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another female—Christine
Moberley—at the same car park, but she became concerned and quickly locked herself in her vehicle and drove home where she told her partner that the offenders were talking with another woman near a motor vehicle there. That person was Janine Balding. Upon being alerted to these incidents, police immediately attended the main Sutherland railway station car park, not realising that the earlier encounters had happened in an overflow dirt car park on the opposite side of the rail line. Janine Balding had been abducted from that overflow car park in the intervening period.
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failing to understand the concepts of his crimes and fears that he is too dangerous to be released. His release was rejected in 2019, 2021 and 2023. He was finally released under strict supervision in June 2024, but less than two weeks later he was re-arrested after a search of his phone found that he had been searching online for child abuse material. Wilmot has spent time in
Sliverwater, Lithgow, Goulburn, Metropolitan Special Program Centre (Long Bay) and Junee.
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scientists from that laboratory who processed the DNA samples were brought to
Australia to give evidence in relation to their analyses. Given its significance in being the first time DNA evidence was tendered in an Australian court, the presiding Judge acceded to a request from the Crown Prosecutor that Police witnesses who were involved in the prosecution case be allowed to be in court prior to giving
259:"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 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."
510:, in which she relates how her family coped with the loss of Janine, of the police investigations and the lengthy trials. In October 2013—shortly after what would have been Janine's 46th birthday—and after suffering from and battling two and a half years of depression, Beverley Balding died after a short stay in hospital. She is buried alongside her daughter in the Wagga Lawn Cemetery.
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earlier that day and had proposed "Why don't we get a sheila and rape her?", a quote which became infamously known through
Australian news media. The idea was agreed to. Arrow and Wilmot joined in. The victim, who was to be picked at random, became Balding. The gang of five had earlier approached
463:
Wayne Wilmot is currently being held on remand after being charged on June 21, 2024, by NSW Police's Sex Crimes Squad with breaching a court order. Wilmot had previously been due for release in 2019 but the NSW Government blocked his release due to nature of his crimes outside and inside prison,
217:
in Sydney's west, and during that time was partially stripped of her clothing and raped at knifepoint by
Blessington, Jamieson, and Elliott. Arrow and Wilmot were in the car but did not rape her. On arrival at Minchinbury, she was again raped. She was then dragged from her vehicle, gagged with a
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According to the UN, the prison term and highly remote prospect of parole breached article 7 of the covenant – that "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". The sentence contravened another article in the covenant – that juveniles be
263:
This trial was the first in
Australian legal history where DNA evidence was tendered - leading to convictions based in part on that evidence. DNA samples were conveyed to a laboratory in the United Kingdom, which at the time was a world leader in DNA analysis, profiling and comparison. The two
528:
In
February 2016, Blessington lodged an appeal to be released from prison given he was only 14 at the time he committed the murder. Blessington claimed "he found God", that he was remorseful for his actions and was a changed man. Despite these claims, Janine's family reported that nearly three
271:
In 2007, Elliott and
Blessington were granted an additional appeal based on a staple missing from 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 judgement was therefore not
247:
All five members of the group were arrested and charged with
Balding's murder. After weeks of deliberations and testimonies, Elliott, Blessington and Jamieson were each given life sentences plus 25 years. Wilmot was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail while Arrow was released on a good
495:
and the
Privacy Commissioner) used the latest DNA techniques to review the DNA evidence of the crime. This was done because Jamieson denied taking part in the murder, and one of the murderers had claimed that it was 'Shorty' Wells (rather than 'Shorty' Jamieson) who had committed the murder.
251:
The sentencing of Blessington and Elliot became a topic of extreme controversy, because at the time they committed the murder and were sentenced, they were aged 14 and 16, respectively—becoming the youngest killers in Australia to be convicted and given the maximum sentence for murder.
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Matthew Elliott is currently housed in Lithgow Correctional Centre in maximum security. Prior to his 19th birthday he had spent time at the Minda Juvenile Centre after that he has spent time in Goulburn, Special Purpose Unit (Long Bay), Cooma, Junee and Lithgow.
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Bronson Blessington is currently housed in South Coast Correctional Centre in maximum security. Blessington had spent time in Minda Juvenile Centre prior to his 18th birthday after that he has spent time in Long Bay, Maitland, Goulburn, Kempsey and Nowra.
