Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

Joanne Lees

99 replies

monkeytrousers · 20/10/2005 12:34

Is it just me or are the media still desperate to dramatise this rather than report it?

She's already had a horrible time at the hands of the Aussie press. How much to you think their speculation has affected her public perception here?

OP posts:
JonesTheSteam · 22/10/2005 11:33

is this the case you mean? dinny & monkeytrousers

CarolinaFullMoon · 22/10/2005 11:45

Tracey Andrews really hammed it up at the police press conferences though, making tearful appeals for witnesses etc. Her case reminded me more of the bloke who killed his student girlfriend about 12-ish years ago and put her body under the floorboards of her student digs - he made loads of appeals for help on TV, looked really distraught and then turned out to be the killer.

I suppose it's not always the classic TV-drama-style reactions that are the "real" ones iyswim.

mymama · 22/10/2005 11:59

I am in Australia and the general concensus is that this terrible thing truly happened. The reporting here is very neutral if not leaning towards joanna. The guy they have charged for Peter's murder has also been charged with the rape of a young girl in south australia. Saw something on Friday's news about Joanna literally bumping into this guy earlier in the day at a petrol station or something and could be a possible reason for dna on her shirt (according to defense). The part of the country where this happened is very isolated and she was bloody lucky a truck came past after five hours!!!!

Trinab75 · 22/10/2005 12:03

I can do nothing but admire Joanne Lees, firstly that she was brave enough to attempt and be successful in her escape from her boyfriends killer, as I know I would not have been so brave.
And secondly to have endured the constant questioning, scrutiny and judgement of the media and public, whilst she was trying to mourn the loss of her partner in such a tragic way as well as deal with recovering from such a severe trauma.

I live in the same area as Joanne and Peter did and anybody who knew them both is horrified that she could be suspected.

I bumped into her with my partner whom knows her from school just before the christmas following Peters murder and she was obviously traumatised and distressed at the thought of her first christmas without Peter and looked far from the braved faced confident young women being shown in the press recently.

I hope they have the right person on trial, and that he is punished appropriately for his actions. Then hopefully Joanne and Peters family can at last have some closure on the whole matter and the chance to move forward.

mymama · 22/10/2005 12:03

aboriginal trackers would be just as credible as clairvoyants assisting with police cases. For those of you who have not been to Australia this country is huge. The Northern Territory (where this happened) has cattle properties so large it is one day's drive from the front gate to the main homestead!!!

JanH · 22/10/2005 12:04

I remember the Oxford student one - he smirked, both at the news conference and (more) when they did a reconstruction of his supposed farewell to her at the station, where he had to hug another girl. I knew he'd done it!

Original poster
monkeytrousers · 22/10/2005 12:16

I think it's routine for the police to suspect the last person to see the victims alive, or claim to have anyway and that seems pretty sensible. But you're right Teeavee, the femme fatale, black widow element is always present. I think that betrays a persistant misogyny in the media though. Its very subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) but always there.

OP posts:
JanH · 22/10/2005 12:33

Was Sion Jenkins "wrongly accused"? I thought there was going to be yet another trial?

JanH · 22/10/2005 12:35

Yep - starts Oct 31st

laligo · 22/10/2005 12:48

i was a student in oxford at the time of that murder and i remember that photocall - a poliucewoman stood in for the victim and the boyfriend was photographed hugging her and she looked extremely uncomfortable. at the time there was rumour in oxford that there was more to the case than met the eye, and peoplewarned each other to take care, as the boyfriend was "on the loose". i imagine they guessed from his body language that he was guilty but couldn't do anything until they had a solid case.

i felt the same about ian huntley - just looking at him i thought "he's carrying a terrible burden"

we have judicial processes so that people can't be sent down on a hunch! but i reckon there is often a lot of truth behind instinctive hunches that something isn't right.

teeavee · 22/10/2005 13:07

sorry, got my facts wrong about Sion Jenkins - I meant that he is to be re-tried.
My point was that the press can cerate an air of suspicion out of thin air if they want to....

teeavee · 22/10/2005 13:08

there is definitely a misogynistic element, I agree

hunkerpumpkin · 22/10/2005 13:15

It's one of the reasons they do those televised appeals when people are missing - to watch how the relatives behave.

teeavee · 22/10/2005 13:15

really?!

hunkerpumpkin · 22/10/2005 13:16

Yep - makes sense, really, I suppose.

JoolsToo · 22/10/2005 13:27

yes there was whole documentary about it - very interesting

dinny · 22/10/2005 23:22

the first suspect is always whoever is closest to the victim.

wallopyCOD · 23/10/2005 17:24

my mate looks JUST like her

PeachyClairPumpkinPie · 23/10/2005 18:30

Janh, I do that nervous laughter too, and whenever I am emotional... I have to wear large hats to weddings and funerals for when I start laughing and need to hide.

Think the DNA evidence combined with the stuff about his van, appearance etc seems pretty watertight.

eidsvold · 25/10/2005 07:05

Aboriginal trackers are very credible AND in fact their testimony had it been treated accordingly vindicated Lindy Chamberlain but implicated NT government officials and so the witnesses were discredited. There are a number of aboriginal groups who still live a very traditional lifestyle and way of life passing on skills that are centuries old - based in the NT and in WA. so well you may scoff at their reports but here in Aus at this point in time they are seen as being very credible.

suzywong · 25/10/2005 07:08

yes, quite right eids, about the trackers

aelita · 02/11/2005 20:47

SSD, your comment 'Saying that if she is innocent I hope she gets the verdict she wants.' is interesting...she's not officially the one on trial! Though anyone could be forgiven for thinking she was, given the level of hostility aimed at her. My DH took one look at her on tv and said 'She did it' - case closed!

It seems, historically speaking that, in the cases where 'those closest to the victim' turn out to be the guilty ones, they're found out pretty early on. If she'd become & remained a major suspect & there was any real evidence on her I'm fairly sure that the defendant would NOT be on trial in the first place...

Original poster
monkeytrousers · 03/11/2005 10:06

I'm not scoffing at them Eidsvold, simply saying that it's not a science. I'm not disrespecting their talents at all.

OP posts:
bundle · 03/11/2005 10:10

god, i'd rather take the word of an aboriginal tracker than some dodgy clairvoyant

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread