This is a true story.
It began in August 1980 at Mt Isa in the Australian state of Queensland.
Our pastor Michael and his wife Lindy stand before you today
with their two boys, Aidan and Reagan,
with their new little daughter and baby sister
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain,
who you have lent us, Lord, and we’re here to dedicate her life back to you.
We would ask the family and friends and congregation
to stand and promise to set a proper example for this child as she grows up.
(truck horn)
All clear to the church, mate.
Jesus! Have a look at those fucking Adventists!
Talk about up yourself.
Money, mate. More than you can poke a fuckin’ stick at!
(truck horn)
I think this’ll fit you in about two months’ time. Yes, it will.
- "(woman)" Hello? - In here, Jenny.
- I’ve finished it. - Oh, it’s pretty.
- Thank you. - Thought I’d help you pack.
Oh. Well, I’m pretty much ready.
Black? Oh, yuck!
- That was my baby dress. - Was it, darling?
Yes. I like black.
You may not believe that your body is a temple of God.
But tonight we face not a belief, but a fact.
The fact is that your body is the only body that you will ever own.
I want you to throw away your cigarettes,
your pipes, your tobacco, your cigars,
before they throw you away.
(giggling)
Hi, honey.
- How are you? - I got everything done.
I recorded six weeks of programmes, saw everyone I had to see.
I finished my counselling. Just.
Did you post my study leave application?
- Yes, I did. - Good.
I think it’s time we started our holidays, don’t you?
This is where we are, here.
Where do Gran and Grandad live?
They live down here.
This is where we lived last year, near Cairns.
Right up in the north is where you catch the biggest barramundi in the world,
which is where Daddy wanted to go on holiday, but your mother had other plans.
What’s a barramundi?
A fish dinner for 12.
Not the ones your father catches!
Now, now! And this is where we’re going, down here.
Devils Marbles, the Olgas and Ayers Rock.
- The biggest rock in the world. - "(boys)" Wow!
Come on, boys.
Come on!
Tell me what’s in that cave up there.
Be careful.
Ooh! Look at that!
Yeah, a dingo.
Kids, come and have a look.
Michael, look.
"(Lindy)" So he climbed up on his camel.
- Hello! - Hello!
We all went riding round the ring, and my camel went... "(blows raspberry)"
And his camel went... "(blows raspberries)"
(giggling)
"(man)" You wouldn’t get me up there.
- Have you been up? - Are you mad?! Look at that bloke!
- He’s keen! Do you reckon he’ll make it? - "(woman)" Not if he drinks that six-pack.
Oh, look at this idiot!
Talk about stupid!
What a nut!
That’s my husband.
He wouldn’t be doing that unless it was safe.
Over here, bubby. That’s beautiful.
Smile, darling. Smile for Daddy.
That’s it. Good girl. Good girl!
Just wind it on, darling.
- "(boy)" I’ll race you to the top. - Smile for Mummy.
Come on, darling.
Michael, the boys.
Boys!
Get that little body in there.
Bit better. That’s it.
Oh, you like your bath!
Can you see Daddy? Where is he, sweetheart?
(sings)
Hello, sweetie. Where’s your Daddy?
- Are you right there, darling? - Well, don’t wanna miss the sunset.
You might wanna see if the boys are in their pyjamas.
You might even try to get them in the car.
Boys!
Brrrrrm!
Honk! Honk!
Is it an automatic camera?
No. Well, it’s semiautomatic...
I’ll get it in a second.
- A teacher. You gotta be a teacher! - Oh, come on!
Look, I’ll give you three more guesses.
If you don’t get it by then, maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow.
A bank clerk! I’ll be buggered if you’re not a bank clerk.
Reagan went right out. I can’t get bubby to settle, though.
I don’t know your names, but this is my wife Lindy.
- Hi. Is he playing games with you? - And I’m Michael.
- He’s a terror when he’s on holiday. - He can’t be as bad as this one.
- Hi, I’m Sally Lowe. - Greg.
Hey, there’s a dingo. Here, fella!
Don’t encourage him, Michael. The signs say you shouldn’t.
I saw you today, going up the Rock with a baby in a backpack. Carrying a six-pack.
- I thought you were cracked. - It’s thirsty work climbing.
- Can I have a look-see? - Yeah.
Greg, the worst thing for a thirst is alcohol.
You’re joking! The worst thing for a thirst is sand.
Hello! Hello!
- Can’t keep its blankets on it. - She’s so tiny! I thought she was bigger.
- "(Lindy)" What’s your name? - That’s Chantel.
No!
Chantel, Michael.
- That’s this one’s second name! - Yeah?
Yeah.
You don’t happen to know what it means?
It’s French for Gypsy lead singer, I think.
I belt into town ten times a day if I have to.
- I’m not gonna believe you’re a farmer. - It was a beautiful bike.
- What are you looking for, Aidan? - A mouse.
The hardest thing I ever did in my life was to sell it.
It’s down here, sweetheart.
The cheeky buggers.
I had one follow me back from the rubbish bin before.
These are ready, honey.
I think this little one’s finally conked out.
I’m gonna go and put her down. Bedtime!
Be right back.
- Wanna try one of these, Greg? - Mm, yeah. I’ve got some room left.
Yeah.
Shit!
What kind of bloody sausage is that?
- Vegetarian. - Christ!
Now I know what you are. You’re Bugs bloody Bunny, aren’t you?
Jesus, feed the man meat, mate!
Oh, ace!
Dad, Dad! Give it this.
This is tops.
(howling)
But if I had the dough, I’d buy a BMW RT 1000. There’s a beautiful bike.
It’ll do in excess of 255mph.
- Bullshit! - Yeah.
In free fall.
- Get out! - "(laughter)"
(Lindy laughs)
Crikey! How’s your kidneys?
Fair go. I haven’t even started yet! Never trust a man who doesn’t drink.
Can I tempt you, Michael?
Have you any idea what that stuff has done to your brain, Greg?
- Did she settle? - That’s Azaria crying, honey.
- That’s bubby, Mummy. - Are you sure? She was fast asleep.
"(Greg)" Are you trying to tell me there’s something wrong with drinking beer?
Go on! Get out! There’s a dingo in the tent.
Dingo’s got the baby!
God. No, please, God.
The dingo’s got my baby!
What?
"(Michael)" We’re coming!
I can’t see.
- Aidan, wait here. - I can’t see.
Michael!
You can’t see. It’s too dark. You need a torch.
Michael, that way! You can’t see!
You need a torch! Has anybody got a torch?
The dingo’s got my baby!
"(woman)" What’s going on?
"(Lindy)" Please heIp me!
Get the police.
Have you got a torch? The dingo’s taken my baby.
All right. It’s better if I go.
- Are you right? - Get the police. I can’t get this started.
Don’t you worry about it.
- Where’s the baby? - The dingo’s taken the baby. Up there!
- Has the dingo got your baby? - Yes.
The dingo can’t have our bubby in its tummy, Mummy.
Jesus’ll look after her. You stay by the tent.
I have to keep looking and you have to be there in case your brother wakes up.
I’ve gotta keep looking, darling. You stay here.
- I need a torch! - Here, take mine.
- It’s no good. There’s no beam. - Here, Daddy.
What are you doin’, mate? What are you? Lost?
- I’ve lost my baby. - Had a bit to drink, mate!
Come on, boy. Come on. There’s a good... Come on.
Come on. You can show me where your sleeping bag is, darling.
- Reagan’s dead. - No, he’s all right.
He’s dead. He’s dead. He’s dead.
No, look, see? He’s just tuckered out. He’s fine.
I’ll just be sitting outside on this rail here, all right? Just outside, OK?
Careful not to step on any tracks, you blokes.
Whatever we find, there’s no joy for you. You know that, don’t you?
I’ve seen what dogs do to lambs, mate.
That one there!
You’re the parents? How big was the child?
"(shakily)" Nine weeks. Nine to ten pounds.
- Did you double-check inside the tent? - Of course.
- What was it wearing? - White jump suit. Everything white.
- It was wearing white. - White jump suit. White matinee jacket.
Stay close to the camp in case I need you, please.
