Brisbane's Arcade Murder - Dr Bob Moles speaks to Courier Mail

30/9/2016 Courier Mail Queensland//brisbane-arcade-murder

Shae McDonald (AAP), The Courier-Mail

September 30, 2016 12:01am
Extract:
Brisbane Arcade Murder: Renewed calls to appeal Reginald Brown’s conviction
D Moles established the research group Networked Knowledge 16 years ago and also co-founded the Miscarriages of Justice Project at Flinders University in South Australia.
He told Australian Story he thought it likely police “got the wrong person” when they convicted Brown of Ms Armstrong’s murder.

The former law professor told The Courier-Mail there were certain features about Brown’s trial that were “very unsatisfactory”.

Dr Moles said in order for a conviction to be set aside on appeal, a court needed to be satisfied there were errors at trial, not whether the evidence pointed to a person being guilty or innocent.

“The question is did the person have a fair trial,” he said.

Dr Moles said there were several pieces of physical evidence used during the original court case that “raised alarm bells”.

One of them was the fact Ms Armstrong’s body was “infested” with ants.

Dr Moles said the logical question to ask was where they came from.

“There wasn’t an ants nest within the medical room or medical centre,” he said.

“What it would tell me is that it’s likely she was attacked and either disabled or killed somewhere else, where there were ants.

“Her body was subsequently moved to the medical rooms, with the ants on board.”

Legal Experts Doubt Reg Brown's Guilt - 1947 ''Arcade Murder''

ABC News2016-09-26/brisbane-arcade-murder-conviction-in-doubt-after-70-years/7854892

Australian Story

By Jennifer Feller

Abridged version highlighting key points:

 A lawyer specialising in miscarriages of justice has cast doubt on the murder conviction of a Brisbane man 70 years ago.

In the 1947 case that shocked the nation, 50-year-old accountant Reginald Brown was found guilty of asphyxiating his 19-year-old secretary Bronia Armstrong in his Brisbane office.
However, after studying the case, Dr Bob Moles from Flinders University's Miscarriages of Justice Project has questioned the conduct of the trial.
"I would say Reginald Brown did not get a fair trial by today's standards and he did not get a fair trial by yesterday's standards," Dr Moles told Australian Story.

Photo: The "Arcade Murders" became front page news across the country in 1947. (Supplied: Deb Drummond)

He said police displayed tunnel vision by focusing their investigation solely on Brown.
"One of the most disturbing things about the case is the fact that the young girl was found at about 9:30 in the morning, and Reginald Brown had been charged with her murder by 6:00pm," Dr Moles said.
"In a circumstantial case, the prosecution should establish there is no other rational explanation consistent with the innocence of the accused."
Brown was tried and convicted within seven weeks of the murder and received a life sentence with hard labour.
Nine days later, Brown hanged himself in his jail cell at Brisbane's Boggo Road Gaol.
A handwritten note was found next to his body in which he proclaimed his innocence.

Police 'got the wrong man': Dr Moles

Key evidence in the prosecution case were the injuries to Brown's hands and fingernails.
He told police he was assaulted by two men the night before Miss Armstrong's body was found on the floor of his Brisbane office.
He said during the attack his hands were bitten.

Photo: Wallace Bishop Arcade. (Supplied: State Library of Queensland)

Police dismissed the assault as "fantastic" and alleged Brown sustained the injuries as Miss Armstrong fought off a sexual advance before her death.
But Dr Moles said the crime scene evidence failed to support the police theory.
"If Bronia had been involved in the altercation with Reg, then I would have expected to find significant damage — blood transfer to Bronia's fingernails and teeth, and bruises to her face and hands. None of that was present," he said.
He said police "got the wrong person".
Dr Moles, who played a key role in the successful campaign to quash the conviction of Adelaide man Henry Keogh, said the Brown conviction could be successfully appealed.

Bitten hands, cuts 'a sign of defence wounds'

Former Queensland detective Alicia Bennett — who has written a book about the case — has no doubt Brown was the murderer, saying his injuries are consistent with the police case.

"The fingernails being bitten, cuts on his knees, these are all significant defence wounds," she said.

Leading forensic pathologist Dr Byron Collins, however, disagreed.
"On the information presently available, if the injuries to Reg Brown's hands are indeed bite marks, they are more likely to have been sustained during an assault than as a result of Bronia Armstrong fending him off," he said after examining transcripts of the court evidence.

Family secret revealed

 

Brisbane's Arcade Murder - Radio Interviews

Monday 26 Sept. 7.40 am - Deb  speaking with Alan Jones - 2GB and 4BC

                             10.20 am - Jan speaking with Jasmin Midley - ABC Sunshine Coast (90.3)

                            12.40 pm Eastern Jan with 720 ABC Perth with Geoff Hutchinson

                             3.35 pm Deb on ABC 612 Drive

Shadow of Doubt - ABC Australian Story

ABC Australian Story 'Shadow of Doubt' 
When we set out to learn more about our grandfather's 1947 murder conviction and the untimely death of 19 year-old Bronia Armstrong, we assumed our findings would remain firmly within the family circle. Initially, our primary goal was to help older family members better understand the workings of the ''ópen and shut'' case that had devastated their young lives. However, very early on we discovered our grandfather, Reg Brown, was not only denied a voice, but was sentenced to life imprisonment with unprecedented speed. Nine days later he too died.
The more we uncovered, the more determined we became to re-present this case to the public. It loomed as an overwhelming task going well beyond our skill set and only became a reality due to the encouragement and support received from veteran investigative journalist/author, Bob Bottom. After reading our material, Bob firmly believed that the telling of this story was not only important for the family but in the public interest.
Never did we imagine our family project would one day appear on Australian Story!
Program to go to air on Monday 26 September.
With sincere thanks to all who have made this possible,
Deb and Jan 
https://twitter.com/AustralianStory 

ABC Australian Story Jan and Deb 

Shadow of Doubt Press Release 
 

Networked Knowledge - Intriguing case of David Joe Szach

Coming up on Sunday 18 Sept 2016 at 8am with Damien Carrick on ABC Radio National Background Briefing –

the intriguing case of David Joe Szach - another of South Australia's mystery cases:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/2016-09-18/7848700 

 Robert N Moles

Networked Knowledge and
Flinders University Miscarriages of Justice Project

Web: http://netk.net.au

1938 Disappearance of Marjorie Norval

Bob Burton, former prison warder and police officer, has conducted extensive research into the 1938 disappearance of Brisbane resident Marjorie Norval. Miss Norval,  personal assistant to the then Premier's wife, walked into Central Railway Station and was allegedly never seen again.
Several political and legal figures associated with Marjorie's case and also high profile police officers attached to the investigation would also appear in the case of 19 year old Bronia Armstrong, whose body was discovered in 1947 in the Brisbane CBD.

For anyone wishing to learn more about the sad and mysterious disappearance of Marjorie Norval and the police investigation and Coroner's Inquiry that ensued please visit Bob's very informative website. 
 Marjorie Norval Disappearance

Lingering Doubts - Angus & Robertson, Brookside Shopping Centre

Thank you to Jane, Josh, Natalie and Andrew from Angus and Robertson, Brookside. What a popular bookshop!...and I can see why...your customer service is second to none! And huge thanks to all the interesting folk who stopped to talk about the story behind Lingering Doubts. 
Furthermore, I felt extremely privileged that so many of you were willing to share your own private stories with me.
Many thanks also to the staff at Boolarong Press.
Deb