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REVELATIONS a killer was given access to a video of his victim's semi-naked body, and showed the tape to inmates, have added to pressure on Western Australia's embattled Justice Department. A week after opening a $2 million prisons inquiry, prompted by a string of serious blunders, the department was forced to admit it had again "dropped the ball", issuing an unreserved apology to the family of Lalita Horsman. Robin David Macartney was sentenced to life in September 2001 for the murder of 27-year-old Ms Horsman, whose remains were recovered from sand dunes two days after her disappearance in December 1999. Macartney, who will represent himself in an appeal against his conviction next month, has been given access to all the case evidence, including the crime scene tape of Ms Horsman's body. It has since emerged the he viewed the tape unsupervised and showed it to other prisoners. WA Opposition justice spokesman Rob Johnson said the Government should review jailed appellants' access to evidence. "This situation could now open the floodgates for convicted rapists and pedophiles to get access to graphic footage of their victims by simply launching an appeal against their conviction and representing themselves in court," Mr Johnson said. An investigation was also needed to examine whether copies of the tape had been distributed within prison, following a talkback radio caller's claim he was given a copy by Macartney and had taken it home, he said. Brian Tennant, a veteran law reform campaigner who hopes to act as Macartney's advocate at the appeal, said he too had a copy of the tape and had shown it to "scientists and doctors". Ms Horsman's father, Roger Horsman, who now lives in Hobart, said he felt the justice department was sanctioning Macartney's perversions. "It's obvious to me Macartney and his friends are just getting their jollies from watching this tape," he told 6PR radio. "It's like he gets to do it all over again and the justice system supports this. "I could hardly speak when I was told the other night and since then I have got more upset, more depressed, more angry." Ian Johnson, acting director for WA prisons, said he had apologised to the Horsmans. "We're (now) making sure the only time he (Macartney) has access to the actual police interview tapes is during lockdown," he said. "If he wants to look at any other tape ... then that's to be done under strict supervision." WA prisons have been plagued by security breaches and violent incidents in recent months, including the alleged repeated rape of a prison tutor by an inmate, and at least four escapes. Meanwhile, forensic police have spent two days in Geraldton searching cars linked to Macartney for clues to the disappearance of teenager Hayley Dodd, 17, in 1999. AAP (22-4-2005) Tim Clarke/ Holly Nott |
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PRISON officers have seized thousands of videotapes from prisoners after a killer showed crime scene footage of his semi-naked victim to fellow inmates. Convicted killer Robin Macartney is believed to have made several copies of the graphic police tape, one of which he sent to the mother of a teenager he is suspected of murdering. West Australian Prisons acting executive director Ian Johnson ordered all videotapes confiscated in prisons throughout the state to find out how many copies of the tape existed and whether any other prisoners had tapes of other crime scenes. "What I wanted them (prison officers) to do was lock it down, get in the cells, search them all and seize the videotapes," he said. Mr Johnson said officers would watch the videos seized from the state's 3500 prisoners, beginning with those belonging to inmates who share Macartney's cell block at Perth's maximum-security Casuarina prison. Macartney was jailed for life in 2001 for the murder of Lalita Horsman, 27. He had taped up her mouth, tied a plastic bag over her head and then sexually assaulted her in sand dunes near Geraldton, 430km north of Perth. From 12 videos relating to the case, Macartney compiled and edited a tape containing the police crime scene footage of his victim's corpse being exhumed from a beachside grave. He was entitled to the tapes because he is representing himself in an appeal against his conviction. He sent copies to Margaret Dodd, the mother of missing teenager Hayley Dodd, to his legal advocate Brian Tennant and a NSW journalist. It is understood Macartney may face criminal charges for showing the tapes to unauthorised people. He will still be allowed to view the material for up to two hours each day under supervision. Mr Tennant visited Macartney yesterday and said his client was distressed and claimed he had only shown the tape to fellow prisoners for research purposes. "There's ex-policemen, ex-lawyers and ex-teachers in there and he takes advantage of their expertise," Mr Tennant said. "Now other prisoners have had their tapes taken and it doesn't make him popular." Mr Johnson said other prisoners preparing appeals would have their tapes reviewed as a priority, and officers would return all other legitimate tapes as soon as possible. "I don't want to punish 3500 people for what a small percentage does but I'm assuming the worst, which is why I went statewide rather than just Macartney's cell block," Mr Johnson said. "Until I know the extent of the problem, I can't fix it." The Australian (25-4-2005) Karen Brown |
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