Constable!
We want our daughter returned to us, no matter what. We want her back.
Has anyone seen the head ranger?
Jesus Christ.
Torches on!
Group C, move down that way.
Group A, down that way. The rest of you follow me.
Spread out, please. Keep a straight line, arm’s length.
The Bible says at the Second Coming,
babies will be restored to their mothers’ arms.
Mrs Chamberlain? I’m Bobby Downs. I’m the district nurse here.
- How long’s the baby... - A little over an hour.
(sobbing)
No, no, no. I’m gonna throw up.
Why aren’t they searching just there?
It might have dropped it this close.
I... I couldn’t bear that.
If she died because we didn’t look in the right place.
There.
The baby’s finished. Finished, you know?
They’ve been out there for ages.
We should get you to a motel.
No, we have to stay here for the police.
Besides, we don’t have the money.
Oh, look!
Uh...
People!
Folks!
It’s my daughter you’re looking for.
And, uh...
I want to thank you all for what you’re doing.
- I’m a minister of religion. - A bloody parson! Jesus.
I know that nothing happens in the world unless God allows it.
And...
I know that there’s little hope any longer of...
finding our little daughter alive.
But I am thankful that...
we will see her again at the R...
at the Resurrection.
Let us pray.
Lord be with these willing and kindly people
as they help look for our little one tonight.
Help them look...
Mummy! Do I have to stay in here?
It’s all right now, Aidan.
It’s like a morgue in that tent.
There’s room for that over here.
Oh, that’ll be all right. I always keep it down there.
Is this an expensive motel?
You don’t have to worry. I’ve spoken to them.
You can stay as long as you need. There’ll be no charge.
G’day. I’ve put you in room 34 at the end of the path.
There’s your key.
We prayed for a daughter. He gave us a daughter.
Why would he take her away?
They should have warned us. The signs never said.
I’d have slept them all in the car if only I’d known. If only we’d known.
There has to be a reason. There’s got to be a reason.
We slept her in the tent. I zipped it up when I put Reagan down.
I should have zipped it up when I put her in, even if it was only for a minute.
What are we gonna tell our parents, Michael?
They never even saw Azaria.
- I’m freezing. - You can’t be freezing. The heater’s on.
- What are you doing? - Getting my sleeping bag.
- You can’t do that. It’s got blood on it. - Yours has. Mine hasn’t.
I’m sorry, but I’m freezing.
Heating or not.
I’m so cold.
"(sobbing)" She was so little.
"(Aidan)" Mummy!
Mummy!
I’m just praying that Jesus will keep the dingo’s mouth shut,
like he did for Daniel in the lions’ den, and he won’t let him eat our bubby.
Oh, darling. She’s so little.
Jesus wouldn’t let her have any pain.
But our bubby had a little cold, you know.
It’s so freezing out there.
Daddy and I believe that bubby’s dead, sweetheart.
And Jesus is going to look after her now, wherever she is.
Till he comes to take us all home to heaven.
And she’ll be better because Jesus will make her better.
She won’t have the hiccups any more.
No, that’s right.
You try to sleep now.
My God!
Michael, the police are here.
Sorry, Mrs Chamberlain. No news yet, I’m afraid.
Will you be in later for me to bring round a notification of death for the coroner?
Oh, yes. Yes. Or in the office phoning our parents.
Thank you.
Michael, you’d better ring your president too.
Mummy, where’s bubby?
"(man)" Just put in the name of the child.
Hi, Mrs Chamberlain. Thought you might like some help with the boys.
Oh, thanks.
I got some Lasix from the clinic.
- Beg your pardon? - Tablets. Help dry up your milk.
Oh, yes.
And, um... you’ll be needing this breast pump most likely.
Mr Chamberlain.
There are press calling. I had the ABC radio on the line.
They insist on talking to you.
I don’t know. What would you advise?
We were just about to eat.
We heard a cry out. My wife hurried back to the tent.
She saw a big yellow dog coming out of the tent. Over.
It was a dingo, Michael. Not a big yellow dog. A dingo.
Azaria Chantel Loren. Over.
- What difference does it make? - It’s not right.
"(Michael)" It had probably stalked the baby as we’d been there the second night.
Listen to this.
(Michael) To many this is called Ayers Rock,
but to us it will always be Azaria’s Rock.
- Is that you, Mr Chamberlain? Over. - "Speaking. Over."
I was wondering whether you could take a few photographs to run with this story.
We can’t get up there to cover this, unfortunately. There’s just no way.
You do want people to be warned about the dangers up there? Over.
He wants me to take some photographs for his newspaper.
You don’t have to if you don’t want to.
She’ll never have a grave. Nothing to remember her by.
Boys. Just stand in front of the tent for me, will you?
Keep going, if you would. Thank you.
Mr Chamberlain, when you’re ready.
We were very shocked, of course, but at that stage we still had some hope...
(feedback)
Can we just do that again?
That’s OK. I’ve done some journalism myself. I think I know what you mean.
"(journalist)" OK, right. Rolling. And... go.
Well, it was shocking, but we just held out some little hope.
But when we saw the spots of blood on the tent,
we knew as we looked that this was a very quick event.
And this morning, when we saw the sharp, ripped, jagged marks
on that very thickly-woven blanket,
that this was a powerful beast with very sharp teeth.
lt was more than a domestic dog that did this.
OK, stop it there. It gets boring after this.
Now run this. I want to cut to her.
- That won’t cut. - Yes, it will if you wait till after the pan,
and put his last line over to disguise the question.
I want some good sci-fi music to go over this to give it some atmosphere.
News is art, huh?
(TV) We knew that this was a powerful beast
- "with very sharp teeth." - There’s more to this than meets the eye.
- "(TV) ..domestic dog that did this..." - Did you hear that?
I just yelled. There wasn’t time to go and tell people.
”Has anybody got a torch? The dingo’s got my baby.“
A dingo! They must think we come down in the last shower!
The parents, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, Seventh Day Adventists,
say they’ve accepted the baby’s death as the will of God.
They will leave Ayers Rock tomorrow for their Mount Isa home.
Christ.
They could have picked somewhere else.
They blame a dumb animal who can’t defend itself.
I can’t believe how the dingo can have taken the baby and it’s never been found.
Mrs Chamberlain? Inspector Gilroy and Sergeant Lincoln.
- I’m sorry, we have to interview you. - Yes, all right. Come in.
It might help me to talk about it.
I believe you’ve already given Constable Morris some items for identification?
- What is it, darling? - That’s the dingo that took bubby.
- Where did the dingo take bubby? - The dingo took bubby shopping.
He loves shopping.
- It’s never happened before. - Kids have been bitten.
(growling and barking)
Thinks he’s bloody Lassie.
That’s ten pounds. That’s what the baby weighed.
Have a go. A dingo couldn’t get halfway up the hill without taking a breather.
- How long could you hold that for? - That’s right. Feel the weight of it.
(arguing continues)
We’ve come to shoot the dogs, Nipper.
I’m sorry.
- OK? - Let ‘em get used to the idea.
Huh! Look who’s here.
Morning, Mrs Chamberlain.
We don’t wanna shoot any dogs that we don’t have to.
No, they’re all bitzers. Nothing like it.
I’m not taking another photograph.
We found more blood on Aidan’s parka.
No, we have enough blood with the blanket.
Good. It’s the only warm coat he has.
Well, you have a list of the places we’ll be.
Fine. You’ll be advised of the date of the coroner’s inquest.
- We should search that car. - They’ve had it bad enough.
After the mysterious disappearance of their daughter,
Mount Isa’s Seventh Day Adventist pastor Michael Chamberlain and his wife Lindy
are expected to arrive home late today.
The Chamberlains were on a camping trip at Ayers Rock...
Oh, Michael.
”Consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way,
for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials,
the result is the ability to endure.”
”Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
”But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should pray to God,
who will give it to him, because God gives generously and graciously to all.”
”But when you pray...”
(animal calls)
Lindy, is this blood?
Mm.
Don’t let Michael see it, it’ll upset him. Just put it over there.
They’re not locals.
- Yes, can I help you? - Mrs Chamberlain?
