 1995 the New South Wales attorney-general
urged the state's Minister for police pour Whelan to reopen the investigation Wheelan acknowledged that nobody had
ever been charged with least sexual assault and called the upcoming review an opportunity to write the terrible
wrongs that occurred on the night that she died in his statement to Parliament on October 15 1996 Whelan said the New
South Wales Crime Commission has the powers needed to get this job done but it is time for those who know what
happened to come forward it is time to stop the lies and cover-ups and to set the record straight it is time for the
truth to come out as efforts were underway to reopen her daughter's case Robyn had to once again flee her home
after receiving death threats from her detractors one local woman told ABC radio
I think that there was more involved but I don't know whether it's too late to bring it up now I mean most people have
got on with their lives it's been seven years and it's a sad thing for Matthew Webster's family for all to be brought
up again and I think it's just being left too late really in his first ever addressed to the media following his
conviction in 1990 Webster insisted he acted alone and was not covering for anyone else
the New South Wales Crime Commission released their findings on March 31 1998 concluding that Lily's murder happened
exactly as Matthew Webster had described and that his sentence was adequate while they accepted that some of the
police investigation methods were improper they did not lead to important relevant facts being emitted for the
purpose of sentence proceedings although they agreed that the evidence suggested
other persons could have been charged with offences committed on the night of the murder the Commission found that
police did not act inappropriately in failing to do so they concluded that there would be no further action taken
in relation to Lily's murder in reference to the allegations made by Professor Carrington in her various
works on the case the Commission stated they have each been investigated those that have not been reported on a
regarded as groundless as to the rest most but not all a ring consistent with the Commission's findings the New South
Wales Crime Commission only found fault in relation to the possible unlawful arrests of Matthew Webster and Korey
and to refer this matter to the police Integrity Commission among those called to give evidence before the police
integrity commission was Professor Cary Carrington though she was not informed wire academic observers who worked
alongside professor Carrington expressed to their opinion that she had been summoned quote for the sole purpose of
attacking her credibility on issues that they had no intention of investigating and to discredit someone who had
attracted considerable media attention for criticizing police professor Carrington had since released
the book on the case titled who killed lili a story of shame and meat ship in an Australian town which was highly
critical of the way police handled the investigation during cross-examination professor Carrington revealed that her
views of ally Leeds case had since changed following the release of the New South Wales Crime Commission report she
once thought it was a common purpose murder and to that other persons were involved in a criminal logical sense
though now believed Matthew Webster had in a legal sense acted alone when asked to provide her current views on her past
assertions that the police deliberately excluded evidence professor Carrington replied in all
honesty I can say that's what I thought at the time with the material I had on closer examination of the material I
didn't come to that conclusion I've sat through six days of hearings here I've read the Crime Commission
report and my views have changed I hold the view that there was an exclusion of material but not that it was deliberate
the police integrity Commission rejected professor Carrington's claims that the full details of Layla's autopsy report
including the extent of her genital injuries were not among the brief of evidence provided to justice James Wood
during the trial of Matthew Webster the Commission found that the full medical report was tendered as evidence by the
prosecution and to justice wood had it in his possession when handing down his sentence they also addressed professor
Carrington's assertions that she had obtained a statement from a witness who had observed Ali's murder and declared
two people were involved in a televised interview in late June 1995 professor Carrington stated that
she had attempted to give the witness statement to the Attorney General but was brushed aside as quote no one wants
to take any responsibility for the mantle of Justice here when questioned about the statement during the police
integrity Commission hearing professor Carrington conceded that it was penned by someone who had overheard others
talking about the crime and - thus was a witness to it emissions and not the actual murder she admitted that she had
never had in her possession a statement from a witness to the actual murder of lili the police integrity Commission
review was released in October 2000 it found that the police had acted properly in their investigation into Lily's
murder and reiterated that no one else would be charged in relation to the case in one final blow to Lee's family the
