Friday, May 27, 2005
CORBY LATEST
The Australian reports:
Schapelle Corby is likely to spend at least the next five years in an Indonesian jail cell even if the Howard Government strikes a deal with Jakarta for her to be sent home, after the Gold Coast student was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug-smuggling yesterday.
Many are distressed and furious over Corby’s sentence. From Cindy Wockner, whose coverage of the trial has been excellent:
Australians angered by the 20-year sentence handed down to Schapelle Corby by an Indonesian court yesterday have threatened to boycott our nearest neighbour.
Radio callers urged Australians to destroy Bali’s economy by turning it into a “ghost town”.
"Certainly never go to Bali again – I certainly won’t and I’ll be encouraging my friends and family not to,” one of many callers told Brisbane radio 973FM ...
From the front of the gallery, Corby’s parents and sister realised before her what the chief judge was saying and erupted with abuse and emotion. Caught in the middle, Corby swayed between distress, tears and hot anger.
Her mother Rosleigh Rose screamed at the judges: “You took the word of a liar, these judges will never sleep – Schapelle you will go home, we will bring you home."
Indonesians outside court clapped the guilty verdict, prompting an outburst from Corby’s sister Mercedes.
I believe Corby is innocent. It seems likely to me that even if her defence had produced someone who admitted placing the drugs in her luggage, that evidence would have been rejected due to a failure to fingerprint Corby’s luggage after her arrest. It also seems unlikely that someone would instantly confess to ownership of the drugs, as Corby is alleged to have done, the moment the drugs were discovered. The remarkable coincidence of a baggage handler-assisted cocaine haul at Sydney airport on the same day Corby flew to Bali points to the possibility of her being ensnared in a drug delivery debacle.
Blog opinion is divided. Several on the right believe Corby to be guilty, while others think her innocent, as you’ll read in this comments thread. On the left, some support a Bali boycott, while others reject a boycott. Also from the left: “In the end, a good and respectful relationship between Australian and Indonesia is much more important than the fate of Schapelle Corby.”
That opinion isn’t shared here, where spelling lessons are required.