I’m from the "Woman’s Day." We rang you?
Oh, yes.
Can I just say how sorry I am?
I’m a mother myself.
Please accept the condolences of everyone at the "Woman’s Day."
Thank you.
Look, we’d like to tell Azaria’s story, Mrs Chamberlain.
To make sure that this never happens again, to warn everyone.
We’d put her on the front page and show the world what a beautiful baby she was.
May we come in?
I’ll take these back. No sense in wasting money.
No, I’ll give it to Wendy for her bubby.
"(Reagan chants)" Where’s my bubby?
Where’s my bubby in the big, black dark?
Where’s my bubby? Where’s my bubby?
Where’s my bubby in the big, black dark?
(Reagan continues chanting)
Don’t worry. I’ll put it back the way I found it.
Bloodstained clothes found at Ayers Rock
are believed to be those of Azaria Chamberlain,
allegedly dragged from her family tent by a dingo last week.
A tourist found the white jump suit, singlet, nappy and booties folded...
- Folded? - "..in a cave, near a dingo lair."
Where’s her matinee jacket?
Why weren’t we told about this?
However, the baby’s father, Mr Michael Chamberlain,
seems convinced that his daughter was taken by a dingo.
(Michael) When we saw the spots of blood in the tent, we realised that this...
Michael, did you talk to them?
No, they used... That’s when we were at the Rock.
I’m in charge of the Chamberlain investigation now.
Oh. Darwin. Politics?
Been reading through your reports.
This doctor’s rumours from Mount Isa. Did you check it out?
Yes, I have. They seem groundless.
What about this stuff about ”sacrifice in the wilderness”, the name?
- Azaria? - It’s a pretty weird name, isn’t it?
I heard it means sacrifice in the bloody wilderness.
What, do you reckon they took the kid up there to sacrifice it?
Yeah, they probably did.
- The kid was always dressed in black. - So was the mother.
She dressed it in black.
I heard a rumour that the kid was really cracked and she couldn’t handle it.
He’d already fallen out of the trolley jeep. Now, if something was wrong with him...
- And they’re Seventh Day Adventists. - They don’t Iike abnormaI children.
Tell me what really happened to your little sister. I won’t tell anybody else...
Sergeant Charlwood, could you identify the doctor that made those allegations?
No comment.
These are the slides I forgot to pick up before we went to the... away.
Mum and Dad! Come and have a look.
"(Lindy)" Oh, yes. It’s a new bike.
That’s Reagan.
I didn’t realise. I thought...
It must have been at the end of a roll.
I quite like that one.
It’s when she still had her hair.
She was so beautiful. I wish you’d...
I wish I’d seen her.
The last time I stood before you was also at the invitation of the Chamberlain family.
That was a happier day.
We celebrated the birth of their little daughter.
We welcomed her into the heart of our church,
dedicating her life to God and asking for his blessing and guidance in her life,
a life that has suddenly, sadly, ended.
A lot of people watching would ask why you’re prepared to be interviewed.
Hey, darl, come and have a look at this.
Why are you making your grief so public?
Jesus, what a wanker.
(Michael) We believe that this experience has been needful for a lot of people,
if they can realise too that...
that there is a chance, that there is an opportunity
to be at peace, to be at rest, with the help of the Lord.
Michael’s not in jail!
No! He’s not!
He’s at a church convention in Townsville.
The police?!
They never!
Oh, that’s a load of Aussie bulldust. They’re playing games with you.
I don’t blame you being worried.
Yeah, righto, Peter. Thanks for calling.
Bye.
- Was that Michael’s brother? - The rumours are in New Zealand already.
A lie goes round the world while truth’s still putting its boots on, sweetheart.
I’m gonna do something about it.
Chamberlain interview, take one.
Tell us about some of the rumours going around.
Yes. One story is that...
Yes. One story is that we’re part of a bizarre cult,
that’s part of the Jones massacre, South America, that we’re part of that.
Another one that’s come back is because we’re placing the cairn at Ayers Rock...
Thanks, Mum.
..that this the other half of a bizarre murder ritual,
taking away the sins of the entire Seventh Day Adventist church.
This is a photo of Azaria’s clothing.
It shows bad bIood stains and a bad tear on the left arm.
It would seem difficult for a dog to get the baby out of there.
Yes, well, if you’ve ever seen a dingo eat, there’s no difficulty at all.
lf you’ve seen them eat the carcass of a cow, something like that,
they never eat the skin.
They use their feet like hands and pull back the skin as they go.
They just peel it like an orange.
If you’ll notice here, on the hands, for instance,
there is blood as well.
- Tough little nut. - You could crack walnuts on her face.
Don’t you understand they’re using you to sell their papers? People love this rubbish!
But they put us on the front page. We’re all over the television. I won’t have it!
- This has got to stop. - What they’d already written was worse.
I tried to correct them and give them the facts.
Will you listen to me?
These people aren’t interested in facts.
I’m told there’s no trace of saliva on the clothes. None whatsoever.
What, none?
Our experiments tell us the cuts on the jump suit weren’t made by dingoes’ teeth.
Fine.
Jesus Christ!
The forensic blokes reckon there’s no way a dingo could have killed that kid.
Not by the state the clothes were in.
I tell you, these bloody Chamberlains!
They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ‘em on the arse.
Hello!
- Hi. Mrs Chamberlain? - Yes. Lindy.
Graham Charlwood. We spoke on the phone.
Now I can put a face to the voice. Come in.
- I see you’re packing up. - We’re moving back to Avondale College.
- My husband’s study leave came through. - I’m glad I dropped by.
- Gathering information for the inquest. - It’s about time something was done.
The Northern Territory police have been hopeless.
I’m from the Northern Territory police.
Oops.
- This is my husband Michael. - Graham Charlwood.
(woman) Feeling is high in Alice Springs
as the first sessions of the Azaria Chamberlain inquest start.
(man) Alice Springs is the focus of the nation’s media.
- Do you still have faith in your religion? - Our faith has been strengthened by this.
Pastor, you believe Azaria’s death was an act of God?
Mrs Chamberlain, is it true you felt depressed after the birth of Azaria?
Was Azaria’s death a punishment for travelling on your Sabbath?
Is it not the case that you wrote some sort of thesis on dingoes at college?
"(Lindy)" It is not the case. That’s a press invention.
That arose from the "Woman’s Day" article.
I thought it came from a newspaper.
Was the "Woman’s Day" article accurate?
No. It was the most inaccurate article of all,
or at least of the ones that I’ve read so far.
In fact there are only about five reporters who write exactly what you say.
The rest of them use a little bit of licence.
(murmuring)
Perhaps I could read you something from Dr Brown’s report.
”There were several small cuts in the baby blankets,
but there was no evidence of tooth marks.”
Well? Teeth cut, don’t they?
A forensic dentist finds no evidence of tooth marks.
- Does that concern you? - Of course it concerns me.
But if he can’t say what happened, how can he say what didn’t happen?
So you’re not prepared to accept his expertise in...
I’m not saying that. I’m saying what I’d Iike is a full answer, not a half answer.
I’d like to know more than anyone else...
what happened to my...
my baby daughter.
They’re a native creature of this country, not a scapegoat!
Yeah? What about ‘em? They’re still a wild animal.
They’re native to Australia! They’re beautiful.
If you tell me that that bitch is innocent and a dingo is guilty,
I’ll punch your fuckin’ head in.
Choice! That’s really lovely, Reg.
Hands up all those that think she’s guilty.
Come on!
Now, Mr Chamberlain.
"(Michael)" Pastor!
Pastor.
If I could ask about the hair colouring of the baby
in the photograph you took of Mrs Chamberlain at Ayers Rock.
I’m sorry. Would you repeat that, please?
If I could ask about the hair colouring of the baby in the photograph you took.
We seek a short adjournment, Your Worship.
We support the application, Your Worship.
Court is adjourned for five minutes.
Someone’s threatened to kill you. We think they’re in the courthouse.
In Alice Springs a death threat interrupted the Azaria Chamberlain inquiry.
Justice Barritt ordered 24-hour protection for the Chamberlains after a threat...
