GUILTY Australia - Stephanie Scott, 26, Leeton, NSW, 5 April 2015 - #3

[Pi Thoughts]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-31/stephanie-scott-marcus-stanford-pleads-guilty/7287150

Marcus Stanford has pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the murder of Leeton schoolteacher Stephanie Scott.

Stanford is the twin brother of Vincent Stanford, who is accused of raping and murdering Ms Scott, 26, last year.

Thanks Trooper...reading through this article it states that

"Today, VS sexual assault charge was withdrawn and replaced with another charge that has not been publicly made known"

Any thoughts on that??

 

[Fuskier]

FYI
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-31/stephanie-scott-marcus-stanford-pleads-guilty/7287150

... Vincent Stanford, a 25-year-old cleaner at Leeton High School, was arrested four days after her disappearance. He was charged with sexually assaulting and murdering Ms Scott.

Today, Vincent Stanford's sexual assault charge was withdrawn and was replaced with another charge that has not been publicly made known.:waitasec:

 

[Fuskier]

FYI
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-3...guilty/7287150

Vincent Stanford was committed for arraignment in the Supreme Court on May 6, 2016.

Marcus Stanford is expected to be sentenced in May.

 

[Pi Thoughts]

FYI
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-31/stephanie-scott-marcus-stanford-pleads-guilty/7287150

... Vincent Stanford, a 25-year-old cleaner at Leeton High School, was arrested four days after her disappearance. He was charged with sexually assaulting and murdering Ms Scott.

Today, Vincent Stanford's sexual assault charge was withdrawn and was replaced with another charge that has not been publicly made known.:waitasec:

SNAP...Fuskier

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Could it be after death, *interference with a corpse* in a sexual manner? :thinking:

 

[Fuskier]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Twin brother of the man accused of murdering teacher Stephanie Scott pleads guilty to helping conceal the crime

By JENNY AWFORD
11:14 EST, 31 March 2016.

"Both brothers appeared at Griffith Local Court, north east of Canberra, where Vincent's sexual assault charge was withdrawn and replaced with another charge that is not publicly known".

Marcus Stanford, 25, admitted to helping conceal the crime...

 

[Fuskier]

SNAP...Fuskier

Snap Pi. I was trying to find an appropriate icon to express surprise and questioning why it is not publicly known.

 

[Fuskier]

Could it be after death, *interference with a corpse* in a sexual manner? :thinking:

Likely IMHO.

 

[Beesknees]

Justice is coming!

In Loving Memory of Stephanie Scott :rose:

 

[Trooper]

I have no idea why it is 'not publicly known'.. crime is a public matter, courts are public events, ... it is baffling.

I can hardly imagine it would be not publicly known due to some sexual content. .. this is not the habit of the courts, the charge would have to be one that is on the books, for starters, therefore he could be charged with it, whatever it is, it is a public process.

The legality of accusing someone of a crime, is that someone has already thought it thru what can be considered a crime of seriousness as to attract a legal labelling. So .. the charge itself isn't mysterious, merely the publication of it. Baffling to the max.. I wonder if, .. there is an ambience of further discussion on the actual charge, whatever it is.. I cannot work out what the reason for non publication is. If there is doubt he surely shouldn't be charged , if he is charged with a crime , and he cant be, unless it's on the NSW Legal book, then it's public. I cant think of any other occasion when a person is charged with a crime that is relegated to non publication.

oh well. ..

 

[Fuskier]

http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/3822334/stanford-trial-date-set-for-may/?cs=148

Stanford trial date set for May
By MONIQUE PATTERSON AND HANNAH HIGGINS
March 31, 2016, 11:18 a.m.

... Mr Davidge agreed the brief was an accurate representation of the facts.

"Certain details of the murder of Ms Scott have been suppressed due to the distressing nature of the content".

A REQUEST by Vincent Stanford’s solicitor David Davidge to have the case adjourned was rejected in Griffith Local Court on Thursday morning...
Mr Davidge requested the adjournment to allow his client to be assessed to see whether he is fit to stand trial.
Prosecutor Virginia Morgan objected to the request. “This could go on for months potentially,” she said...

