TEARS AS MUM WALKS FREE
Woman cleared of 1996 bub death
MOOROOBOOL mother Maria Lena Raymond (right) wept tears of relief after a jury found her not guilty of the death of her infant son more than 20 years ago. A 12-person jury in the Cairns Supreme Court found the 44-year-old not guilty of manslaughter and not guilty of neglecting to properly dispose of human remains, between May 1 and 5 in 1996 after a five-day trial.
The jury took just over an hour to reach their verdict.
FOR more than 20 years Mooroobool mother Maria Lena Raymond has carried the guilt over the death of her infant son, but yesterday she wept as she walked out of court a free woman.
After a five-day trial in the Cairns Supreme Court, the 12person jury yesterday found the 44-year-old not guilty of manslaughter and not guilty of neglecting to properly dispose of human remains, between May 1 and 5 in 1996.
The jury took just over an hour to come to their decision.
“Whatever guilt you may have felt associated with the death of your child, the jury has concluded you are guilty of no criminal offence in connection with it,” Justice James Henry said following the verdict.
“You are discharged and free to go.”
The case is the product of Patrick Callaghan’s gruesome discovery of the upper half of a baby on his Hayward St driveway in Cairns on May 4, 1996.
Mr Callaghan was one of more than 10 witnesses called to provide evidence during the trial.
Others included a neighbour, current and former police officers, medical experts and Ms Raymond’s then partner.
The jury also watched two recorded police interviews with Ms Raymond from De- cember 2016 and January 2017.
Ahead of retiring the jury to determine a verdict, Justice Henry asked the jury to consider a series of questions.
He also asked the jury to take into consideration Ms Raymond’s cultural values, which were apparent by her lack of eye contact and delay in responses to some questions during interviews.
Justice Henry said in one “twist” to the case, the woman Ms Raymond identified as the “woman with the cross” whose doorstep she claimed she left her baby on and who was previously charged with murdering the baby, was of neutral significance to the case and irrelevant to the jury’s task.
He also directed the jury to “not use the fact that the body was likely cut in half as in any way of tending to prove the accused is guilty of either charge against her”.
WHATEVER GUILT YOU MAY HAVE FELT ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEATH OF YOUR CHILD, THE JURY HAS CONCLUDED YOU ARE GUILTY OF NO CRIMINAL OFFENCE IN CONNECTION WITH IT JUSTICE JAMES HENRY
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