Justice Barritt will move the Azaria Chamberlain inquest to Ayers Rock,
to make an inspection of the Chamberlain campsite and the barbecue area.
Justice Barritt, how accurate a re-creation is this?
Mr ChamberIain, what were you cooking?
Michael! Where were you when you heard the baby cry?
I don’t believe it.
Well, that’s it.
Why should I let them know how I feel?
From now on, I’m gonna keep myself to myself.
Not gonna show them anything.
People can turn on you like a pack of hungry animals.
(knocking at doors)
What a racket! Probably be a bomb.
- Don’t be ridiculous. - "(knock at door)"
- There’s a bomb, is there? - You’ve been informed, have you?
No.
Well, yeah. There’s a bomb.
We’ll have to go out by the pool. When we open the door, the media goes nuts.
Waiting for a pyjama shot.
I told you, Michael! "(giggles)"
To you, Pastor and Mrs Chamberlain, and through you, to Aidan and Reagan,
may I extend my deepest sympathy.
You’ve not onIy suffered the Ioss of your beIoved chiId in tragic circumstances,
but you’ve all been subjected to months of innuendoes, suspicion
and some of the most malicious gossip ever witnessed in this country.
I’ve taken the unusual step of permitting these proceedings to be televised today
in the hope that, by direct and accurate communication,
such innuendoes, suspicion and gossip may cease.
This case clearly emphasises that a choice has to be made
between dingoes on one hand, and tourism on the other.
Cheeky bastard. On national television!
l’ve had the occasion to criticise the work of the Northern Territory police...
- He doesn’t know shit from clay, this fella! - What’s his religion?
..reporting of the sprayed blood stain on the exterior of the tent,
resulted in this investigation being diverted in the wrong direction.
I’m satisfied that Dr Brown,
an acknowledged expert on bite marks of humans,
used his best endeavours to learn what he could
of what had been, until this case, an unknown field.
In the light of his straightforward admission,
that he had no experience in examining bite marks in clothing,
it’d be dangerous to rely on his evidence in that regard.
I doth find
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain, a child of nine weeks of age...
- I think they’re both bloody guilty. - Shut up. Listen and learn something.
..met her death when attacked by a wild dingo,
whilst asleep in the family’s tent at the top camping area, Ayers Rock.
I further find that neither the parents of the child,
nor either of their remaining children,
were in any degree responsible for this death.
(murmuring)
I find that the name “Azaria” does not mean and never has meant
”sacrifice in the wiIderness”.
I find that after her death, the body of Azaria
was taken from the possession of the dingo
and disposed of by an unknown method,
by a person or persons, name unknown.
Court is adjourned.
Sergeant Charlwood, are you upset by the coroner’s decision?
Why do you think people wouldn’t accept the dingo story?
Perhaps because this is the first in Australia.
Michael, what’s accounted for your strength?
The Lord Jesus Christ is a very dear friend of ours, our saviour.
The peace of God has kept us from being very foolish in our own lives.
(groaning)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have something here that you may like to see.
This is a picture of Azaria as she really was,
to prove to the world that she, as you see, was the most beautiful baby.
Look what these poor prawns are doing now. Anything to get their heads on TV.
Oh, yes. He’s the top in his field.
Professor Cameron.
Yes. London.
And he’s very keen to examine the jump suit in particular.
Apparently I need permission from the minister to take it out of the country.
Oh, no. I’m going anyway, so there’s no cost involved.
I’d like to welcome, as the new semester begins,
all the new students and their families
who’ve come to live and study with us at Avondale.
I mention one family in particular.
That of Pastor Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, for the fine example they set
when the world harshly judged them and their church.
Lindy, Michael, you’ve become household names in the past six months.
- How’s that affected your lives? - We’re managing.
Things are starting to settle down. The boys are in their new school.
Michael’s started his MA course. That’ll take about a year.
Then we’re off to America for his doctorate.
That would be a doctorate in theology?
- Give us a break! - A doctorate in health science.
So we’ll have to call you Dr Chamberlain, Michael.
I don’t know about that, but...
I suppose so, but we’re just a couple of ordinary Australians.
- What are your plans, Lindy? - I’ve got a new house to get organised.
And I’m also starting my Bachelor of Education.
Rumours still persist about that tragic night at Ayers Rock.
We ignore them. The court put that straight.
These are the product of sick minds.
We seem to have our fair share of those,
in places that you wouldn’t really expect to find them, too.
So, it’s full steam ahead for the future?
- We hope so. - You bet.
I’ll ask the questions. I’ll do the noddies in-between. Is the tie straight?
Lindy, Michael, you’ve become household names in the last six months.
How’s this affected your lives?
Righto, let’s run through it again.
Team two is going to Melbourne, to the Whittackers, team three to the Habys.
Team four flies to Western Australia, Esperance, to the Wests.
Team five to Hobart to the Lowes.
It’s essential that everybody be ready to make contact with our targets at 0800.
No slip-ups. I want these witnesses hit cold.
I don’t want one lot ringing another lot before we can question them.
- Michael? - Hi, Helen. Lindy!
I’ve gotta go shopping. Can I dump this brute on you?
Anything to get out of mowing.
- Hello, Murray. - You be a good boy.
Let’s go goo at the chooks, shall we?
What are you looking for, sweetheart?
Nothing.
Are you sure?
Can I heIp you look for it?
What is it? Hey.
Did the dingo take our new bubby too, Mummy?
What? Murray?
- Hi. - Hi.
We need to see Murray, Auntie Helen.
I’ve just put him down for the night.
We need to see if he’s OK.
Oh!
See, darling? There he is.
Back safe and sound with his own mummy and daddy.
"(Michael)" Lindy!
I’m in here.
These are for you, love.
Well, it’s the 17th...
and I thought a gesture was in order
to mark the anniversary of our unfortunate...
It took hours to find them.
She was so beautiful...
and I wanted something beautiful for you...
in her memory.
I get so angry and frustrated, you know?
Because...
I hardly even knew her.
I hardly even took any notice of her.
I hardly knew Azaria.
Did you hear the one about the Irish dingo?
- It ate the tent! - "(laughter)"
OK. We got about 90 seconds, so just make it right.
Let’s go.
OK, control, this is units one and two. We’re on the move. Out.
- Can I help you? - Mrs West?
Mrs Lowe?
Is this the Whittackers’?
G’day, Aidan. Your mum and dad home?
Uh, yeah. Come in and I’ll get them.
Right, thanks.
G’day. How are you? Get you out of the bath, did we?
- What can we do for you? - A warrant was issued yesterday
to search your premises for certain property.
- Can I see that? - What’s this in connection with?
There’s fresh information. Forensic evidence.
What sort of evidence?
All I can tell you is the chief minister’s ordered a new investigation.
- Feel free to get dressed. - Do you realise today’s our Sabbath?
Excuse me. I expect the cupboards to be put back the way they were.
How long will you have our things this time?
- Rest assured compensation’s available. - What about the damage last time?
- Boys, don’t ruin Mummy’s oven. - We received no compensation last time.
Can you tell me why things that weren’t even at Ayers Rock are going?
I don’t give a fuck about a freeway accident.
I’ve got a tip that the Chamberlain case has been reopened. I want that chopper.
- I dunno. There’s some new evidence. - What new evidence?
The coppers won’t tell you everything.
Hey, Jim. Have a look at this.
”Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly unto him and smote the nail into his temples.”
Is this the green tent?
No, that’s a brown and orange tent. The green tent’s under here.
- Sarge, got this? - Yeah, we’ll take that.
There’s another one up there.
Do you want this?
- Is the car available, Mr Chamberlain? - It’s being fixed at the lake.
I’ll take you there myself. You’d never find it.
Jesus Christ!
What’s this?
Oh, yes. That’s for public-health lectures. To scare smokers, you know?
Why have you still got it?
Christ knows how they fitted all this in one car.
Is this your camera bag?
Yeah, but it’s not the one I had at the Rock.
I’ll get it for you.
Michael. The switchboard’s jammed with calls from the press. What’s happening?
- It seems they’ve reopened the inquiries... - "(helicopter overhead)"
How come the press know so soon?
