Schapelle Corby

Template:Australian criminals Schapelle Leigh Corby (born 10 July, 1977) is an Australian former beauty therapy student and bar hostess from Queensland who turned drug runner. She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the importation of 4.1 kg of cannabis into Bali. Corby is currently serving her sentence in Kerobokan Prison, Indonesia.

On January 17, 2006, Australian Police found a large, commercial quantity of cannabis in the home of Schapelle Corby's mother and half-brother.

Australian Police in an affidavit to the court on January 19, 2006 have alleged that her brother, James Kisina is a key player in an international drug running syndicate and has been under police observation for a few months. A sworn affidavit by arresting officer Detective Sergeant Dean Godfrey of Queensland Police says "He (Mr Kisina) is suspected of some involvement in the exportation of cannabis for which his sister has received a 20-year imprisonment sentence".

Her other half-brother Clinton Rose has had drug possession charges and spent time in jail for a range of offences. Her father, Michael Corby has previously been convicted of possessing cannabis in Australia.

Pre-arrest history

Corby lived on the Gold Coast of Australia. She did a part-time beauty therapy course at TAFE for a few months and then dropped out to work in her family's fish and chips shop. She lived with a visiting Japanese tourist named Kimi and went with him to Omaezaki, Japan. There they eventually married but soon divorced. She then moved to Tokyo, where she worked as a hostess in a bar.

After returning to Australia in July 2000, she made frequent trips to visit a sister who lives in Bali. In her trial, it was claimed that this pattern of frequent short trips to Bali was part of an ongoing and well organized drug-running operation.

Arrest

In October 2004 Corby was apprehended by Indonesian customs agents at Ngurah Rai Airport on her arrival in Bali, Indonesia, from Australia. Corby was found to have 4.1 kilograms of high quality cannabis in her unlocked boogie board bag. Customs officer Gusti Nyoman Winata claimed that she tried to prevent him opening the compartment of the bag containing the cannabis.

Criminal trial

The fact that marijuana was located in Corby's luggage has never been disputed, but Corby has since consistently maintained that she had become an unwitting drug courier (drug mule) for what was supposed to have been an interstate shipment of drugs between Brisbane and Sydney in Australia.

In proposing such a defence, any indication that Corby might have been reluctant to present her luggage would have been severely injurious to her defence. Ultimately, the case for the prosecution included testimony from four Indonesian officers that Corby had clearly attempted to avoid presenting the contents of her boogie board bag, and this incident weighed heavily when the verdict was announced.

The verdict in the Corby trial was broadcast live on television in Australia, and the Nine Network television coverage was also broadcast live in New Zealand. The coverage included the trial outline, of 80 pages, the verdict and sentencing.

Prosecution

According to Professor Tim Lindsey, director of the University of Melbourne's Asian Law Centre, the prosecution had a prima facie case against Corby, established merely by her possession of the narcotics, regardless of her knowledge. In a lecture given at Melbourne University, he said, "Suffice to say that being caught with drugs on you, whether strapped to you or in a bag that is your property, is probably going to be sufficient in most instances for the prosecution to establish a prima facie case. The question then arises as to how that prima facie case is answered by a defence team."

Defence

Corby gave a different version of the event, saying that the customs officer pointed at her bag and asked her brother if the bag belonged to him. Corby replied that it was hers. According to her version of events, she opened her bag without being asked by the customs officer.

Three of Corby's travelling companions testified in court that they had seen Corby pack her bag before leaving for the airport and that only the yellow boogie board and flippers were inside it. They also said that Corby did open the bag herself at the customs counter.

Brisbane airport have sent a legal letter stating Corby's bag was x-rayed whilst in holding, she did not have access to the bag again until after she landed in Bali. The bag was cleared for any prohibited contents and then transferred from Brisbane to Bali via Sydney. ^{[citation needed]}

John Ford

John Patrick Ford, a remand prisoner at Port Phillip Prison at the time of Corby's trial, was flown from Melbourne to Indonesia under tight security to give evidence in Corby's defence. Ford was formerly a public servant employed by the (Australian) Child Support Agency (CSA) before his arrest and imprisonment.

Ford testified that he overheard a conversation in prison between two men and alleges that one of the men planted the marijuana in Corby's boogie board bag in Brisbane with the intention of having another person remove it in Sydney. Ford went on to state that a simple mix-up resulted in the marijuana not being removed and subsequently being transported to Indonesia, all without Corby's knowledge. Once in Indonesia the marijuana was quickly located by Indonesian customs officials.

