Footsteps of a killer: The man police consider a child killer returns to Leanne Holland’s home
The man a Queensland Police review has named as Leanne Holland’s killer stayed calm and cool as he showed Murder Uncovered's Michael Usher the home of the murdered schoolgirl and where her body was dumped.
Graham Stafford may be a free man, but a review into the death of 12-year-old Holland, points to him as the man responsible for her murder.
In an in-depth interview with Usher, Stafford stressed his innocence while constantly pushing for the result of the police review to be made public.
Usher said Stafford was not aware he would be told of the findings of the review during their interview.
“You’re either the greatest victim of one of the greatest legal injustices in this country, or a very convincing killer who got away with it,” Usher told Stafford during their sit-down.
During their time together, Stafford led Usher through the home where he had lived with Leanne, her father and her older sister.
The home where the review says he killed her.
“He didn’t have to do any of that, it was extended to him and he took it up,” Usher said.
He said it was offered to him as Stafford’s chance to show critics why he felt he was innocent.
“Well you’ve claimed your innocence, let’s take you there and (let you) tell us how it couldn’t be how police said it was,” Usher said.
“At the time I’d given Graham a huge amount of fair chance (in the segment).”
The segment shows Usher walk with Stafford through the home talking about the murder, as video from the crime scene displays on screen.
In 1991 Leanne was brutally murdered, she was only 12 when her body was found in bushland, 8km from the family home.
Stafford spoke with Usher about the front staircase of the home, where the review said drops of Leanne’s blood had been found.
He also led Usher to the bathroom, where she was said to be dying her hair before she was hit so severely in the face, it’s said her blood splattered across the room.
The investigation found a large amount of Leanne’s blood in the bathroom, leading to the conclusion she had died there.
Stafford also travelled with Usher to the site where the schoolgirl’s body had been dumped three days after she went missing, 50m from Redbank Plains Road, west of Brisbane.
Stafford was arrested and convicted of Leanne’s murder.
In 2006, after nearly 15 years behind bars, he was released on parole. The conviction was quashed in 2009 and he’s been fighting to prove his innocence ever since.
He’s also been fighting for the right to know the result of the Queensland Police review into the case, findings which were never released to the public.
Usher felt the Murder Uncovered investigation would put pressure on the Queensland Police and DPP to release the findings and pave the way for a retrial for Stafford.
“What irritates me are the suggestions of conspiracy theories and stitch ups. I don’t believe any of them are true,” Usher said.
“I think we are a step closer to public pressure for a retrial and it needs to go to court.
“Did I establish justice for Leanne? Yes, I think so.”
Twenty six years after Leanne’s death, Murder Uncovered told Stafford the review had named him as her killer.
However Stafford maintained throughout their conversation that he was not the culprit, even taking a lie detector test in an attempt to further prove his innocence.
The results of the lie detector were inconclusive.