- I don’t talk to the press. - This is shocking for all of us.
New evidence has come to hand on the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain.
Police will review all evidence and investigations will begin anew.
Sir, does this mean you’re anticipating a second inquest?
No comment.
My mate in Darwin knows the sister of the brother-in-law of the copper on this case.
They reckon she’s covering up for her kid. That’s why they can’t break her.
Would you like to trot that past me again?
I understand they found a white baby coffin in the house, with a Bible passage...
- For goodness’ sake, give it a bloody rest. - Let me tell you what it was about.
I’ve never asked you this before, but did you kill your baby?
If I answered, I’d be giving you an interview,
and my lawyer has advised me not speak to you alone.
I’d deny the conversation ever took place.
Come on, it’s just between you and me.
- Did you kill your baby? - Oh, come on!
If I’d done it, why invent such an unbelievabIe story about a dingo?
Don’t sell yourself short.
You’re crediting me with the perfect murder.
Don’t sell yourself short!
The baby’s clothes are being examined by Professor Cameron in London.
Oh, I didn’t know there were any dingo experts in London.
He’s a world-class forensic scientist. He found a hand print on the jump suit.
It was made when it was wet with blood.
It’s a small, female hand.
Then I’m back in the hot seat, aren’t I?
What else was in this report?
The baby was decapitated.
Professor Cameron, the leading forensic pathologist,
tended ultraviolet photographs, revealing baby Azaria
was held by a human hand while she was still bleeding.
This evidence appears to be supported by the discovery of an arterial spray
on the under-dash of the Chamberlains’ car,
consistent with the spray from an artery of a cut throat.
The second inquest into the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain
reached a sensational conclusion today.
Lindy Chamberlain was committed for trial today,
charged with the murder of her ten-week-old daughter Azaria.
Her husband Michael was charged as an accessory after the fact.
How can they?
"(Michael)" How can they, the bastards?!
I’m sorry. That’s the only word for them - bastards!
Don’t they know how much we loved her?!
I don’t know what God wants any more.
You know?
How could he take her? I thought I knew the answer but I don’t.
I don’t!
We’re frightened, Lord, and we’re tired.
We know we’re on show
and we ask you for help...
to let us find the strength to swallow the anger and the hurt...
and to find the courage...
to face the future.
Amen.
Michael, are we gonna do like we planned?
Try and have another baby?
I worked it out...
and it’s now or never.
Because if I go to jail, I’ll never have another chance.
And if I don’t, why should they run our lives?
It’s time, darling.
If we start now, I won’t be showing at the trial.
And when it’s all over, no one need ever have known.
The boys are praying for a little baby sister.
- So am I. - Prayer.
What good is prayer? The only thing God’s good for right now
is stopping me from cutting my throat, because that’s what I feel like doing.
Hell can’t be worse than this.
My life is finished!
How can I be a pastor any more?
Who’d listen to someone who was supposed to have helped kill a child?
I don’t know what to do.
I don’t know where to start.
Is there any reason why there’d be a quantity of blood in your car?
Well, the kids have had cuts and bumps in the car.
And nosebleeds.
Azaria vomited once or twice, if that means anything.
And we’re trained first-aiders. We’ve attended some bad road accidents.
Michael, what was the name of that bloke we picked up in Cairns?
- Michael? - What difference does it make?
- Well, he bled like a stuck pig. - Is there any hope of finding him?
I don’t know his name. I don’t know where he lives.
Cairns is a big town, and it was 18 months ago.
Besides, it doesn’t explain the blood under the dashboard.
I’ll be back in a minute.
Cockatoos are white, red, and... They can be all kinds of colours.
Why won’t Daddy walk with us?
- Cos he’s cracked. - He’s what?
He’s concerned for our safety. He’s walking ahead in case someone’s there.
I think he’s cracked.
You’re right. It’s the same model as mine.
Have a look at what Webber found under the dash.
I don’t believe this. This is identical.
I reckon there’s a real possibility here.
- Can I photograph this? - You can cut it out if you want to.
It’s incredible. They must be cracked! Nobody’s gonna believe that line of bull.
Let me get this straight. In ten minutes,
I’m supposed to have taken the baby back to the tent, put her down,
put on my tracksuit pants, right?
Carted her off to the car,
cut her throat, cut her head off with the nail scissors,
stuffed her body in the camera bag - have you seen the size of that?
And I hurry up and clean up the blood out the car, then pick up a can of baked beans
because Aidan, who’s been here all the time, watching, I suppose, is still hungry.
So I take him back to the tent and take off my tracksuit pants
and sprinkle bIood - my own baby’s blood - round the tent, and on Reagan.
And then...
When do I make the little dingo tracks round the tent? Round then, I suppose.
Then we have a happy race back to the barbecue, as if nothing had happened.
It sounds preposterous but that is the Crown’s case.
Look what I found.
It’s exactly the same as the spray under our dashboard.
Good on you, mate.
- That’s the good news today. - What’s the matter?
- They reset the trial for September. - September?
I’ll be seven months pregnant. I’ll look like Humpty Dumpty.
They can’t do that. The press’ll slaughter us!
They should go back to Glenis, bless her soul.
Oh, wait a minute.
I might be able to let this out just enough.
Let’s see this. Mm, yes.
Michael! Any last-minute requests?
This is your last chance.
Boys.
Come on in, then! Help me close up these suitcases.
Come on. Hop up here. Come on.
Just bung you on here. Squash it down.
That’s it.
Speculation here in Darwin is whether the most publicised pregnancy this decade...
"(Michael)" Lindy and I are most grateful for your offering to put us up, Pastor.
We thought you’d be better off here, away from the craziness,
where we can keep an eye on you, as it were.
Here we are. It’s not the Hilton, but under the circumstances...
He can’t mean us to live in a garden shed.
The shower and toilet’s down the path, under the house.
The media’ll love this. They’ll know every time I go to the loo. This is impossible.
I think we may be more comfortable where we booked.
I took the liberty of cancelling that. It’ll be gone by now. There’s not a bed in town.
Thanks to us.
Look at that face! It’d turn milk sour.
Burn the bitch!
The Chamberlains arrived at Darwin court today for the first day of their trial
for the murder of their baby daughter Azaria.
Lindy was wearing a pink and white frock with white accessories.
Women are trying to work out when the baby is due, and also the zodiac.
My guess is Scorpio.
(audience shouts out suggestions)
Your job in this case is to administer justice according to law.
Not according to rumour, not according to preconceived notions of.
You will hear much of this, ladies and gentlemen,
for the simple reason that possibly the publicity concerning this matter
has been without precedent in our lifetime.
You see in this court a couple of cameras.
I don’t want you to feel that you’re being directly telecast to Australia.
That is not so. They were put in for the convenience of the press.
(cheering)
OK, who wants to be in it? Tickets are a dollar apiece.
The one who gets the birthday gets the lot.
Was there anything in Mrs Chamberlain’s demeanour on her return to the barbecue
that indicated anything abnormal had happened?
No. She seemed solely concerned with feeding Aidan more food.
Was she covered in blood?
"(Sally)" No.
As to the baby’s cry, did that cry appear to you to be cut off?
Going from experience with other babies, yes.
It was a relatively uneventful day
as eyewitnesses to that tragic night at Ayers Rock gave evidence.
The witnesses from across Australia
shed little light on the events that led up to the disappearance of baby Azaria.
Everyone that was there were her friends, her witnesses.
- They were all Adventists. - They didn’t know each other!
- It was a ritual killing! - They planned it all, did they?
The buckle gave me very strongly positive reactions for blood.
What about the spray pattern?
The pattern under the dash
gave me a very positive reaction for foetal haemoglobin.
Correct me if I’m wrong, Mrs Kuhl, but you’ve got 22 positive reactions
for the presence of foetal blood... um, haemoglobin, from these tests.
That is correct.
Did the tests lead you to an opinion
of the person whose blood you found and the age of that person?
They did.
It was consistent with the blood having come from a baby under three months.
(murmuring)
You bitch!
What about when you took the jury to view the car?
