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Schapelle Corby became a household name in Australia after her arrest in 2004 on charges of importing 4.2 Kg of marijuana into Bali.

Her subsequent trial and guilty verdict were covered extensively in the news, and in 2005 there was a groundswell of support from all over Australia due to the inconsistencies in the evidence against her, the main one being that the street value of marijuana in Bali is roughly one eighth of the Australian value. Why would someone take enormous risks to import a drug into a foreign country for a massive loss?

The weakness of the case against Schapelle was compounded by the fact that the Indonesian prosecutors could not offer a single piece of forensic evidence to support their case, despite repeated requests from Corby’s defense team. The marijuana was not tested for its origin, finger prints were not taken and CCTV footage was mysteriously unavailable.

The case against Schapelle was based exclusively on circumstantial evidence, bolstered by (disputed) claims that her behaviour during the initial search demonstrated guilt.

The final twist was a “trial by media” which occured after Australian television program “Today Tonight”  payed Jodie Power $100,000 cash to air extremely damaging allegations about Schapelle’s sister Mercedes and the Corby family.

In May 2008, a New South Wales Supreme Court jury found that Channel Seven defamed Mercedes Corby, after which Seven Network settled the case for an undisclosed sum.

Schapelle’s mental state is reported to have deteriorated dramatically in the past year. Psychiatrist Jonathan Phillips visited Schapelle in jail earlier this year, and described her condition as follows:

“She is lost in her own bewildering world where fantasy, hallucinations and bizarre ideas dominate her mind… I really fear for her.”

“I know from experience that her illness will not get any better in the current situation, and will probably worsen with the risk of calamity.”

“Whether she’s innocent or guilty, her needs are medical.”

“She is in huge trouble.”

“I’ve never known a similar situation before and the things that might go wrong are beyond reckoning.”

Tonight TNRA welcomes Roy Reeves, a close friend of the Corby family, to discuss these issues and the miscarriage of justice which now threatens Schapelle’s life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYCuzE16tQE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdd4ae6JZ8c

Links for tonight’s interview:

• Corby Family Police Record Transcripts: A | B | C | D | E
• schapelle.net
• freeschapelle.com.au
• Schapelle Corby ‘insane’
• Schapelle Corby book sorts fact from fiction
• Holly Wilson - “When You Tried To Tell The World”
• Tara Hack - “Saya Tidak Bersalah”

9/11 links:

• www.thehardevidence.com
• Charlie Sheen talks to Alex Jones - 9/11/09
• Charlie Sheen’s 9/11 rant is pure ego