A COURT in Australia’s Northern Territory has found that a wild dingo dog was responsible for the death of nine-week-old baby Azaria Chamberlain in 1980. In a case that divided opinion in Australia and made worldwide headlines, Azaria’s mother, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, was jailed for her daughter’s murder in 1982, and her husband Michael was given a suspended sentence for being an accessory after the fact. Since the child disappeared on August 17th, 1980, there have been four coronial inquiries, a murder trial and a royal commission into the case. Ms Chamberlain-Creighton was freed in 1986 after the discovery of new evidence, but her conviction was not quashed until September 1988. Now, almost 32 years on, the family finally has a death certificate for their child which no longer records the cause of death as “unknown”. Coroner Elizabeth Morris told a packed courtroom in the city of Darwin yesterday that a dingo took Azaria from a campsite at Uluru (then known as Ayers Rock). Ms Morris’s voice wavered and she held back tears as she delivered her findings. “Please accept my sincere sympathy on the loss and death of your special and loved daughter and sister, Azaria,” she said to Azaria’s family. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Time does not remove the pain and sadness of the death of a child.” Ms Morris said scientific evidence that was previously misrepresented, combined with subsequent evidence about other unprovoked dingo attacks on children, led to the new finding. She said that, on the balance of probabilities, new evidence relating to dingo attacks “excludes all other reasonable possibilities”. “Azaria Chamberlain died at Uluru on August 17th, 1980, and the cause of her death was as the result of being taken by a dingo,” Ms Morris said. Speaking outside the court with their son Aidan, Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and Michael Chamberlain said justice had been done. “Today I heard coroner Morris speak for the dead on behalf of the living,” Mr Chamberlain said. “You can get justice even when you think that all is lost but you must have truth on your side. This has been a terrifying battle . . . but now some healing and a chance to put our daughter’s spirit to rest.” Mr Chamberlain thanked the “courageous and independent” coroner, saying he was told he would never get justice in the Northern Territory. “We have fought a justice system that left one senior justice officer telling me ”˜You will never get justice in a Northern Territory jurisdiction’,” he said. “Well, now the truth is out.” Ms Chamberlain-Creighton warned people to be wary of dingoes. “No longer will Australia be able to say that dingoes are not dangerous and will only attack if provoked. We live in a beautiful country but it is dangerous and we’d ask all Australians to be aware of this,” she said.Azaria would have turned 32 two days ago. Source