The latest chapter in the tragic disappearance and murder of Ms Scott comes just days before the anniversary of her disappearance.

Vincent to stand trial on May 6 and Marcus to be sentenced on May 4, 2016...

 

[Fuskier]

FYI
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r/news-story/621908499109e2d8fcb085373c0f5df4

Vincent Stanford’s lawyer David Davidge said he had not yet been assessed by Corrective Services and asked for the case to be adjourned so he could be examined in regards to his “fitness” before entering a plea.

Magistrate Katherine Thompson, however, ordered that he be committed to stand trial without entering a plea...

 

[Fuskier]

FYI

Melinda HayterVerified account ‏@MelindaHayter 8m8 minutes ago
Evidence tendered to court re: #StephanieScott murder includes Facebook conversations and phone calls between Vincent & Marcus Stanford

Melinda Hayter ‏@MelindaHayter 2h2 hours ago
Vincent Stanford committed for arraignment in Supreme Court on May 6 for murder and a fresh charge laid yesterday #StephanieScott

Melinda Hayter ‏@MelindaHayter 2h2 hours ago
Marcus Stanford is expected to be committed for sentence in the #Griffith District Court on May 2nd

 

[Trooper]

FYI
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r/news-story/621908499109e2d8fcb085373c0f5df4

Vincent Stanford’s lawyer David Davidge said he had not yet been assessed by Corrective Services and asked for the case to be adjourned so he could be examined in regards to his “fitness” before entering a plea.

Magistrate Katherine Thompson, however, ordered that he be committed to stand trial without entering a plea...

BBM for clarity...

Interesting, Fuskier.. that he 'hasn't been assessed'.... . I'm thinking that there has been no decision on an assessment having to be made, that he isn't presenting as handicapped, in the Aspergers/Autism spectrum.. so far. God alone knows what the lawyer means by an 'outstanding assessment', whether that means one that is spectacularly good, or one that is long overdue...

And that he ( Vincent) hasn't entered a plea ... . Which he is entitled to do, I don't argue that, but it all adds to the mystery, I suppose, along with the 'non publicised' charge that was laid down this morning.

 

[Trooper]

At least, it seems clear , that Markus's involvement was after the murder, not before or during , which honestly, I expected it to be. .. .. at his trial , it will be made known by the sentencing explanations as to exactly what he did do, and when. ....

I would think there would be a charge of misleading the police, assisting a criminal, refusal to respond to police enquiries, particularly since she was not found for a week, and Markus knew she was dead and probably where her body was.. it's reasonable to suppose that. Along with the secondary theft stuff.

What a pair of nasty swine these two twin brothers are. ..

It seems odd to me that this was their first venture into crime... starting off with murder doesn't leave one with anywhere else to go but down, really..

 

[Fuskier]

http://www.canowindranews.com.au/st...y-to-murder-of-teacher-stephanie-scott/?cs=12

CANOWINDRA NEWS Thursday 31st March 2016.

Marcus Stanford pleads guilty to being an accessory to murder of teacher Stephanie Scott
By Emma Partridge(SMH).

Marcus Stanford, 24, pleaded guilty to the charge at Griffith Local Court on Thursday morning.
The police charge sheet says that Marcus "did assist" his identical twin brother Vincent between April 8 and April 31.

Police allege Ms Scott was murdered by Vincent between 1.40pm and 2pm on April 5...

 

[pixiegrrl]

I don't have a source as i saw it on the news (abc), they said the replacement charge is deprivation of liberty. I find this really odd, especially after looking this charge up, which apparently is only a misdemeanor and it only carries a 3 year term. I'm assuming there's no evidence that VS sexually assaulted SS at all. But why go from aggravated sexual assault (rape plus some), to something that barely raises an eyebrow in comparison. The sexual assault charge imo was the big 'motive' for someone with no criminal record suddenly turning to murder.

