The Department of Public Prosecution has announced it will not pursue a retrial against Graham Stafford after the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in December last year.
Stafford was convicted in 1992 of the abduction and murder of 12-year-old Brisbane school girl Leanne Holland, for which he served over 14 years in prison.
Maintaining his innocence throughout his incarceration, Stafford launched two failed appeals in the Queensland Court of Appeal and in the High Court before being released from jail in 2007.
Bond University first became aware of the potential miscarriage of justice against Stafford through Professor Paul Wilson, a Criminologist at the University and long-time supporter of Stafford.
Professor Wilson, together with Senior Teaching Fellow (Law) Joseph Crowley and Law and Criminology students, worked pro-bono for two-and-a-half years on a petition for a re-hearing, which was granted by the Governor.
Success came on Christmas Eve last year, when the Queensland Court of Appeal quashed Stafford’s conviction in a 2-1 majority verdict, but could not come to a consensus on whether a retrial was required.
The decision by the Department of Public Prosecution delivers finality to the court proceedings.
“This is a good decision for Graham Stafford in the sense that he will not have to face yet another court action,” said Professor Wilson. “Yet the no-trial decision will mean that it is harder for him to get the compensation he so richly deserves and that the real killer has escaped justice.”
Law’s Joe Crowley, who was junior counsel in Stafford’s successful appeal, said he believed it was the first time an Australian university has achieved success in a miscarriage of justice case.
“It is a great achievement for Graham Stafford and the students who worked on the case should feel very proud of their involvement.
“The work done by Paul Wilson, private investigator Graeme Crowley and our team here at Bond University uncovered some questionable police behaviour. There needs to be an independent inquiry into how Graham Stafford was convicted by evidence which has now been shown to be wrong.
“There are some serious questions over the investigation and prosecution of this matter that will only be answered by a proper commission of inquiry into the case,” said Joe Crowley.
Public interest in the Stafford case has been strong, with Australian Story airing an hour-long documentary of Stafford’s 18-year battle to clear his name, featuring interviews with both Joe Crowley and Professor Wilson.
2010 is shaping up to be a great year here in the Law Faculty. With the first semester now behind us, the Faculty has already notched up several impressive successes, both as individuals and as a collective.
Bond University academics who played an integral role in driving Queensland’s new legislation for victims of domestic violence who kill their attackers have called on the rest of Australia to strongly consider introducing the legislation. 
The United Nations Human Rights Committee have released their decisions in cases brought by Ken Tillman (NSW) and Robert Fardon (Queensland). 
Bond Law has again proved its first-class credentials on the world stage at the prestigious International Criminal Court Trial Competition in The Hague, Netherlands, held in March.
The Tim Fischer Centre for Global Trade and Finance and the Faculty of Law recently hosted His Excellency Mr ZHANG Junsai, the Ambassador of The People’s Republic of China to Australia, as he presented a Distinguished Lecture on "China-Australia Economic and Investment Co-Operation and Bilateral Relations".
Bond University’s latest Research Centre, the Centre for Law, Governance and Public Policy, was established in late 2009 under the leadership of Foundation Director Professor Patrick Keyzer of the Faculty of Law.
A team of law students hailing from all corners of the globe has impressed at the prestigious Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot, held in Hong Kong in March.
As Semester 1 draws to a close, we celebrate the individual and team achievements of several of our students and staff, including Prime Minister's Endeavour Award recipient Thomas Harrison, our Jessup team members James Graham, Thomas Harrison, Katherine Mansted and Henry Norris, and their coaches Joel Butler and Kate Allan, 2010 Young Gold Coast Citizen of the Year Benjamin Naday, doctoral recipients Dr Iain Field and Dr Jeremy Peace, Adjunct Professor David Tanzer, along with the sporting triumphs of staff members Tammy Johnson and Peter Froelich. 
Information Technology Law expert, Associate Professor Dan Svantesson, has recently returned from a Visiting Fellowship with the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy, where he expanded on his research into privacy regulations of cross-border data transfers. 
Assistant Professor and PhD candidate Tina Hunter has been engaged by the Western Australian Government Department of Minerals and Resources to create a new regulatory structure for the regulation of offshore petroleum activities in Australia. 
Associate Professor Vai Lo (pictured) and Associate Professor Leon Wolff were recently invited to participate in the Kyoto and Tokyo Seminars on Japanese Law – Vai co-teaching Labour Law and Investment and the Law, and Leon teaching Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Gender and the Law. 
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Bond Law Alumnus Ed Brockhoff has recently completed a three month internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, expanding his already stellar resume.
Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Students) John Lessing has taught many remarkable students at Bond, but whether any will go on to achieve as much as one particularly well known former student of his, by the name of Nelson Mandela, is yet to be seen!
