Revisiting Knight’s Sentence Terms of 1988
Back on 10th November 1988, the then Supreme Court of Victoria’s sentencing justice Justice George Hampel AM QC, sentenced Julian Knight thus (pertinent extracted transcripts):
“..Accordingly, you are sentenced to be imprisoned for Life in respect of each of the seven counts of murder. For each of the 46 counts of attempted murder, you are sentenced to be imprisoned for ten years. These terms will be served concurrently with each other and concurrently with the Life sentences.
In my view, the fixing of a minimum term in this case is appropriate because of your age and your prospects of rehabilitation, as well as the other mitigatory facts I have already mentioned which justify some amelioration of your sentence, not only in your interest, but in the interest of this community. Dr Bartholomew (the testifying forensic psychiatrist as expert witness) was confident that, having regard to the crimes which you have committed, it is most unlikely that a decision to release you would be made if, after a very thorough investigation, there was any doubt about your presenting a danger to the community.
In fixing the minimum term, it is necessary to ensure that it does not destroy the punitive effect of the head sentences. On the other hand, in a case such as this an unduly high minimum term would defeat the main purpose for which it is fixed, namely your rehabilitation and possible release at a time when you would still be able to adjust to life in the community. In all the circumstances, I consider that the appropriate minimum term before which you will not be eligible for parole is 27 years.”
Julian Knight’s non-parole minimum prison term was therefore due to expire 27 years from 1987 in 2014, subject to the conditions prescribed, that is, effective rehabilitation take place such that the Parole Board deeming Knight presents no danger to the community.
3AW Neil Mitchell’s Graphic Hate Campaign
In 2011, three years ahead of Julian Knight’s scheduled finish to his minimum 27-year prison sentence and eligibility for parole (due in 2014), opinionated and influential radio ‘talk-back host’ Neil Mitchell with the blessing and funding of his employer Melbourne-based commercial Radio Station 3AW, instigated a conserted public propaganda campaign to prevent Julian Knight from ever being released from prison. Let’s term it Mitchell’s ‘Never Release Knight Campaign‘. It has basically been a prejudiced vindictive hate campaign against Knight by Mitchell, who has arrogantly over the years been critical, opiniated, rude and dismissive of many on-air, and so has deserved the notorious reputation of being Melbourne radio’s ‘shock jock‘.
Glaringly obvious by omisson of Mitchell’s rhetoric has been Mitchell’s failure to connect Knight’s Duntroon bastardisation that could any way be contributory or culpable for Knight’s state of mind within weeks of Knight’s coerced resignation from Duntroon and immediately spurned from The Australian Army.
Mitchell garnered support from a former arresting police officer of Julian Knight in 1987 and from the Melbourne community to pressure the incumbent Victoria Liberal Premier to enact targeted ‘amendment’ legislation design specifically to permanently prevent Julian Knight’s judicial right to parole.
Mitchell’s researchers at 3AW cited the legislative precedent of Victorian convicted violent criminal the late Garry David, who had been sentenced in 1982 for three attempted murders and was due to be released at the expiry of his sentence in February 1991. The Victorian Government, after some lobbying by members of the public and the media, came to the view that if Garry David was released he would likely represent a danger to members of the public. So in 1990 ahead Garry David’s scheduled release, the Victorian Government drafted a Bill and passed The Community Protection Act 1990. This was a targeted ‘one-man’ law specifically to keep Garry David in perpetual custody (in case he commited future crimes).
Neil Mitchell latched on to this legislative precedent in order to politically lobby the Liberal Party government to apply likewise to Julian Knight. It may be because Mitchell began his radio talk-back programme co-incidentally in 1987 and reported on the Hoddle Street Shootings.
Mitchell’s continued his radio on-air lobbying against Knight, using his very, very close association with Victoria Police to regularly interview police on air, including special access to those former police Sergeant Peter Butts, Constable John Delahunty and Homicide Squad detective Graham Kent who in 1987 had personally attended the Hoddle street crime scene at the time of the shooting, else shortly afterwards.