Ford stated that the drugs were owned by Ron Vigenser, who had been a prisoner at the same jail as Ford (but was recently released) but has refused to name the man whom he states planted the drugs for fear that he, and possibly Corby, would be killed if he did so. In the Australian media Vigenser has strenuously denied any connection with the drugs and has reportedly given a statement to the Australian Federal Police.

Following communication from Corby's legal team and the Australian government, the Indonesian government made a request under the Mutual Assistance Treaty for Ford to be transported to Indonesia to give evidence.

The prosecution attacked Ford's evidence, pointing out that his evidence was entirely hearsay and that he was facing trial for several serious offences in Australia. They remarked that he might have wanted a "taste of freedom" by testifying in Corby's trial. Legal commentators in Australia have remarked that Ford's testimony, as hearsay, would be inadmissible evidence in an Australian court, but it was allowed under the Indonesian justice system, where the judges exercise a discretion over whether the evidence can be admitted. Professor Tim Lindsay stated that the defence case contained "virtually nothing that was admissible evidence to be given weight under Indonesian criminal procedure law" [1].

An $A1,000,000 reward was offered for information to substantiate claims made by Ford about baggage handlers. Since his return from Bali, Ford has been beaten and stabbed in prison and was held in solitary confinement for his own protection. [2]

Alleged involvement of baggage handlers

During the week of 9 May, 2005 in Australia numerous arrests occurred related to cocaine smuggling through Sydney airport. According to the Sydney Morning Herald Corby flew out of Sydney on the same day (8 October, 2004) as a large shipment of cocaine was shipped out of the airport by baggage handlers. On 13 May, 2005 Qantas indicated that one baggage handler had been stood down. There are reported doubts about another 25 baggage handlers who were linked to the arrests.

The AFP commissioner Mick Keelty caused controversy on 11 May, 2005, when he stated that a key aspect of her defence (that the drugs were planted in her bag by baggage handlers) was not supported by the available intelligence. ([3]) He made it clear that the cocaine-smuggling ring which had been discovered involved the reception of shipments of drugs from overseas, not the transportation of drugs domestically. ([4]) Other commentators questioned whether it is likely any smuggling ring would bother to take the risks of transporting drugs, especially marijuana, domestically via aeroplane given the inherent risks when it would seem easier and cheaper to transport them via road. Still other commentators acknowledged that a close-knit gang of criminal baggage handlers is unlikely to elicit the help of people outside their criminal circle, such as truck drivers, because to do so would increase the likelihood of discovery by authorities.

However, public confidence in the integrity of baggage handlers and security of luggage handling was undermined when in April 2005 a camel costume was removed from a man's checked-in luggage at Sydney airport. The man reported his observation of a baggage handler wearing the costume on the tarmac. (ABC news story, SMH report)

There are reports of overwritten Qantas surveillance tapes requested long before the erasure cycle:

"Any chance of getting that evidence has gone. Qantas says the CCTV tapes were wiped on November 2, two weeks before it received a letter from the lawyers officially requesting copies. But Corby's lawyers say their first request for the tapes was made on October 14, six days after Corby's arrest, to a Qantas security official who had flown from Sydney to Denpasar to meet them. This request was repeated a number of times."[5]

It has since been revealed that Corby's lawyers had been offered but rejected surveillance videos that were suspected to be of the day in question which had been forensically recovered. [6].

Corby's pleas

Corby made numerous pleas to all parties concerned in her trial. At the defence's last address to the court, April 29, 2005, Corby said to the three judges:

"Firstly, I would like to say to the prosecutors: I cannot admit to a crime I did not commit. And to the judges, my life at the moment is in your hands, but I would prefer if my life was in your hearts....I believe the seven months which I have already been imprisoned is severe enough punishment for not putting locks on my bags. My heart and my family is being painfully burdened by these accusations and rumours about me, and I don't know how long I can survive in here....And your Honour, I ask of you to show compassion, to find me innocent, to send me home. Saya tidak bersalah (I am not guilty, in Indonesian)." [7]

Corby also wrote to the case's prosecutor, Ida Bagus Wiswantanu, and judges with a request for leniency,[8] as well as to Prime Minister of Australia John Howard, saying in part

"as a father and as a leader, I plead for your help. I did not do this. I beg for justice. I don't know how much longer I can do this. Please bring me home."

