Research Seminar - School of Law and Justice

In 1993, Jeffrey Gilham told police he had killed his brother Christopher under the provocation of discovering Christopher had killed their parents. In 1995, the Crown accepted Jeffrey’s plea of manslaughter for killing Christopher and he was released under a good behaviour bond. But Jeffrey’s Uncle Tony was convinced Jeffrey had killed all three members of his family and had blamed his dead brother for his own killings. Dead men tell no tales. Uncle Tony began a long campaign to have Jeffrey charged with the murder of his parents. Eventually, in 2008, 13 years after the event, Jeffrey was tried and convicted of the murder of his parents. Jeffrey’s wife and friends then began their own campaign to have Jeffrey’s convictions quashed. After three years in prison, Jeffrey’s convictions were quashed and he was released. However, major doubts remain as to whether there was one or two homicidal killers in the Gilham family.

Andrew Hemming lectures and publishes in evidence and criminal law at the University of Southern Queensland.

For more information, please contact Sarah McKibbin.