Eastman retrial to go ahead from July 2017

At about 9.15pm on 10 January 1989 Assistant Commissioner Winchester was shot in the head twice as he was getting out of his car having returned home from a visit to his brother. Eastman was an early suspect since, as was widely known, he was angry with Winchester and the AFP over perceived mistreatment. He was unsuccessfully seeking to get the police to drop assault charges — arising out of an incident with his neighbour, Mr Russo, in December 1987 — which he thought posed a serious obstacle to his re-entry into the Commonwealth Public Service.

So Eastman shoots Winchester. Really? Over his re-entry into the Commonwealth Public Service!

John Moulis said :

……the cost of a new trial cannot be justified in these days of financial stringency and budget deficits.

What “financial stringency” ?? Up to $14b est. for the Tram network and $1.7b for Tram stage 1 ? What about all the election promises by ACT Labor/Greens/Lib’s. More billions of $ in those. And what about the pay rise from $2 per vote to $8 per vote that ACT Labor/Lib’s voted themselves. That cost millions of ratepayers $. And many, many more millions of $ pa on the new MLAs and associated staffers. What “financial stringency”, exactly ? Its a spend-a-thon !!

And what territory budget deficit ? Despite warnings pre and post the recent election about the state of the Territory’s budget, I don’t think voters/ratepayers in Canberra really give two hoots about that anyway,

Canberra seems to be in an alternate universe – much disconnected from the rest of the country.

I have no brief for Eastman. He was a serial pest who caused us no end of trouble at The Tower Restaurant, but he has done his time and seems to have blended back into the community since being released with no problems being recorded.

Remember that the new trial will start in July 2017, almost 30 years after the shooting. Many of the witnesses have passed on, much of the evidence and exhibits were corrupted during the uncertain period in the transition to self government and the chain of command at the AFP being complicated by the demarcation between the Feds and ACT Policing, and the cost of a new trial cannot be justified in these days of financial stringency and budget deficits.

The whole issue has been put to bed, people have moved on and it should now be just an exhibit in the Canberra Museum and Gallery.

Maryann Mussared said :

Well if anyone didn’t recognise the name in my comment on the list of famous Canberrans last week, this is who I meant. And I know exactly where I was when I heard Colin Winchester had been shot …

Me too. I happened to be in the ABC building on Northbourne.

Well if anyone didn’t recognise the name in my comment on the list of famous Canberrans last week, this is who I meant. And I know exactly where I was when I heard Colin Winchester had been shot …

oh for gawd’s sake. He has done 20 years! Enough already.