She was behind me, staring. I could feel her burning holes through my back.
She just stares! She’s a witch, you know.
I can’t stand the way she flutters her eyes at the jury. Makes me want to vomit.
I reckon she’s got something going with that copper, too.
Mm-hm! Active little monkey tonight!
- Come have a feel. - Not just now, my dear.
And what about the outfit? Polka dot.
Practically the same as mine. Not to mention the hairdo.
It’s easy enough to dislike the woman without her adding insult to injury.
That is a demonstration photograph of an Ouchterlony plate.
- What the fuck does that mean? - Buggered if I know.
It’s the what?
You can get a positive reaction to milk.
It’s not the same type of reaction as blood, but you do get one. Can.
- Vomit? - Due to the traces of blood in it, yes.
- Saliva? - No.
- Never? - Not that I have seen.
- Nasal secretions? - There is often blood in those secretions.
- The answer is yes? - Yes.
If blood was in saliva, the answer would be yes?
Yes.
- Rust? - Sometimes. Sometimes not.
You can get a positive reaction to rust?
Sometimes, with some rusts. Yes.
Is it a fact that after four days’ screening,
you cannot prove the presence of blood in the compartments
or the base of the Chamberlain camera bag?
No. My report states that.
What about the real thing? The actual Ouchterlony plates at end of your tests?
- Do you produce those? - No.
- They’re in Sydney, are they? - No.
- Where are they? - They have been destroyed.
- All of them? - Yes.
- Whose decision was that? - It’s standard procedure in our laboratory.
Professor Chaikin, you examined the tufts from the camera bag
to see whether they could have come from the jump suit.
I did, yes.
I would, if you don’t mind, Your Honour, demonstrate it by cutting it.
(laughter)
The mighty Chaikin!
- Get off! - And now, for my next trick...
And you cut it. Some tufts fall off.
And you can shake some off.
Are you able to express an opinion as to whether a dingo’s teeth made those cuts?
I would say no.
These are Lindy Chamberlain’s scissors.
Are these the scissors you first used in your cutting tests?
Yes.
- And? - They came apart.
The scissors you used for the tests, are they larger than the Chamberlains’?
Yes.
- So far more efficient for your purposes? - Yes.
I concede that the Chamberlain scissors, as I received them,
could not cut jump suit material.
- They’re trying to blame a dingo? - Have you seen a dingo using scissors?
Not really.
- "Lindy Chamberlain showed no emotion." - There’s Mum and Dad!
Can we ring ‘em?
Maybe tomorrow, eh?
We have to turn the air conditioning off. I’m cold.
- You can’t possibly be cold. - I’m freezing.
Then put a blanket on yourself.
- I’d rather have the air conditioning off. - Leave it. I’m roasting!
You seem to forget I’ve got a little furnace blazing away in here.
If you want my company, then put a blanket on.
The last thing I want now is to put a blanket over me.
- Go in the other room then. - All right, I will.
We should have got that zip fixed so it was safe.
Love, it wouldn’t have made any difference.
We should have got it fixed and seen to it that it was zipped up.
What about the dingo they told us about that clawed its way into the tent for food?
We should have zipped up the tent!
You mean I should have zipped it up. Isn’t that what you mean? Say it!
Say it! Have the guts for once to say it!
- Girls, did you make your T-shirts? - Yes, we did.
Can you imagine a situation where the dingo was able to attack the child,
pick it up and carry it by the face?
No. Dogs usually go for the back of the neck or the shoulder.
Now, in this case, having regard for the condition of the jump suit,
can you see the child being grabbed by a dog by the back of her neck?
Not from examination of the collar of the jump suit, no.
Would you have a look at this photograph, please, Mr Simms?
Do you concede, having seen the photograph,
that a dog could easily encompass the head
of a child of Azaria’s size in its jaws?
Well, if that doll’s head is not being forced into the dog’s jaws,
I would accept that.
(murmuring in gallery)
Mr Harris, what is the purpose of a dingo gripping the head of the prey?
The purpose is to immobilise the prey immediately,
and preferably kill it at the same time.
There’d be very little blood because the heart would stop pumping.
I have documented a dingo running with a 20lb baby kangaroo in its mouth
over a distance of some 200 yards.
We’ve heard evidence a dingo in the family tent was seen to shake its head.
That’s quite consistent. The shake’s obviously intended...
to break the neck.
You are now to be shown videotape of an experiment performed at an Adelaide zoo.
While you’re looking at this tape, recall the evidence of Mr Simms
where he concurred, because of this experiment,
a dingo could take out a baby goat from a suit
while undoing only the two top buttons.
And is therefore reasonable to assume
that a dingo eating a baby human being out of its suit...
is quite within the bounds of probability.
How’s our side doing?
Well, we figure we’re up against about four not-guiltys and four don’t-knows.
- The women are the big problem. - Remind them where they live.
Professor Cameron, in your view is there any evidence on those articles of clothing
which suggests the child was killed by a dingo?
I saw no evidence on these garments to suggest
a member of the canine family was involved.
In your opinion, is there any evidence suggesting the child was not killed
by a member of the canine family?
There is evidence to suggest there was an incised wound around the neck.
In other words, a cut throat.
(public gasps)
This photograph was taken using ultraviolet light.
You can see the pattern of bloodied fingers.
And here, what may be a thumb. It’s the impression of a hand of a small adult.
- That’s a thumb? - If that’s a hand, I’m a virgin.
Would you align your finger along the mark that impressed Professor Cameron?
I object to that. The hand is flat.
Noted.
How many smudges do you see?
One, two, three, four.
Would you hold your finger up, please?
One, two, three.
We’re gonna take some of the wind out of Professor Cameron’s sails tomorrow.
- We’re gonna bring up the Confait case. - What’s that?
This bloke Confait was murdered in England.
Three boys were sent to prison for life, based on Professor Cameron’s evidence.
Three years later, the evidence was totally discredited and the boys were freed.
Turns out they’d been nowhere near the place at the time of death.
The media are gonna be pleased. I gotta go to the loo again.
Decoy time.
- Here she comes! - It’s not her.
Professor Cameron, when you gave evidence in the Confait case,
you weren’t armed with the correct knowledge of the circumstances.
I agree entirely.
I want to suggest you have done the same thing in this case.
I should like to show the professor photograph 10B.
Would you call that a neat bundle?
No.
Did you swear ”I rely entirely on Dr Scott’s evidence
that there was no saliva present on the jump suit?”
Correct.
Yet Dr Scott states “There is no guarantee there is no saliva elsewhere.”
There was no saliva present on the samples.
He said “There is no guarantee there is no saliva elsewhere.”
I would accept that.
In court, John Phillips QC told how evidence
presented by Professor Cameron in a London murder trial was discredited.
That’s silly, sweetheart. Gran loves you.
- She won’t let me play outside. - She’s just doing what Mummy told her.
It’s too dangerous for you to play outside now.
Because we’re in the papers so much and on the telly.
Silly people get silly ideas in their head.
We wouldn’t want one of them to come and get you, would we?
Yeah, won’t be much longer now, sweetheart.
(laughs)
I’ve been looking at reactions given by the different antisera
against the blood samples taken from the car.
I think the court is familiar from the past
that the antiserum known as antihaemoglobin
has in it antibodies that react with both the alpha and beta molecular chains
which are found in haemoglobins.
For example, a sample could have been obtained from the baby’s clothing.
Such a model would have made a perfect control to see if your serum was working.
Jesus, how many more days of this?
The trial faces five days of forensic evidence that even experts can’t agree on.
How is a jury supposed to make conclusions from this evidence?
We could dispense with the jury.
Orthotoluidine tests, Ouchterlony plates and electrophoresis?
Give you ten bucks if you can get haptoglobin into a headline.
We should be asking why none of the Aboriginal trackers
used in the search for baby Azaria
have been called to give evidence at this trial.
You can’t believe those bludgers. They’re always drunk.
Michael.
Michael. You must get up.
I don’t know what I’m going to say.
Just tell them the truth, sweetheart.
Keep calm. Don’t let them rattle you.
And listen carefully.