Howard was quoted as saying in response:

"I feel for her. I understand why there's a lot of public sympathy for her; I would simply say that I hope justice is done and it's a fair and true verdict."

Howard also added:

"I would ask the rhetorical question: My fellow Australians, if a foreigner were to come to Australia and a foreign government were to start telling us how we should handle (it), we would react very angrily to that."[9]

Verdict

On 27 May, 2005 Corby was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years jail. She was also fined 100,000,000 IDR ($A12,663 AUD), with an additional six months if unpaid. The defence and prosecution appealed separately to the High Court, the defence appealing for a retrial, the prosecution appealing for life imprisonment.

Appeal

As of 5 July, 2005, the High Court ruled that the case should be retried by the district court, allowing the defence to call new witnesses. The onus was on the defence team to call sufficient witnesses to prove that Corby did not place the drugs in her boogie board bag.

A man was named as the owner of the drugs in Corby's bag. He was named as a key witness, but he said that he 'knows nothing'.[10].

On October 14, 2005, Bali's High Court reduced the sentence to 15 years.

Her lawyers have appealed to the Supreme Court. They want the Supreme Court to release her or at least to further trim her sentence to less than 10 years. News article dated October 25, 2005.

At the same time, lead prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu said they would lodge a counter-appeal, asking the Supreme Court to reverse a recent decision by Bali's highest court to cut five years from Corby's sentence.

Should it accept the appeal, the Supreme Court will have 170 days to rule after appointing judges within the next two weeks. The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal and reinstated the original 20 year sentence.

News Limited photographs

On December 10, 2005, News Limited papers throughout Australia reported on the existence of potentially damaging photographs of Corby and a man arrested by police in South Australia.

It was reported that a joint South Australian-Queensland police operation [11] had seized photographs of Corby with a man charged with marijuana smuggling after a police search of the alleged dealer's home. The man is said to pictured alone with Corby and with Corby and another couple.

The man, known only as "Mal", was the target of the joint police operation into a hydroponic marijuana smuggling ring allegedly operating between the two states.

Balinese prosecutors may seek access to the photographs to try to cast doubt on claims by Corby during her trial that she had no connection with drugs or drug dealers. The photographs have, however, yet to be released or published.

Rosleigh Rose, Corby's mother, claimed that she and her partner, Greg Martin, met the accused drug smuggler and another man while at a restaurant in Bali, and that they, following Corby's consent, visited her in Kerobokan jail, where the pictures were taken[12]. Rosleigh asserted that neither she nor Corby knew that "Mal" was associated with the drug trade. In searching through her photographs of Corby's trial, Rosleigh said she found the two men in the crowd. Rosleigh travelled to Adelaide[13] to obtain a copy of the photographs in an attempt to prove her statements, and was informed that state police had handed them over to the Australian Federal Police.

On December 19, the second man, known only as "Dave", contacted The Daily Telegraph and backed up Rosleigh Rose's claims. Rosleigh claimed that Dave was willing to travel with her to Jakarta, where she would present the photographs to the judges and to Corby's lawyers in an attempt to disprove the incriminating circumstances suggested by the photographs. [14]

January 13, 2006, "Mal", later identified as Malcolm McCauley, spoke to Australian newspaper The Adviser and confirmed Rosleigh Rose's version of events, setting Schapelle Corby in the clear with regard to the accusations and rumors the photographs raised. [15] Mr. McCauley stated that he had been introduced to Schapelle at the Bali courtroom holding cell by Ms. Rose and Schapelle's sister, Mercedes Corby. Following that meeting, according to Mr. McCauley, he and Dave visited Schapelle in Kerobokan jail. Mr. McCauley stated as well that his visits to the Bali courtroom and to Kerobokan were innocent encounters, and that he and "Dave" had visited Schapelle solely as tourists and interested Australians. [16]

Rosleigh Rose was angry with Adelaide police and lashed out at them for their handling of the photograph issue as well as claims made that the photos were taken prior to her daughter's arrest. She was quoted in an article from The Advertiser as saying, "It was handled so badly by police. It was disgusting - you could tell the photos had been taken at the prison. Once police found out I had the photos [from "Dave"], it was all hushed up....This is just one lie I knew I could stop." [17]

Supreme Court appeal overturned

On 19 January, 2006, the Indonesian Supreme Court overturned the five year reduction in her sentence on appeal and reinstated the original 20 year jail term handed down.

The Court has also ordered that the evidence - the boogie board bag and drugs - be destroyed, signalling that the case was now closed [18].

