Extradition and Trial
The Himalaya arrived at Colombo, Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon), on 10 October. Two Sydney policemen were waiting for Bradley but Australia had no extradition treaty with Ceylon. After legal wrangling, Bradley was flown back to Australia on 18 November, allegedly making a confession to an escorting officer just before the aircraft landed in Sydney.
Bradley admitted the kidnapping, but said that Graeme Thorne had accidentally suffocated while locked in the back of his car. Forensic experts disproved this by connecting a breathing mask to the inside of the boot and breathing the air from the boot for seven hours, without ill effect.
Bradley's trial for murder lasted nine days, at the end of which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. His appeal was dismissed as the evidence against him was simply overwhelming. It was widely predicted that for his crime against a child, he would be a pariah in prison.
Read more about this topic: Graeme Thorne Kidnapping
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