Clea Rose (29 January 1984-20 August 2005) was an Australian university student who died after a hit-and-run crime in 2005. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A talented student, she was struck by a car driven by an underage driver who was being pursued by local police. She died three weeks later from a catastrophic brain injury. Brain damage, or Acquired brain injury, is the destruction or degeneration of Brain cells.
The incident saw criminal charges laid against the driver of the car and two passengers, but also saw major public recriminations against the Australian Federal Police as to whether their pursuit had played some role in Rose's death. The Australian Federal Police (AFP is the Federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. An internal police inquiry found that the police had acted according to procedures, but a full coronial inquest began on 7 May 2007 to examine the broader causes of the incident. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Karen Fryar was appointed coroner for the inquest. A coroner is an official responsible for investigating deaths particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances and determining the cause of death
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Rose was raised in Canberra, and attended Lyneham High School and Dickson College, before embarking upon a tourism management degree at the University of Canberra. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. Lyneham High School is a Secondary school in Canberra founded in 1959 Dickson College is a two-year secondary college located in the Canberra suburb of Dickson Australian Capital Territory. The University of Canberra, also known as UC, is a University located in Canberra, ACT, the capital of Australia. She was a keen traveller, having visited South Africa, Laos, Bali, the Cook Islands and two trips to Europe. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Bali is an Indonesian Island located at, the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. Before her death, she had recently returned from an exchange semester at Colorado State University in the United States. Colorado State University is a public institution of higher learning located in Fort Collins, Colorado in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A successful student with a distinction average, she was six months shy of graduating. [1][2]
Early in the morning of 30 July 2005, two weeks after returning from the United States, the 21-year old student was out celebrating with friends when she was struck down by a speeding vehicle while crossing East Row, a street that, after midnight, is limited only to taxi and pedestrian traffic. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The car that struck Rose was driven by a thirteen-year old with two underage passengers, and was being pursued by police. It was going at such a speed (approx. 90 km/h) that Rose had had no time to react. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. She was rushed to Canberra Hospital with severe head trauma, where she remained in intensive care for three weeks. The Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra. Rose was subsequently moved to a hospice, and died from her injuries on 20 August. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine [3]
Her death was widely reported in Canberra, and shocked many in the broader local community. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. The University of Canberra granted Clea her degree posthumously at its annual awards in December 2005. The University of Canberra, also known as UC, is a University located in Canberra, ACT, the capital of Australia. [4] The University also instituted an award in her name for excellence among its tourism students, and the Rose/Dunn family funded a University scholarship in her name to encourage students to travel and do part of their degree in another country. [5][6]
The three youths who had been present in the car at the time of the incident escaped the scene and were not captured by police until days later. [7] None could be named, as all were juveniles at the time of the offence. The thirteen-year old driver had previously served time for stealing cars and was on bail for a similar offence at the time of the crime. His two passengers, a thirteen-year old boy and a fifteen-year old boy, were charged with riding in a stolen motor vehicle. [8] The three had been smoking cannabis before stealing the car from Kaleen and driving into the city. Cannabis ( Cán-na-bis) is a Genus of Flowering plants that includes three putative species Cannabis sativa subsp Kaleen is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen. The postcode is 2617 [9] The boys attracted the attention of police in the vicinity of London Circuit, which resulted in a pursuit after their refusal to stop. London Circuit is a road in Canberra, Australia which surrounds City Hill in Civic, the city centre [10]
Both passengers pleaded guilty to charges of riding in a stolen vehicle. The magistrates in the Children's Court gave both passengers the opportunity to prove that they were willing to modify their behaviour, and adjourned sentencing for some months to give them the opportunity to do so. The fifteen-year old passenger was able to satisfy the court of this, first earning a second adjournment, and then being sentenced to a two-year good behaviour bond on 10 March 2006. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The court was unimpressed with the progress of the thirteen-year old passenger, and he was subsequently sentenced to eighteen months detention on 10 April 2006, suspended from the end of July. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
The driver was initially charged with culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm, but this was upgraded to manslaughter after Rose's death. [11] He did not enter a plea for more than a month, but ultimately agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of culpable driving causing death on 7 October after being ordered by the judge to enter a plea. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) [12][13] Children's Court magistrate John Burns then committed him for sentencing in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory due to the severity of the offence, stating that the Children's Court maximum of two years was "woefully inadequate". The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the superior court for the ACT. [14] On 31 January 2006, he was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention with a non-parole period of eighteen months. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Justice Terry Connolly took into account that he was remorseful, having sent a letter of apology to the Rose/Dunn family. Terrence "Terry" Connolly ( 14 February 1958 &ndash 25 September 2007) was an Australian politician and judge [15] The family for the most part endorsed the sentence, and to the surprise of many, offered to help with the boy's rehabilitation. [16] This meant that restorative justice measures that had previously only been used in more minor crimes were able to be used, something which had not been seen before in the ACT. Restorative Justice is commonly known as a Theory of criminal justice that focuses on crime as an act against another individual or community rather than the state Rose's father, Ross Dunn, did, however, suggest that the boy would have received a stronger sentence had the crime occurred in New South Wales. [17]
A fourth youth who had been involved in the initial theft of the car but had got out after a short distance was given a four-month suspended sentence on 14 June 2006. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [18]
In the days following the accident, some of the blame began to be laid at the feet of the Australian Federal Police, who are responsible for policing in the ACT and who had conducted the pursuit which led to Rose's death. The Australian Federal Police (AFP is the Federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Numerous witnesses at the scene reported that the unmarked police car conducting the chase had sped through East Row at a speed of up to 90km/h, only seconds behind the stolen car, with lights and sirens blaring. [19]
The city police took even more blame when it emerged that police CCTV footage from three cameras at the intersection where the accident occurred were not working at the time of the accident. Closed-circuit television ( CCTV) is the use of Video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place limited set of monitors [20] This forced the subsequent investigation to rely on footage from a cinema and the police headquarters further along East Row and out of sight of the accident site. [21]
The police initially claimed that they had not been in pursuit of the car at all, before suggesting that the pursuit had been terminated by the time of the accident, both of which directly contradicted the testimony of numerous eyewitnesses. [22] They then embarked on what has been referred to as a "media blackout" over the incident, citing a forthcoming inquiry. [23] This, on top of the CCTV fiasco, sparked a scathing response from the local newspaper, the Canberra Times, and much of the local public. The Canberra Times Newspaper was founded in 1926 in Canberra, Australia by Arthur Shakespeare.
