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HUMAN RIGHTS FOR EACH PERSON REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, RELIGION OR POLITICS
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FPSS interview author Tony Wilson
Monday, September 22, 2008
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Schapelle
Author: Tony Wilson
On 8 October, 2004, Schapelle Corby was stopped at Bali Airport by customs officials, carrying 4.1kg of cannabis in her unlocked bodyboard bag. Tony Wilson, a journalist for the Gold Coast Bulletin, was at work when the news came through. His life has been a rollercoaster ride ever since. Tony has been a crime reporter for over 20 years. He has seen it all, heard it all but Schapelle’s story was different. Tony has checked the facts, hunted down the evidence and presented what he believes to be the truth, in this fascinating account of Schapelle and her family.
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FPPS: What sparked your interest in the Corby case.
TONY WILSON: My interest in the Corby case began when I first interviewed the late Michael Corby two days after Schapelle’ arrest and then discovered that the marijuana was worth more than $30,000 on the street in Australia at the time compared to $4400 in Bali. I thought this doesn’t make any sense at all and I still think that. So there was doubt in my mind about her innocence from the beginning and I was a believer in her innocence within weeks of her arrest after meeting and talking to her family and a number of her friends.
FPSS: Prior to becoming involved in the Corby case, what was your opinion of drug mules, sentencing and the affect foreign internment has on families? Did the Corby case alter your opinion on any of these issues?
TONY WILSON: Before Schapelle’s arrest I had a typical police reporter’s attitude of ‘they can all rot in hell.’ That has changed dramatically and forever. I have sympathy for the Bali 9 even though they are guilty. Before this I had never given a thought to what effect being locked in a foreign prison had on the person’s family, but now I understand well and a lot of that has come about since becoming a friend of Kay Danes, an advocate of the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, as well as being involved with Schapelle and her family.
FPSS: Why do you think the Corby family became the focus in Australia, as opposed to other more important issues such as; the lack of proper investigation, failure to test the marijuana for source of origin, lack of appropriate legal representation etc?
TONY WILSON: There were a number of reasons – Schapelle is a pretty white woman arrested and jailed in an Asian jail and because of the immediacy of the internet and TV these days , her case became like a real life soapie being played on our TV screens every night in 2005 especially. So more people knew more details about her case than any other including the Lindy Chamberlain one. So we were more concerned about issues like the drugs not being tested, the crazy charge of trafficking and all the ‘bit players’ in her soapie.
FPSS: How did the Corby case impact on your personal life and health?
TONY WILSON: I cannot count the sleepless nights I have had, nor the amount of times I spent thinking how else could I help her etc.. It gave me blood pressure issues and has now been documented, it cost me a job I loved dearly.
FPSS: Do you think that as a journalist you did the best job you could in providing a balanced account of the Corby case?
TONY WILSON: Despite being so close to the Corbys, I believe I was still balanced and I worked hard to do so. Perhaps I was more conscious of being balanced and fair than I normally would have been on other stories.
FPSS: Based on your experiences and hindsight, is there any advice that you would give to any up-and-coming journalists, in relation to reporting on cases that relate to Australians arrested overseas?
TONY WILSON: To be fair and balanced and remember there are always two sides to every story no matter how compelling one side may be. Also it probably better that they don’t become as involved as I have done as it can be a very painful experience.
FPSS: What do you hope your new book 'Schapelle' will achieve?
TONY WILSON: I hope that through people reading Schapelle, they will have a better understanding of the truth about her and her family as opposed to the plethora of lies, half truths and rumours treated as facts that have been written and broadcast about Schapelle and her family in the past four years. And I hope it might re-ignite a groundswell of support that reaches our new federal government.
FPSS: Have you any interest in writing other books on this topic? If yes, why?
TONY WILSON: I would be keen to write further books on similar subjects because supporting the underdog is something I like doing and I think I do well. Sadly, there must be other less known Australians locked in foreign jails for crimes they did not commit or who are serving vastly unjust sentences for what they did commit and I would like the public to know about these cases and the circumstances.
Contact for Tony Wilson and further enquiries about this book 'Schapelle' can be made through the publisher:
New Holland Publishers Australia
Unit 1, 66 Gibbes Street
Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia
Phone: +61 2 8986 4700
Fax: +61 2 8986 4799
Publicity Manager
Ian Dodd
ian@newholland.com.au
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