Is that the truth? That your wife told you she saw a dingo coming out of the tent,
she thought it had Azeria... sorry, Azaria.
And you didn’t ever ask her why she thought it had Azaria?
The tent was empty.
I’m sorry. Could you speak up?
The tent was empty, Mr Barker.
She’d seen the dingo and the baby was gone.
Did you not ask her did she see the baby being carried by the dingo?
I don’t recall asking her that. I could have asked her.
You tell us you don’t remember?
I don’t remember asking that question.
Do you remember if she told you if she saw the dingo carrying the baby?
She never told me she saw the dingo carrying the baby in its mouth.
Pardon?
She never told me she saw the dingo carrying the baby in its mouth.
In her mouth.
In its mouth.
Did she ever tell you she didn’t see the baby in the dingo’s mouth?
- You’ll have to repeat that question. - Did she ever tell you
she didn’t see the baby in the dingo’s mouth?
Perhaps Mr Barker means not what you’ve heard her say...
She did... She did... She did...
- I’m sorry. - That’s all right if you don’t understand.
I’m not...
I’m aware of...
I think what you’re trying to ask me...
I’ll ask Mr Barker to put the question again?
Yes, please.
Would you put it again, please, Mr Barker?
Did she ever tell you she did "not" see the baby in the dingo’s mouth?
I can’t answer that question specifically.
Did she ever tell you she saw nothing in the dingo’s mouth?
She told me the baby...
She told me the dingo appeared to have nothing in its mouth.
I think.
When did she tell you that?
I can’t say.
I don’t know.
Get your face straight before Michael comes in.
He needs all the help he can get.
Well?
- How did I go? I want the truth. - You’re doing fine.
You had Barker working hard, sweetheart.
Jesus, mate, you’re a bloody bad witness.
If you’d been under the hammer for hours and hours, you wouldn’t be in a fit state.
He couldn’t answer the question because he was a mess.
If he makes Chamberlain look so emotionally incompetent,
there’s no way anyone will believe he could keep up such a fantastic story.
The clothing your child Azaria was wearing,
could we have the exhibits, please? The jump suit?
- How are you feeling? All right? - Yes, thank you, Your Honour.
Let me know if you’re not.
Perhaps I can approach this in a different way, Your Honour?
Without opening any of those articles,
can you confirm they were the clothing your child was wearing?
Yes.
Right, put the clothing back.
Please state what other article Azaria was wearing.
She had a white knitted marquee matinee jacket
with a pale lemon edging.
What approximate age was this matinee jacket Azaria was wearing?
It had been given to me by a friend who’d used it on two children before me.
Some of the jury are upset now.
We’ll take a short break. The court will rise for ten minutes.
- The jury were upset. That’s good. - If it was for Lindy.
If it was for the baby, it’s not so good.
Could be bad.
I can’t let that out any more.
Blowed if I know what I can wear tomorrow.
I’ve never seen you quite so large. Maybe if you cut down on the eating just a little...
You mean “quite so fat”, don’t you, Michael?
You hate fat, right? I’ve never been quite this fat, have I?
I’m twice my normal pregnancy weight. I wonder why.
You can’t stand to look at me.
You’re so afraid I’ll never get thin again, the way you like it.
You threatened once to leave me if I got fat.
Well, darling, if Mr Barker has his way,
the decision may be right out of your hands.
How are you bearing up, Lindy?
How are you bearing up, Michael?
Did you tell Constable Morris about the matinee jacket?
I did mention it.
He was on the move.
You heard him say that you said nothing about a matinee jacket.
It’s quite possible he was...
too far away to hear.
What’s so important about this matinee jacket?
It explains the lack of saliva on the jump suit, Mary.
You’re missing the point. If he can prove she’s lying about the matinee jacket,
she could be lying about the rest. If she’s lying, she’s guilty.
There’s none on the jump suit,
so she’s saying that the jacket is missing cos it had the saliva on it.
You told us yesterday, Mrs Chamberlain,
that when you saw the dingo shaking its head,
it was haIfway through the fly screen.
It was on the move, through the fly screen.
Do you know there was no blood found on the fly screen?
I presume there hasn’t been cos it hasn’t been mentioned.
Do you say this dog had its head half through the fly screen,
shaking a bleeding baby?
As I said again and again yesterday,
it was emerging through the fly screen.
Shaking its head vigorously?
I couldn’t tell you now whether it was shaking its head
"as" it was going through or before it was through.
Its obvious movement was shaking the fly screen at some stage.
It was a matter of from the time I first saw it to when it was in the back of the tent.
It was a matter of a few seconds. Very, very fast.
And moving.
What it had in its mouth, we now know, according to you, was a bleeding baby?
Well, that’s my opinion.
Pardon?
That is my opinion.
- Is there any doubt about it? - Not in my mind.
Is it merely your opinion or something you know is a fact?
Something my heart tells me is a fact.
Other people don’t think so.
- Did the clean fly screen surprise you? - No. There was some on the pole.
It doesn’t really surprise me that there was none there.
It would depend on the angle of the animal or which angle the wounds were.
Mrs Chamberlain, you say this child was in the mouth of a dingo
which was vigorously shaking its head at the entrance to the tent.
That is what you firmly believe. Is that right?
That’s right.
The dog having taken Azeria from the bassinet.
- "(whispers)" Azaria. - "(judge)" Take it steady, Mrs Chamberlain.
You saw blood on the parka?
Yes.
- Would you like a spell? - I’d prefer to go on with it, Your Honour.
I don’t want you to answer when you feel distressed. Would you like a break?
I’d prefer to go on. It’s been going on for two years and I’d like to get it over with.
You say the blood on the parka must have come from the baby.
Yes.
When it was in the dog’s mouth?
Somewhere around that time.
- What other time could it have come... - Look, Mr Barker, I wasn’t there.
I can only go on the evidence of my own eyes.
We’re talking about my baby daughter.
Not some object!
I know it’s difficult, but you must hold your temper.
- You sound too harsh, too angry. - I am angry.
It’s not going over well with the jury. Try and be more demure.
I am the way I am and the jury will have to get used to it.
Mrs Chamberlain, when this case is over, I will get the hell out of here.
You could stay here for a fucking long time.
- Don’t talk to my wife like that. - I’m told “Don’t talk like you usually talk”.
”Watch how you hold your mouth, you look too sour.”
”Don’t get angry. Don’t ask too many questions.”
”And never laugh or you’re an uncaring bitch.”
I can’t cry to order and I won’t be squashed into a dumb act for the public.
Or for you.
Is it not the case that your husband declined to search on that Sunday night
because he knew the baby was dead?
- And he knew you had killed her. - Definitely not.
You invented the story of the dingo removing the baby from the tent.
I did not invent that story, Mr Barker.
It’s the truth.
The prosecutor put many questions to Mrs Chamberlain when she was in the stand.
But there was one allegation, a most important allegation, that was never put.
It was the allegation that would have started with the words:
”Mrs Chamberlain, the reason you cut your child’s throat was...”
The most important allegation.
And it was never put.
It was never put because Mr Barker,
one of the best men in the business,
just cannot think of any reason why she would do it.
No doubt the ordinary crocodile would have gone out of its way to eat this baby.
But our experience as Australians tells us the dingo does not bear such a reputation.
Now, what is this dingo supposed to have done?
It managed, if her story is true, to kill the baby in the bassinet,
drag it from the basket, shake her head vigorously at the entrance to the tent,
then carry her off in such a way that left virtually no clues in the tent
in the way of blood or hairs or anything else.
It left no blood or drag marks at the entrance to the tent.
It was able to pass by the child’s mother, in full view,
without disclosing or revealing it was carrying a baby.
It managed to kill the child, with the jump suit all buttoned up.
If you accept Professor Cameron, it buried the body, having undone one top button.
So, all in all, ladies and gentlemen,
it was not only a dextrous dingo, it was a very tidy dingo.
(laughter)
There is some common ground between Mr Phillips and the prosecution.
That is that this is a case of simple alternatives.
Either a dingo killed that child
or she was murdered.
A dingo or murder.
Mr Barker shifted the onus of proof from the prosecution to the defence
by shifting the emphasis from the almost incomprehensible forensic evidence,
claiming it was a case of simple alternatives.