The three-judge panel also rejected a final appeal from Corby, whose lawyers had been seeking a lighter sentence or acquittal meaning all legal avenues have been exhausted unless exceptional new evidence can be produced to reopen the case.

Brother arrested

On the same day as the reinstatement of the original sentence, Schapelle's half-brother James Kisina, 18, appeared in a Brisbane magistrates court on drug possession and assault charges following a violent break-and-enter on Brisbane's southside on 17 January [19]. It is alleged by police that the residents were threatened with iron bar and menaced with a machete.

Queensland Police in an affidavit to the court have alleged that Kisina is a key player in an international drug running syndicate and has been under police observation for a few months. A sworn affidavit by arresting officer Detective Sergeant Dean Godfrey says "He (Mr Kisina) is suspected of some involvement in the exportation of cannabis for which his sister has received a 20-year imprisonment sentence".

Kisina, along with two friends arrested in connection with the home invasion, allegedly ransacked the home of a well-known drug dealer, tied up a female occupant and bashed and threatened a male occupant with a iron bar before fleeing with a large quantity of cannabis and cash [20]. Queensland Police allege Kisina is a cannabis exporter. Kisina's defence lawyer claimed his client broke into the home believing its occupants may have had information that could assist in Schapelle Corby's sentence appeal. Kisina was refused bail and has been remanded in custody to reappear in court on 8 March.

Kisina, one of two children Corby's mother Rosleigh Rose had with Tongan-born James Kisina, was travelling with Corby when she was arrested in Bali. He had also been carrying the boogie board before the arrest.

Last hope for freedom

Following the rejection of her final appeal and the arrest of her half-brother James Kisina on 19 January, 2006, Corby has one remaining hope for possible freedom.

Corby's Balinese lawyer, Erwin Siregar, stated he would fly to Queensland to meet Kisina. He said he might seek to obtain an affidavit from Kisina testifying that the marijuana found in her possession was his.

If evidence emerged that the bag Corby was arrested with at Denpasar airport belonged to Kisina, Mr Siregar said he would launch a new appeal to reopen the case.

Ron Bakir

A Gold Coast businessman, Ron Bakir retained the services of an Australian law firm (Hoolihans) to investigate where the drugs came from. Given the secrecy surrounding the Australian government's decision to fund the Indonesian lawyers defending Corby at the court, many people assumed that Bakir was also paying their fees. In practice, no one knows whether Bakir actually paid Hoolihans or the Indonesian lawyers, although he offered to publicise documentation.

Bakir claims to have no relationship to Corby other than being from the same city. He reportedly decided to help fund Corby's defence because he believed that a miscarriage of justice could occur if she were not properly represented. Bakir has pledged $A100,000 towards the $A1,000,000 reward fund, although it is not clear that this money will ever have to be paid as the culprit is unlikely to be found and the full reward was never raised.

Before the prosecution announced their sentencing recommendation, Bakir accused the prosecution team (chief prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu) of seeking a bribe to reduce the requested sentence. The prosecution team and the Indonesian government vehemently denied that this occurred. Corby's legal team openly admitted their anger at Bakir making these statements before the sentencing recommendation, fearing that it mght have encouraged the prosecution to seek a more severe penalty. Corby sacked her main defence lawyer, Lily Lubis, and case coordinator Vasu in July 2005, after Australian lawyer Trowell informed the media that the defence team asked him to request $A500,000 from the Australian government, money meant to bribe the judges of the appeal court.

Bali's chief prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu is under investigation from KPK, Indonesia's new anti-corruption ministry, following reports accusing him of corruption and law abuses.

Bakir registered a company titled Schapelle Corby Pty Ltd [21], causing others to raise doubts as to his motives. He subsequently deregistered[22] the company. Corby's father also expressed his concerns about the true intentions of Bakir, and Corby's mother was quoted as saying: "We didn't ask him to come on board, we didn't know him from a bar of soap, and now it seems like he's trying to profit from Schapelle's misery" and "I do think he's got ulterior motives" [23].

Many creditors of Mr Bakir's previous businesses questioned his ability to fund Corby's defence.[24] Corby's mother maintained that Bakir asked her to pay him back eventually. [25] Bakir was bankrupted in 2002 and discharged from bankruptcy in 2003. Corby's legal team requested Bakir to keep quiet during her appeal.

