Justice not yet doner—relative

Press, 8 February 1986, Page 1

Justice not yet doner—relative

' By !

SARAH SANDS

Justice had-not yet been done, in spite of Lindy Chamberlain’s release, said her mother-in-law, Mrs Greta Chamberlain, from her home at Ellesmere last evening. The case was not over, she said. “It is a long way from being finished and the reason it is not is because they have her out on a good-behaviour bond.” Mrs Chamberlain wanted Lindy to be fully exonerated. “It is not good enough for her to get out and run — she has to be exonerated 99 Only then would people know that Lindy was not guilty, she said. Until then, many people would continue spitting at the family, howling like dingoes, and making threats against it. Mrs Chamberlain said that even if the matinee coat had not been found, Lindy’s conviction would have been overturned because of evidence now held by her husband, Michael.

“He has not told me what it is because the Northern Territory (authorities) would get hold of it and twist it," she said.

Although Lindy had been released, people would still be working to have her proved not guilty, said Mrs Chamberlain.

“It is not over, the case is not'finlshed'yet, but the family _-is: greatly relieved.” Mrs Chamberlain heard about the release on the radio news at 6 p.m. “It stunned me for a minute. All I could see was a photograph of Michael and Lindy and the children with their arms around each other — a family reunion.” Her husband, Mr Ivan Chamberlain, had been walking the farm dogs through a camping ground when people came rushing out of their tents and caravans to tell him the news. "They had to take me in and give me cups of tea and tell me the news again,” he said.

Mr Chamberlain felt no bitterness towards anybody involved with the case.

"You can’t be bitter about it — there is a Biblical instruction which says ‘Don’t look back.’ "I have said just let it go — they will have egg on their faces (the authorities) but it is not going to come from me.”

Mr Chamberlain said he and his wife would not go to Australia to be with Michael and Lindy. “We are going to leave them to find their own feet because it is going to take a lot to unwind.” He did hot know what their plans would be. He had not heard from his son last evening but expected them to remain living within the Seventhday Adventist College, “for security as much as anything.” “I think that (security) will have to continue because some of the threats (against Michael and Lindy) have been over the edge. There is a peculiar section in the community.”

Mr Chamberlain said that support from other members of the public had been remarkable.

“I have just' been offered by a well-wisher more money than we would ever require — air fares and everything would be covered.”

The Chamberlains spent most of last evening answering'telephone calls from well-wishers and reporters in New Zealand and Australia. Mrs Chamberlain said she still could not believe it but it had been foretold last year by an Australian fortune teller.

“She said that Lindy would be released, that justice would be done, and people would know that it was a dingo that killed Azaria.”