Chamberlain Case: the legal saga that transfixed the nation

By Ken Crispin

A baby disappears from a tent near Uluru in the sandy desert of central Australia. The Aboriginal trackers say she has been taken by a dingo. But, amidst a mélange of sinister rumors, suspicion falls on the parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. There are no eyewitnesses, no body, no confession, no motive, and, apparently, credible evidence of their innocence. Yet, Lindy is convicted of murder; her husband, of concealing her crime. Providing an authoritative account of this saga, against a backdrop of Aboriginal spirituality and the Chamberlains’ own religious beliefs, this account examines the case and the evidence that subsequently emerged—blood, dingoes, clothing, and tracks—and asks disturbing questions: Why were so many convinced the Chamberlains were guilty? and How could the Australian legal system have failed so severly?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scribe Publications Pty Ltd.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781921942860

Ken Crispin

Ken Crispin began practice as a Sydney barrister in 1973. He moved to Canberra in 1979, where his practice flourished, and he appeared for a number of high-profile defendants, including Lindy and Michael Chamberlain. He became a Queen’s Counsel in 1988, and was appointed director of public prosecutions for the Australian Capital Territory in 1991, chairman of the Bar Association in 1996, a Supreme Court judge in 1997, and president of the ACT Court of Appeal in 2001. He chaired the ACT Law Reform Commission between 1996 and 2006. In his spare time, Dr Crispin has completed a PhD in ethics, and written three books, including The Quest for Justice (also published by Scribe), numerous articles on law and ethics, and the libretto for an opera.