Bakir cut ties with the Schapelle Corby case on 24 June, 2005 after Corby wrote a letter sacking her lawyers as well as Ron Bakir and Robin Tampoe.[26]. By 22 July, 2005 Bakir deregistered both Schapelle Corby Pty Ltd and www.schapellecorby.com.au [27].

Conduct of the case

File:SchapelleCorbyInCell.jpg

Schapelle Corby in prison in Bali, Indonesia

The Corby case attracted a fierce media interest, and intensified efforts by Australia to achieve a Prisoner Exchange Agreement with Indonesia, under which Corby could serve some or all of her sentence in Australia. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer stated that Corby might serve her entire sentence if transferred, without the possibility of retrial. After the verdict, Downer also revealed that the government had provided financial assistance for Corby's defence and that an offer of two Queen's Counsel had been rejected. In the same interview, he renewed this offer in the event of an appeal and urged the Corby family to accept[28][29].

Prosecutors requested a life sentence with a fine of 100,000,000 IDR. They stated that they asked for a lenient sentence because of Corby's politeness in court. Following proceedings, Chief Judge Linton Sirait stated that the death penalty could still be imposed if he and the other judges found Corby guilty.

By the conclusion of Corby's trial, when prosecutors were preparing to announce their recommendations for sentencing, Corby's health deteriorated. On April 14, 2005 Corby collapsed in court. Before suspending court proceedings, Chief Judge Linton Sirait made a pointed observation suggestive of his doubts about Corby's honest behaviour in respect of her health; the trial was deferred so that the court could seek medical advice from the prosecution's doctor on Corby's health.

Following reports by a Balinese newspaper that she was ill because of pregnancy, Corby was compelled to take a pregnancy test. The result of the test showed she was not pregnant. Her family angrily denied claims that she is conducting a relationship in the jail.

Colonel Bambang Sugiarto, senior officer of the Balinese Drug Squad, stated on Australian television that the lack of television footage at the Bali airport and problems with fingerprinting of exhibits were weaknesses in the prosecution case. [30]. Also, Tim Lindsey of the University of Melbourne, Asian law expert, suggested that a greater focus on the weaknesses of the forensic evidence could have been helpful. [31]

Corby was convicted on May 27, 2005 to serve 20 years and 6 months jail. She signed documents allowing her legal team to appeal the verdict. If the appeals process fails, Corby can petition for Presidential Pardon; however, as a pardon also carries an admission of guilt, Corby has stated she will not be pursuing a pardon [32].

The retrial began in July 2005, with an anonymous key witness demanding immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying for the defence. [33]

Effect on relations with Indonesia

Schapelle Corby support poster in Sydney

The Corby case generated intense controversy in Australia, where the prevailing public opinion in support of Corby confronted the Commonwealth Government and caused tension in the relationship with Indonesia.

A letter was delivered to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra containing an unknown substance on May 31, 2005. It was later found to be non-toxic and was considered a hoax. Some speculated that this hoax attack could have been in response to the Corby verdict, although this remains unconfirmed. Indonesia denounced this incident as an act of terrorism.

It was frequently and incorrectly reported in Australian and Indonesian media that many Australians called aid agencies and demanded donations for the 2004 Tsunami relief be refunded. However, officials of these agencies publicly stated that very few people made these demands. They said they received many calls from people who were genuinely concerned about Schapelle Corby's welfare.

Media involvement and public perceptions in the case

Popular discussion and comment in support of Corby's innocence tended to rely on a number of points: first, that, given the concurrent revelations of the alleged involvement of certain baggage-handling staff in Australian airports in drug-smuggling rings, the drugs were likely planted; second, the quantity of drugs found in the bag would be unlikely to be of high monetary value; and third, the prosecution case was largely unfair towards Corby. All three of these assertions have been challenged.

There is a reported view among some legal experts that some of the negative perceptions of the case might be due to a misunderstanding of the inquisitorial system used in Indonesia, which originated from the Dutch colonial system, as opposed to the adversarial system used in Australia, especially related to the false perception that Corby was not presumed innocent.[34] There are also allegations of a strong bias on the part of the Australian media, who are accused of mentioning the specifics of the Corby defence but failing to mention important aspects of the prosecution case, such as the allegation by police that Corby was reluctant to open her bag at the airport ([35]). Some also feel that the medias made invalid comparisons between Corby's case and the trial of Abu Bakar Bashir, another recent Indonesian criminal case to receive widespread publicity in Australia [36].

