Scott Austic ‘wrongful conviction’ case referred to Court of Appeal following major Sunday Night investigation

The father of two, who has languished in jail for more than a decade for the murder of his partner Stacey Thorne, has had his conviction referred to the Court of Appeal.

The major legal victory announced by WA Attorney General John Quigley at the weekend follows a year-long investigation by Seven’s Michael Usher for Sunday Night which presented convincing proof that crucial evidence against Austic was planted by police.

Austic was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing murder of Stacey in Boddington, 120km from Perth. Austic, his family and team of lawyers and forensic experts have always maintained he didn’t do it.

Commenting, senior correspondent Michael Usher said: “We couldn’t be happier for Scott. This is a win for him, and his Mum and beautiful daughters who have fought hard for Scott’s innocence.

“They have an extraordinary small team of legal and forensic experts who have worked tirelessly to establish that Scott is the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice. We gave them a voice in our Sunday Night investigation, and helped shine a light on Scott’s plight.

“We know the WA Attorney General requested a copy of our report after it aired and this helped in the legal consideration for Scott’s appeal. We look forward, like Scott and his dedicated family and supporters, to seeing him receive fair justice.”

Seven Network Director of News and Public Affairs, Craig McPherson, added: “What Michael and the team uncovered is an indictment on the way WA police handled this case. The appeal allows all the evidence to be retested with hopefully far more rigour than at the original trial.”