- Roseanne Beckett wins $2.3 million for being wrongfully jailed
- By Stephanie Gardiner
- 26/08/2015 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: BigJoe ( 7 articles in 2015 )
Every day for more than two decades, Roseanne Beckett has woken up troubled by a difficult, lengthy court battle.
But on Monday - 26 years to the day since she was arrested for alleged crimes against her former husband Barry Catt - Ms Beckett was awarded more than $2.3 million in damages against the state of NSW for malicious prosecution.
The state has also been ordered to pay her legal bills, which she estimates add up to millions of dollars.
Ms Beckett, formerly known as Roseanne Catt, was convicted of attempting to poison and soliciting to murder Mr Catt in 1991 and served most of her 12-year sentence.
But most of the nine charges against her were quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 2001 and sent back to trial.
The Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to proceed with the prosecution and Ms Beckett launched a claim for damages in the Supreme Court.
However, she was told that she must prove her innocence of the charges before the claim could proceed.
But the High Court overturned the 91-year precedent that set this requirement, finding that Ms Beckett's guilt or otherwise was not relevant to whether the prosecution was launched maliciously.
Justice Ian Harrison on Monday gave brief orders awarding damages and costs before a packed courtroom of Ms Beckett's supporters, many of whom were dressed in bright red.
"As will be apparent, it is not possible to know what would have been the life that Ms Beckett would have led if she had not faced any of the charges for which she was put on trial that are the subject of these proceedings," Justice Harrison's written judgment said.
"These reasons are by coincidence published on the twenty sixth anniversary of Ms Beckett's arrest.
"The benefit of hindsight over such a long period does not improve the view of what might have been but for those events."
Outside court, Ms Beckett said the actions of the Director of Public Prosecutions had been "outrageous".
"I've been going to bed with it for 26 years, I've woke up with it for 26 years, I've had nightmares," she said.
"I've had to juggle, I've had to stay on my feet."
The Crown had indicated it may appeal against the decision.
Source: https://www.smh.com.au/nsw/roseanne-beckett-wins-23-million-for-being-wrongfully-jailed-20150824-gj6336.html
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