I also find it strange that VS opted to enter no plea, and there is no psychiatric assessment, and the option for one before trial has been rejected.

These 2 anomalies, (as far as i've read and sleuthed) have no criminal records, no 'real' (non-anecdotal) history of violence or aggression, actually VS's neighbours seemed to give him a glowing character reference, bypassed every crime in the book and went straight to murder, and the other an accessory after the fact. *scratching my head*

It was also mentioned that MS is a lot larger than VS, so those eyewitness accounts may leave a bit to be desired too. So neither have a history of violence or even a minor criminal record, VS was so non-descript in a small country town that he went undetected despite having 3 (?!) cleaning jobs, there is now no motive and VS isn't saying anything and no psyc assessment has been or will be done. My concern is that they may actually botch this case!

 

[pixiegrrl]

on another note, though it may be wise to sentence MS before VS's trial to strengthen their case, wouldn't his sentencing be almost entirely dependant on the outcome of VS's verdict? What if he's found not guilty, or guilty of a lesser charge?

 

[Oz Jen]

So, MS pleads guilty to being an accessory to murder and admits he "did assist" VS...
But VS does not enter a plea.

Sexual assault charge dropped and replaced by another undisclosed charge. So there goes that motive.

Davidge says VS has not yet had psychiatric assessment by Corrective Services. Hello, you had one job!
But wait, wasn't the initial delay requested and granted so that assessments could be sourced and translated from overseas??

All very confusing.

 

[Fuskier]

I don't have a source as i saw it on the news (abc), they said the replacement charge is deprivation of liberty. I find this really odd, especially after looking this charge up, which apparently is only a misdemeanor and it only carries a 3 year term. I'm assuming there's no evidence that VS sexually assaulted SS at all. But why go from aggravated sexual assault (rape plus some), to something that barely raises an eyebrow in comparison. The sexual assault charge imo was the big 'motive' for someone with no criminal record suddenly turning to murder.

I also find it strange that VS opted to enter no plea, and there is no psychiatric assessment, and the option for one before trial has been rejected.

These 2 anomalies, (as far as i've read and sleuthed) have no criminal records, no 'real' (non-anecdotal) history of violence or aggression, actually VS's neighbours seemed to give him a glowing character reference, bypassed every crime in the book and went straight to murder, and the other an accessory after the fact. *scratching my head*

It was also mentioned that MS is a lot larger than VS, so those eyewitness accounts may leave a bit to be desired too. So neither have a history of violence or even a minor criminal record, VS was so non-descript in a small country town that he went undetected despite having 3 (?!) cleaning jobs, there is now no motive and VS isn't saying anything and no psyc assessment has been or will be done. My concern is that they may actually botch this case!

Offering some comments from a non-legal WS:
We don't know the contents of the evidence brief due to sub judice. VS has been charged with murder, has been arraigned for trial, so the Magistrate determined there was sufficient evidence to commit him for trial. However, he is still considered an innocent man before the Law at this stage, until convicted following trial in a court of law. He is entitled to a Defense as we know. Potentially, his legal representative has opened the door for an 'assessment as to his fitness for trial', but the Magistrate ensured that the absence of such an assessment would not hold up the legal process of the case - as the Defense had plenty of time over this past year to secure an assessment of this nature. The onus is on the Defense to secure such an assessment.
However, the non-publicised changes could potentially leave the door open to interpretations on murder vs manslaughter i.e accidental death, killing without intent, etc. The burning of the body obliterated much evidence IMO. This may pose some difficulty for the prosecution, but then circumstantial evidence may come into play. This will be interesting as we've had months of silence, then we find that the aggravated sexual assault charges have been dropped and new charges applied, but the nature of these new charges have not been publicized.
One article http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/ stated that the reason for the non-publication was:
"Certain details of the murder of Ms Scott have been suppressed due to the distressing nature of the content". I recall that msn stated that police found photographs of a body on VS's phone. Were there other photographs? before the body was burned? after the body was burned? Much to learn about this case yet IMO.