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Sentenced to nine years and four months' imprisonment (later extended by six months for escaping lawful custody, and served 7½ years before being paroled. Currently incarcerated for multiple parole violations).
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just two years after being released for time served over the accessory to murder of Balding. Wilmot was then linked to an earlier attack on a 19-year-old woman at
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decades on from the murder, it had not received any formal apology or letter from Blessington expressing such remorse and did not believe he had changed.
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222:, then lifted over a fence and carried into a paddock by Blessington, Jamieson, and Elliott. She was then held down and drowned in a dam on the property.
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Stephen Jamieson is currently housed in Lithgow Correctional Centre in maximum security. Jamieson has spent time in Long Bay, Goulburn and Lithgow.
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These persons were Bronson Blessington, Matthew Elliott, Stephen 'Shorty' Jamieson, Wayne Wilmot and Carol Ann Arrow.
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In 1998, Wilmot returned to prison for seven years after an attempted abduction and rape of a young girl in
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525:. The Committee asked the Australian Government to "review the case and remedy the human rights breach".
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The DNA results demonstrated that Jamieson's DNA was not found in a rectal swab taken from the victim at
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ruled that the sentences of Blessington (14 when the crime was committed) and Elliott (16) breached the
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evidence, to witness this history-making production of DNA evidence. Defense counsel did not object.
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981:"Teen killers of Janine Balding have received 'cruel, inhumane and degrading' punishment: UN"
817:"Teen killers of Janine Balding have received 'cruel, inhumane and degrading' punishment: UN"
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punished as minors and that penitentiary systems have rehabilitation as an "essential aim".
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Blessington had met Jamieson and Elliott at a homeless shelter named 'The Station' in the
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Janine's mother Beverley co-wrote, with journalist Janette Fife-Yeomans, a book entitled
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Sentenced to a three-years' good behaviour bond plus 19 months of time served in custody
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behaviour bond, as the pair did not physically participate in the rape and murder.
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car park by a group of homeless persons consisting of four males and one female.
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1010:"Killer's plea to have DNA evidence re-analysed leaves victim's family reeling"
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872:"Rapist involved in Janine Balding murder back behind bars days after release"
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by a homeless gang of five (four youths and an adult) on 8 September 1988, in
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151:. Balding's murder is often compared to the 1986 murder of Sydney nurse
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167:, New South Wales before moving to Sydney and gaining employment as a
845:"Convicted rapist back behind bars less than two weeks after release"
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237:
Stephen Wayne 'Shorty' Jamieson, aged 22 at the time of the murder
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A month before her twenty-first birthday, she was abducted from a
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The Janine Balding Story – A Journey Through A Mother's Nightmare
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Bronson Matthew Blessington, aged 14 at the time of the murder
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Regina v Matthew James Elliot and Bronson Matthew Blessington
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In 2003, the NSW Innocence Project (a joint project by the
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725:"Bronson Blessington Sentence Redetermination Application"
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Someone else's daughter: the life and death of Anita Cobby
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Matthew James Elliott, aged 16 at the time of the murder
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Wayne Lindsay Wilmot, aged 15 at the time of the murder
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at the time of the offence, and their names suppressed
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Prisk, Max; Stephens, Tony; Bowers, Michael (2005).
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International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
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255:In sentencing the defendants, Justice Newman said:
243:Carol Ann Arrow, aged 15 at the time of the murder
209:She was driven in her vehicle to the side of the
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163:Balding was born on 7 October 1967 and lived in
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348:Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years
335:Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years
322:Sentenced to life imprisonment plus 25 years
276:subsequently rejected this ground of appeal.
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420:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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948:"Killer should stop wasting public money"
440:Learn how and when to remove this message
76:Stephen Wayne 'Shorty' Jamieson (aged 22)
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723:Kevin, Greene; Debus, Bob (3 May 2005).
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1031:New South Wales Supreme Court of Appeal
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752:"Crime file review after killer appeal"
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946:Webster, Michelle (27 November 2009).
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785:"Balding's killers lose bid to appeal"
675:. Sydney: Pan Macmillan. p. 207.
661:(2005), The Five Mile Press: Melbourne
783:Jacobsen, Geesche (8 November 2007).
537:An episode of the documentary series
523:Convention on the Rights of the Child
515:United Nations Human Rights Committee
73:Bronson Matthew Blessington (aged 14)
797:from the original on 5 November 2012
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418:adding citations to reliable sources
385:
1132:Violence against women in Australia
906:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
896:Bolton, Katrina (9 November 2003).