A key influential tactic of Mitchell’s Never Release Knight Campaign involved inviting former police officers, emergency responders, victims and witnessess to account on air radio about graphic description of the carnage they had observed 26 years ago at the Hoddle street crime scene.
Mitchell interviewed the Police Chief Commissioner at the time of the shooting, Kel Glare, who stated public on air graphically of the horrific gunshot carnage:
“My vivid memory is of a young woman sitting in a car with the door hanging open, half her face missing and the street light glinting off the diamond on her engagement ring, and that young woman had a baby,” he told Radio 3AW. “There was another chap still seated at the wheel of his car, hands gripping the wheel, and shot stone dead.”
Whilst the descriptive facts of the carnage were likely real (as in war), it was immoral for Radio 3AW to radio-broadcast such graphic violence knowing that it would likely be offensive, shocking and disturbing to most listeners; particularly to children who may have been listening.
Mitchell’s radio programme ‘Mornings with Neil Mitchell‘ is currently aired weekdays between 8:30am and midday across the greater Melbourne metropolitan area and wider into regional Victoria. The programme is also downloadable by podcast, so able to be listened to at any later time 24/7 by anyone, anywhere globally.
It is likely that such violent graphic content facilitated and aired by 3AW’s programme ‘Mornings with Neil Mitchell‘ would have breached Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) standards, code of practice and the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. Such ‘shock jock’ techniques are immoral, yet employed to garner public suppprt for Mitchell’s hate campaign against Julian Knight to politically interfere with the judiciary – that is, Justice Hampel’s sentencing decision terms imposed on Knight originally back in 1988.
Mitchell’s uses his Political Power
Over the years since 1987, radio talk back presenter Neil Mitchell has built up his influential connections with politicians, particularly with Liberal politicians to lobby his agendas.
On 29th July 2011, then Victorian Liberal Premier, The Hon. Edward (Ted) Norman Baillieu MP, was clearly pressured on air by Radio 3AW shock jock Neil Mitchell (pro-Liberal Party) to pass specific legislation to deny prisoner Julian Knight ever getting parole or being released from prison. Mitchell pushed for a ‘one-man statute to target Julian Knight having had his content researchers with Radio 3AW discover the precedent of such targeted legislation to deny the release of Victorian convict Garry David [Read about this separate legal case].
Watch and listen to Mitchell’s relevant video below. Presumably, after this webpage gains traction, 3AW is expected to slyly remove it from YouTube.
Ted Baillieu was then Premier of Victoria (2nd December 2010 – 6th March 2013). He resisted Mitchell’s on-air bullying – pressuring and entrapment by arranging the arresting police officer of Julian Knight challenge Baillieu unprepared:
“Either he (Knight) comes out or a law is passed to keep him in”
Premier Baillieu correctly retorted to Mitchell:
“I am not going to draft legislation in the studio”
Then Mitchell brought on air key support for his condemnation campaign by allowing the original arresting police officer Constable John Delahunty to interogate Premier Baillieu on teh issiue of passing a ‘one-man’ nere to be be release Act against Knight. It was entrapment stitch-up bullying of Premier Bailieu live on-air by Mitchell.
But Mitchell had fueled a mindset to set the legislative train in motion, to have his Liberal mates enact a “one-man” targeted Bill to keep Knight permanently in prison. It was all very public a political campaign by Mitchell on live ‘on-air’ radio.
The timing was a year prior to the lead up to the Victorian State election in December 2014. Premier Baillieu was forced to resign citing a general loss of confidence by cabinet ministers and more broadly by the Liberal Party in Baillieu’s leadership ability and perceived inability to retain power after the following election. Baillieu also immediately stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria.
Baillieu was immediately replaced succeeded by The Hon. Dr Denis Vincent Napthine MP as Premier of Victoria (6 March 2013 – 4 December 2014). But then unelected Napthine subsequently lost the November 2014 state election to the Daniel Andrews Labor government. Following Baillieu, Napthine also immediately stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria. Napthine is a doctor of veterinary science – hardly a prerequisite for good government. Baillieu was an architect, but at least he had been motivated to the Liberals because he was pissed off with costly, pro-Labor union militancy impacting his building sites.