A frequently cited topic of popular discussion in the case was the low likelihood that marijuana would be smuggled from Brisbane to Bali on the basis that the drug is worth far less there than in Australia. However, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Western tourists in Bali prefer to buy drugs from other Western tourists to minimise the risks of being caught in a frequent police trap, given that Indonesia has no laws barring entrapment. This report also alleged that the quality of marijuana in Indonesia is quite poor and that therefore Australian marijuana sells for a relatively large amount in Bali. The ABC program Media Watch quoted an anonymous journalist as saying that news stories conflicting with the widespread perception that the drugs in question were of little value were being discouraged, on the basis that such coverage was unfavourable to Corby [37].

Some considered the prosecution case against Corby, and perceived inefficiences in the handling of evidence — in particular the inability to test for fingerprints on the bag containing the marijuana — were evidence of systemic failures of the Indonesian legal system and that Corby had not been afforded a fair trial.

There was also the dissenting opinion that although there might have been some shortcomings in the prosecution case, this did not overide what they consider to be an overwhelming strong prima facie case combined with a weak defence relying primarily on hearsay and non-specific evidence. [38]

A poll commissioned and published in June 2005 by the Sydney Morning Herald found that opinion was divided as to whether Corby was guilty but there was a perception that the trial had not been carried out fairly.

A rally held in Brisbane on 3 June, 2005 to protest the Corby verdict attracted just six protesters. About 40 protesters gathered on 5 June, 2005 at the Australian embassy in Jakarta calling for Corby to receive the death sentence, carrying placards with words such as '"Corby, drug dealer, must die"' [39].

Comments from public figures

Australian government response

Prime Minister Howard spoke publicly on the case, as did the Opposition Leader Kim Beazley. Although they were always careful to state that they were not seeking to interfere in the Indonesian judicial system, these comments were construed as applying pressure on the court trying the case. At the same time Australia rushed to negotiate a prisoner transfer treaty with Indonesia.

The comments from Australian political leaders and others were construed in Indonesia as interference in the Indonesian judicial system. This was especially the case after it emerged that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had sent a letter in May to the court trying the Corby case regarding the suspected involvement of baggage handlers in the transnational movement of drugs through Australian airports.

Some Australian government officials expressed confidence in the Indonesian court proceedings. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's comments that Australia had no reason to believe the Indonesian court hearing the case was behaving inappropriately and that he supported the Indonesian President's comments that "we have to respect the court in proceeding this case". [40]

Russell Crowe

In April, Oscar-winning New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe commented on the case suggesting that Prime Minister Howard should do more to secure Corby's release.

"The photographs of Schapelle Corby broke my heart," he said. "The first thing I thought this morning was, like, how can I get Johnny Howard on the phone and say, "Look, what are you gonna do, mate, what are you gonna do? — that's ridiculous, what if it was your daughter"? [41]

The Age further quoted Crowe as saying:

"Howard should point out to Jakarta that Australia had been a generous supporter following the devastating tsunami in Aceh, pledging $1 billion in aid" [42].

Lindy Chamberlain

Lindy Chamberlain wrote a letter to Corby, expressing her sympathy and exhorting Corby to keep her faith strong. Chamberlain also wrote a letter to the Australian people, reminding them that although popular opinion in Australia might consider Corby to be innocent [43], Corby had to prove her innocence within the context of the Indonesian justice system. [44]

Henry Rollins

American hard rocker and political activist Henry Rollins has expressed his interest in Corby's case and has spoke about her at some of his shows. The pair have never met but on a trip to Australia this year, Rollins said he was captivated by the Corby trial in Bali.

So much so, he finds himself looking her up on the internet on a regular basis from the US or wherever he is touring.

"I just don't think anyone would be crass enough to shove 12 pounds of dope into a boogy board bag and try and traipse into Bali with it," said Rollins. "It is just a little too obvious."

External links

News articles

Queensland police state that brother was involved in Corby's drug run
"Corby's 20-year sentence reinstated". 19 January, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Man in Corby photos speaks". 13 January, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Alleged dealer made visits, sat through trial". 15 December, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Snapped with alleged dealer". December 11, 2005. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Here's a thriller for a long flight". September 21, 2005. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Weighing the Evidence". 05 March, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Corby brother on drug charges". 19 January, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"I ask for you... to find me innocent". 29 April, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Crowe heartbroken at Corby's plight". 22 April, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)
"Mathew Moore on Schapelle Corby". 2005. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help)