More than three decades after the killing of 12-year-old Leanne Holland, a coroner has ordered a fresh investigation into one of Australia’s most contested murder cases.
Leanne disappeared from her family home in Goodna, Ipswich, in September 1991, before her beaten and partially naked body was found days later in nearby bushland. Her sister’s boyfriend, Graham Stafford, was charged with her murder, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He spent 14 years behind bars before being released on parole, with his conviction ultimately quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2009 after it found he had not received a fair trial. A retrial was ordered but never proceeded, and no one else has ever been charged over Leanne’s death.
Despite the overturned conviction, a 2012 police review concluded Stafford remained the most likely offender. Investigators had previously pointed to evidence including Leanne’s blood found in Stafford’s car, a maggot in the boot consistent with those found on her body, and tyre tracks near the scene matching the vehicle.
Former police officer turned private investigator Graeme Crowley has long campaigned for Stafford’s innocence, arguing the wrong man was jailed while the real killer remains free. He says Stafford welcomes the new inquiry. “He’s very excited about it. He always wanted an inquest. He wants to show the world that he didn’t do it,” Crowley said. “I know what the evidence is and I’m comfortable that the wrong person was convicted. And I am unhappy that the right person has not been convicted of that murder.”
Stafford has consistently denied any involvement. In a 2017 interview, he stated plainly, “I didn’t murder Leanne in this house. I didn’t murder Leanne anywhere.”
Leanne’s family, however, has maintained their belief that Stafford is responsible. In a rare public statement, they expressed the toll the ongoing attention has taken. “This continual campaigning is incredibly distressing to our family, and we would ask for it to stop.”
The coroner has not yet outlined which aspects of the case will be re-examined or whether any new evidence has come to light. Queensland Police are expected to play a central role in the renewed investigation, with a case officer likely to be appointed from either the Homicide Squad or Cold Case unit.