764:from the original on 3 October 2012
750:Fife-Yeomans, Janet (9 July 2007).
568:List of solved missing person cases
13:
1122:September 1988 events in Australia
960:from the original on 30 April 2012
870:Rawsthorne, Sally (21 June 2024).
698:"Youth Had Knife: Balding Witness"
637:. Sydney: Doubleday. p. 363.
635:The Big Picture: Diary of a Nation
601:
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14:
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1092:Missing person cases in Australia
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912:from the original on 8 April 2011
696:Dean, Anabel (28 November 1988).
614:from the original on 5 March 2009
979:Allard, Tom (22 November 2014).
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285:, the crime was classified as a
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493:Director of Public Prosecutions
484:testing program for prisoners.
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70:Matthew James Elliott (aged 16)
931:"Shorty Jamieson Was Killer".
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604:"The Murder of Janine Balding"
478:Leightonfield, New South Wales
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127:was a homicide victim who was
79:Wayne Lindsay Wilmot (aged 15)
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1077:Deaths by person in Australia
729:Parliament of New South Wales
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540:Crime Investigation Australia
173:State Bank of New South Wales
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114:Four of those convicted were
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553:Allan Baker and Kevin Crump
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340:Bronson Matthew Blessington
279:In an article published in
272:technically finalised. The
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1097:Murder committed by minors
1057:1980s missing person cases
513:In late October 2014, the
193:Sutherland railway station
42:8 September 1988
1112:People murdered in Sydney
1072:Australian murder victims
1067:1988 murders in Australia
985:The Sydney Morning Herald
898:"A Question of Innocence"
876:The Sydney Morning Herald
822:The Sydney Morning Herald
790:The Sydney Morning Herald
702:The Sydney Morning Herald
659:The Australian Crime File
543:was devoted to the case.
282:The Sydney Morning Herald
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82:Carol Ann Arrow (aged 15)
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671:Sheppard, Julia (1997).
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171:at a branch of the then
22:Murder of Janine Balding
1107:People from Wagga Wagga
1087:Kidnapping in Australia
573:Murder of Ebony Simpson
558:Bega schoolgirl murders
274:High Court of Australia
314:Stephen Wayne Jamieson
16:Australian murder case
1082:Female murder victims
327:Matthew James Elliott
125:Janine Kerrie Balding
953:The Daily Advertiser
578:Murder of Sian Kingi
491:, the Office of the
480:after undertaking a
468:Further developments
414:improve this section
353:Wayne Lindsay Wilmot
187:Abduction and murder
1033:, 22 September 2006
933:The Daily Telegraph
757:The Daily Telegraph
563:List of kidnappings
372:Accessory to murder
358:Accessory to murder
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902:ABC Radio National
825:. 21 November 2014
21:
1117:Rape in Australia
682:978-0-7329-0916-1
644:978-1-74166-574-1
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1062:1988 deaths
1047:1967 births
990:22 November
829:13 November
521:and the UN
306:Convictions
226:Convictions
215:Minchinbury
165:Wagga Wagga
153:Anita Cobby
90:Convictions
58:Minchinbury
1041:Categories
589:References
211:F4 Freeway
203:Sydney CBD
159:Early life
46:1988-09-08
1012:. 9 news.
401:does not
300:Defendant
293:Sentences
149:Australia
64:Convicted
964:31 March
958:Archived
916:31 March
910:Archived
801:31 March
795:Archived
768:31 March
762:Archived
735:31 March
731:. Sydney
708:31 March
704:. Sydney
618:31 March
612:Archived
608:Crimeweb
547:See also
220:hog-tied
137:murdered
129:abducted
100:Sentence
881:21 June
855:21 June
501:autopsy
422:removed
407:sources
218:scarf,
44: (
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345:Murder
332:Murder
319:Murder
309:Notes
169:teller
141:Sydney
116:minors
94:Murder
533:Media
266:their
133:raped
54:Venue
992:2014
966:2011
918:2011
883:2024
857:2024
831:2018
803:2011
770:2011
737:2011
710:2011
677:ISBN
639:ISBN
620:2011
405:any
403:cite
303:From
135:and
39:Date
482:DNA
416:by
213:at
175:on
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