Murder in the family

Jeffrey Gilham walked out of prison yesterday and into the arms of his wife after serving three years for murder. She never doubted his innocence for a minute and has been relentless in telling anyone who would listen, that it was his brother Christopher and not her husband, who murdered his parents 18 years ago. Earlier yesterday, in a packed courtroom, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Gilham’s murder convictions and ordered a retrial. But it’s not over yet, Gilham is out on bail awaiting a possible third trial.

An expert witness in the 2008 murder trial has conceded that he was not fully qualified to give evidence about low levels of carbon monoxide in the blood - an area that was crucial to Gilham's defence, a court has heard.

Jeffrey and Christopher with their parents

But there will be one man who won’t be joining in with family and friends as they celebrate his release, “Mad Uncle Tony” thinks that Jeffrey is guilty of killing his brother and sister-in-law and went to great lengths to prove it. One of Uncle Tony’s brothers told him to forget about it and stop wasting his money but another brother living in the US, now deceased, sent him money to finance his quest to put Jeffrey behind bars. And it worked.

At first it seemed like an open and shut case. When Jeffrey entered the house he saw his brother Christopher standing over their mother with a lit match in his hand. “I’ve killed mum and dad” Christopher said before setting his mother’s body alight. Outraged by what he had done, Jeffrey killed him. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter of his brother on the grounds of grave provocation and the plea was accepted and he was sentenced to a five year good behaviour bond.

Uncle Tony and nephew Jeffrey

It was all done and dusted until "Mad Uncle Tony" (as he likes to describe himself), decided the evidence didn’t stack up - he believed Jeffrey fooled everyone and people should remember there was a $900,000 inheritance involved. He went to Sixty Minutes who highlighted several inconsistencies in the forensic evidence and after fresh information came to light in February 2006, 13 years later, Jeffrey Gilham was charged with the murder of his parents. The jury couldn’t agree and he walked free but the jury of his second trial found him guilty and he was sentenced to life in prison. Uncle Tony said “I’m so pleased the jury worked it out, I’m so pleased they worked out fact from fiction.”

So how does Uncle Tony feel about his nephew’s release yesterday? He's furious that “the killer can be let out to walk the streets of Sydney” he said. In a few weeks time, he would provide his own “new evidence” to the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions which he claims will add another twist to the story. “I want Jeffrey and his supporters to know it’s not over yet, I’ve seen the photos of what Jeffrey did to my family members and it’s not a pretty picture” he said.