Commission's findings offered Matthew Webster a possible Avenue for appeal there was evidence that he had been
detained unlawfully when he was initially arrested and quite likely had been assaulted by police at that time in
addition fifteen-year-old Corey had not been provided an opportunity to contact his parents when he was arrested
despite being underage the review had recommended the dismissal of Detective Sergeant Lance Chaffee who fronted the
investigation for gross dereliction in duty in relation to the arrests by all accounts Matthew Webster's time
in prison wasn't difficult his potential Avenue for appeal as expressed by the police Integrity Commission didn't go
anywhere and in 2003 in preparation for his release Webster started a program of day and
weekend leave from prison a few months before his parole hearing he began work release which permitted trusted
prisoners to leave confinement to pursue employment and to report back at the end
of the day Webster's boss was pleased with his performance and intended to retain the
convicted killer as an employee thirty-three-year-old Matthew Webster was granted parole in June 2004 after
serving his minimum term of 14 years in prison 60 years shy of his maximum the New South Wales parole board stipulated
that he not live in Stockton or the larger Newcastle area for at least the next six years meaning he was unable to
live at his mother's house and could only visit under strict conditions he instead moved into a halfway house in
Sydney a news report at the time described Matthew Webster's family as quote relieved his crime has finally
been forgiven now they would like it to be forgotten within five months of his release Webster was charged with assault
after allegedly breaking another man's jaw his parole was revoked and he was sent back to prison but the charges were
dismissed in April 2005 due to lack of evidence a devastated and dejected Robin accepted
that as long as she remained stonewalled by the community of Stockton 11 news of
justice for her daughter would remain closed after a decade of doing all she could Robin resigned herself to the fact
that there was nothing more she could do for Lee in an attempt to make her feel better the police told her what became
of every person who had attended Jason Robertson's 16th birthday party some were in prison
others were drug addicts and several were stuck in abusive relationships hearing about their misfortune did not
bring Robin any sense of justice the murder of Lee Lee has been the subject of many academic papers and is taught in
law schools throughout Australia as an extreme example of victim blaming in the community media and courtroom
her case became the basis of the play the property of the clan later renamed Blackrock which was a fictionalized
account concentrating on the fallout of a rape and murder at a teenage party Blackrock was also made into a movie
however had featured one major difference to its real-life inspiration in the movie a character named - Jared
witnessed the rape and breaks the code of silence causing the murderer to end his life rather than be arrested Jared
is a fictional character with no real world counterpart though he has been interpreted as a metaphor for everyone
who witnessed Ali being assaulted yet did nothing as Professor Carrie Carrington explained the brutal rape and
murder of lili which followed hours of brutalization by a group of stockton boys is one of the most heinous crimes
in recent Australian legal history yet most of the boys involved in this extremely brutal crime have escaped
prosecution completely and continue to be protected from prosecution on the day Matthew Webster was sentenced
for the murder of her daughter Robyn was approached outside court by a woman who
offered her a kiss on the cheek Robyn told The Sydney Morning Herald quote Ida never seen her before she said she had a
fourteen-year-old daughter and that she felt sorry for me the same day someone stole a basket of
flowers from the top of Lee's grave [Music] you [Music]

Case 143: Leigh Leigh

At 7:00 pm, Robyn dropped her daughter Leigh off at Roberto’s Pizza Bar, where she had planned to meet her fellow party-going friends...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Eileen Ormsby Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

The episode covers the rape and murder of 14-year-old Lili at a party, highlighting community silence and the legal aftermath.

Key points

Lee's First Party. Lee attends her first late-night party, feeling important and mature.
Tragic Discovery. Lee's body is found on the beach, leading to a police investigation.
Community Reaction. After Lee's murder, the town is filled with gossip and fear.
Matthew Webster's Confession. In a shocking confession, Matthew Webster admits to the murder of Lee Lee, revealing details of the assault.
Community Reaction. The town of Stockton is divided over the treatment of Lee Lee's family and the accused.
Victim Blaming in Lee's Case. The article implied that Lee instigated the sexual activity leading to her murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Lee was excited for her first late night party.

Lee's anticipation for her first party highlights her youthful excitement.

4:47WatchApr 25, 2020

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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