Sydney Hilton Bombing - Inquiries, Trials and Royal Commission

Inquiries, Trials and Royal Commission

A coronial inquest was not held until four years later in 1982, although they are normally held within a few weeks. Stipendiary Magistrate Walsh found a prima facie case of murder against two members of Ananda Marga – Ross Dunn and Paul Alister (but not Tim Anderson) – based on evidence by Richard Seary, which was later discredited.

The Hilton bombing charges against Dunn and Alister were soon dropped. But Anderson, Dunn, and Alister had been convicted on different charges of conspiracy to murder Robert Cameron, Sydney leader of the Australian National Front.

It was alleged that Richard Seary, a police informant, convinced Dunn and Alister to plant a bomb at Cameron's home. Anderson was to provide a press release. Dunn and Alister stated that they intended only to write graffiti at Cameron's home and that they had no knowledge of the bomb. Seary was an unreliable witness, having already given discredited evidence accusing Dunn and Alistair at the initial Hilton bombing inquest, being a drug addict and a "mentally disturbed fantasizer". However, there was also some police evidence. The prosecution had strongly associated the matter with the Sydney Hilton bombing.

A Royal Commission, headed by Justice Wood was established into the conviction of the three, and recommended their pardon, and they were released in 1985. (This case did not directly cover the Hilton Bombing.)

Anderson was then re-arrested for the Sydney Hilton bombing, tried and convicted. He was acquitted in 1991 by the Court of Criminal Appeal NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeal nevertheless refused to hold that Anderson's verdicts of guilty were unsafe and unsatisfactory, in the sense that the jury ought to have had a reasonable doubt as to his guilt. Instead, it held that the trial had miscarried by reason of the way in which the Crown had conducted it. However, instead of ordering a new trial, the Court exercised its discretion to enter a judgment of acquittal. R v Anderson (1991) 53 A Crim R 421

Pederick had confessed to the bombing and so was convicted without detailed scrutiny of his confession. However, in the Anderson appeal Chief Justice Gleeson said Pederick's account of the bombing was "clearly unreliable". Pederick's later appeal was rejected when he produced no evidence to explain why he had falsely confessed. Pederick was released after serving eight years in jail and stated "I guess I was quite unique in the prison system in that I had to keep proving my guilt, whereas everyone else said they were innocent."

Coronial enquiries were limited in the scope. No person appearing before the coroner has a right to subpoena evidence without permission from the coroner, and in this inquest Walsh rejected all applications.