He also claimed the matinee jacket was a fabrication by Lindy Chamberlain.
Mate, that Barker bloke’s as cunning as a shithouse rat.
Beauty, eh?
2:1 against for a hung jury.
Shh!
If ever there was a time when dingoes were a problem at Ayers Rock,
it was in August 1980.
I ask you, and you’ll bear this in mind,
if your wife had murdered your chiid in that car,
what would you have done over the ensuing months?
Would you still have the car? Would it have been thoroughly scrubbed?
Would the scissors still be left in the car? Matters such as that.
If Mrs Lowe heard that cry,
you may think the only inference you can draw is that it was Azaria’s last cry.
That Azaria was still living.
She was not and could not have been lying dead in the car.
I don’t like the way the jury went out. They wouldn’t look at me.
- The judge summed up in our favour. - He almost instructed for an acquittal.
We’re home and hosed, mate.
Do you believe a dingo would take a baby? Yes or no?
- No. - What did Mr Harris say about it?
Anyone for a cup of tea?
- Can we sort out the blood thing first? - Forget it. None of us understands it.
The best thing for us is if she’s found guilty!
You’re a bastard, Mark!
Why are they taking so long?
Michael.
If I go in...
"(whispers)" ..I think we should get a divorce.
Nonsense. I won’t dignify that by discussing it.
- You couldn’t handle things on your own. - Rubbish.
Mr Foreman, if you’ll be good enough to stand.
Mr Foreman, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
are you unanimously agreed upon your verdict?
We are.
Do you find the accused, Alice Lynne Chamberlain,
guilty or not guilty of murder?
Guilty.
- Is that the verdict of you all? - Yes.
Bastards!
Thank you, Mr Foreman. You may sit down.
Alice Lynne Chamberlain, you have been found guilty of murder.
There is only one sentence I can pass on you,
that you be imprisoned, with hard labour, for life.
- Guilty! - "(whistling and cheering)"
- What’s life in this town? - For ever.
Watch him, he’s going to fall.
- Do you believe I’m innocent? Do you? - Yes, Michael. I do.
- Then how can they do this to us? - They don’t know you.
The prison car has arrived.
Mrs Chamberlain.
This is ridiculous.
It’s ridiculous.
I love you.
I can’t be without you.
You’re gonna have to now, love. And the boys need you.
The dingo was innocent!
ln a sensational conclusion to the most talked-about case
in Australian legal history,
Alice Lynne Chamberlain was today found guilty
of the murder of her daughter Azaria,
and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour.
Her husband Michael was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder.
Sentencing for Mr Chamberlain was postponed
until court resumes tomorrow am.
Gran, what’s going on?
Chief Justice Muirhead sentenced Michael Chamberlain to 18 months in prison
after he’d been found guilty of being an accessory to murder.
The judge suspended Michael’s 18-month sentence
in, he said, the interests of the motherless boys.
Placing Mr Chamberlain on a three-year bond...
What about the fuckin’ mother? Kids need their mothers.
Daddy! Daddy!
The government has again refused Lindy Chamberlain’s appeal
to keep her baby with her after the birth in Berrimah prison
where she is serving a life sentence for the murder of her daughter Azaria.
That’s it. One more push.
One more. Good. Good.
Good girl.
- "(nurse)" It’s a girl. - Good girl.
It’s a girl.
- It’s a girl. - Can we get a picture?
Here we go, Mrs Chamberlain. She’s yours to hold for one hour.
That’s all, I’m afraid.
You have to put your hand under her neck, like this.
All right, mate. I know.
Reagan. Bring us a towel, there’s a boy.
Come on, mate. I’m not very good at this.
Lindy and Michael Chamberlain lost their high court appeal today
on a vote of three to two,
ending over two years of legal and political battles.
(Michael) I am bitterly disappointed at the decision that’s been made today.
I’d like to affirm that Lindy and I are innocent people,
and that we will not stop fighting until our names are clear.
I’d like to thank those members of the public...
Jeez, talk about flogging a dead horse.
Finally, this case isn’t over...
Mummy! Mummy!
- There she is! - Mummy!
- There’s your mummy. - There’s Mummy.
Wave to Mummy. Let Mummy have a look at you.
"(Aidan)" Kahlia, there’s Mummy!
- There’s Mummy. - Mamma.
That’s your mummy.
Why do you believe there is such a surge of support for the Chamberlains,
despite the constant legal affirmation of their guilt?
Legal processes have prevented the previous submission
of much of the evidence we now present.
For example, it proves that the reagent used
to detect the presence of foetal blood, in the car and on the bag,
was not suitable for the purpose.
That’s supported in writing by the West German manufacturers of the reagent.
As for the spray pattern found under the dashboard, the “arterial spray”,
we’ve discovered the same pattern in 11 other similar model Toranas.
The substance isn’t blood.
It’s believed to be sound-deadeners applied in manufacture.
As regards the dingoes, further examination has shown...
The arterial spray was the same spray they had on 11 other modeIs!
Stop! We’re not having another dinner party ruined by those people.
I don’t care what new evidence you’ve got. She’s guilty.
He must have fallen from up there.
Stupid bastard, trying to climb that side.
Jeez, the dingoes have had a go.
Hey, look!
Five and a half years after the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain,
- "police have found what is believed..." - Lindy, come and Iook.
The jacket was found during a search of the area
where the body of a fallen climber was discovered by a tourist.
The body was found 150 metres from the spot
where Azaria’s jump suit was found in 1980.
From Ayers Rock, police have found an article of clothing
which may be connected with the Azaria Chamberlain case.
There is a possibility it is the matinee jacket
Lindy claimed Azaria was wearing on the night of her death over five years ago.
The find is considered by the Chamberlains’ attorney to be significant.
The absence of the matinee jacket was crucial in Lindy’s conviction.
The situation with the jacket is that tests will be carried out in Melbourne,
to determine if it is the same jacket
Mrs Chamberlain claimed her daughter was wearing.
Why has Mrs Chamberlain been released before any tests have been conducted?
The jacket’s discovery has no bearing on my decision to release Mrs Chamberlain.
- What is your decision based on? - It has been on compassionate grounds.
Here she comes! Here she comes!
Oh, look. We’re here.
Oh, Michael, look at the ribbons!
Mum!
Mum! Welcome home, Mum.
Are you really here for good, Mum?
For good and ever, love.
For good and ever.
(applause)
Thank you.
Oh, look at this!
Oh, how beautiful!
Look at the flowers.
Where’s Reagan and Kahlia?
They’re supposed to be here. Jan was looking after them.
Take me a while to get this organised.
I’ll never find anything.
Not too soon. You might get culture shock.
- "(door slams)" - Mummy! Mummy!
Oh, Reagan. Oh, darling.
Hello, Kahlia.
Hello, darling. Don’t you look lovely?
- Such a pretty dress. - Mummy made it in jail.
This is Mummy, darling. She’s back.
Real mummy?
Real mummy.
Why don’t you give her a big hug and a kiss?
That’s all right.
We’ve got plenty of time for that. Plenty of time for that.
Today we can rejoice with the family as we welcome Lindy home.
Words are totally inadequate to say how we feel,
to express our gratitude for your love and your care and your prayers.
It reaches out to us like a blanket. It surrounds us.
It’s totally tangible.
The fight for justice has only just started.
You may think it’s over, but, believe me, it’s only just beginning.
It’s not only for us, for our freedom and to clear our name.
But it’s for all Australians.
We never wanna see this happen in Australia again.
God bless you all and be with you.
(applause)
# Praise God from whom all blessings flow
# Praise him all creatures here below
# Praise him above in heavenly host
# Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
# Amen
Michael, now that Lindy’s out of jail, why are you still fighting?
(Michael) I don’t think a lot of people realise
how important innocence is to innocent people.
September 15 1988
Eight years after the disappearance of baby Azaria,
Lindy and Michael Chamberlain finally won the fight to prove their innocence.
All three judges of the Northern Territory Court of Appeals
exonerated the Chamberlains of all charges.
The fight to restore their lives continues.