In early August, police announced plans for an inquiry, initially to be undertaken by the Police Standards Unit, but later changed to an independent internal review panel under the nominal oversight of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, John McMillan. John McMillan may refer to John McMillan (economist (1951&ndash2007 Professor of Economics at Stanford University University of California San Diego and University [24][25] Police Minister John Hargreaves stated that the report would not be made public in full, but that findings would be released. John Hargreaves is an Australian Politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly He stated as justification for this that "It's about security. It's about not revealing to the criminal element in town where certain weaknesses in police activities may or may not be . . . It's not about secrecy. "[26] The announcement was slammed by the territory opposition and by Civil Liberties Australia. [27]
Rose's death also resulted in bitter recriminations in parliament, with then-Opposition Leader Brendan Smyth attacking police handling of the issue and calling for a coronial inquest, and Chief Minister Jon Stanhope countering with allegations of trying to use the tragedy for political point-scoring. This article refers to the Australian politician For the priest see Brendan Smyth (priest. The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. For the 18th century British politician see John [28] The opposition went so far as to declare on 28 August that they were reviewing their policy of subcontracting territory policing out to the Australian Federal Police. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital [29]
The inquiry spent the latter part of 2005 preparing the report, but the issue blew up again after the sentencing of the driver in February 2006. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stories without links will be removed. News stories must be in English Rose's father made a public call for the release of the report, stating "I don't want to say when and how the pursuit commenced, but it's quite clear [the boy] wouldn't have gone screaming down the interchange if the police weren't up his tail. I want it clearly worked out and expressed; what exactly is the acceptable risk to the police or any other government agency in doing its operations, like chasing cars. I want that spelled out - one in a thousand, one in a million - what is it? Certainly in our case it wasn't worth it. "[30] His comments were backed up by Police Minister Hargreaves, who publicly criticised the length of time it had taken to issue the report. [31]
The report was finally finished in the wake of the February controversy, and in March, after receiving it, the ACT government began seeking legal advice as to whether the report could be made public. [32] It was announced on 24 March that the inquiry had found that police had followed relevant rules and procedures, but copies were only given to the Rose-Dunn family and the ACT government. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland [33] These announcements were contradicted to an extent, however, by the Commonwealth Ombudsman, John McMillan, who distanced himself from the report and stated publicly that it had not addressed all his concerns. [34]
On 26 March Rose's family publicly urged the general public not to accept the police's assertions that they had acted appropriately, and called for both the release of the full report and a full coronial inquest. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. [35] They did not, however, blame Rose's death on the police officers involved in the pursuit, or call for police pursuits to be banned. The following day, the Canberra Times published an editorial savagely critical of both the police and the ACT government, alleging among other things that the police had engaged in a cover-up in the weeks following the accident. [36] Later that day, Hargreaves agreed to release the report in full with information that would identify officers and witnesses blacked out. The report found that the police had been travelling at "a moderate speed" and had complied with all relevant procedures. [37] The Canberra Times remained critical, however, suggesting that the policies themselves needed to be changed, a topic which had been ignored by the report. [38] This was met with a promise from Hargreaves to raise the matter at the Australiasian Police Ministers Council. [39]
Four months later, on 29 July, the Canberra Times used the eve of the first anniversary of the accident to repeat the family's call for an inquest, in response to a letter to the family from the Coroner's Office questioning. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat It again renewed its criticism of the police's handling of the affair in the weeks following the accident, and pushed for a broader inquest to investigate issues not looked at in the internal report. [40]
At this stage, the decision on whether or not an inquest was to be held lay with the ACT coroner. The coroner's argument against an inquest was that the cause of Clea's death - head injuries received from being struck by the stolen car - was already known, and did not require further investigation. [41]
Under the ACT Coroner's Act, the ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell has the power to overrule the Coroner's Office and to demand that a coronial inquest be held. Simon Corbell is an Australian Politician in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of the seven members of the Legislative Assembly electorate On 31 July, The ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope announced that his government was prepared to use this power, and would direct that an inquest be held irrespective of the Coroner's decision. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently For the 18th century British politician see John This decision was welcomed by the Rose/Dunn family, but was criticised by the police association. [42] Chief Coroner Ron Cahill subsequently announced on 3 August that an inquest would begin in September. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. [43]
On the morning of the accident, Amy Banson, an Australian Catholic University student unknown to Clea, had been the first person on the scene, and stayed with Clea until the ambulance arrived. Australian Catholic University, or ACU National, is Australia's only public Catholic university [44] Banson had originally planned to walk from Brisbane to Canberra as a personal challenge, but after witnessing the accident and its aftermath, decided to carry out the walk as a fundraiser and awareness campaign for the National Brain Injury Foundation. This was in light of the fact that, had she survived, Clea would have been left with a severe brain injury,[44], although some later questioned Banson's motives.