The heartbreaking letter that freed Lindy Chamberlain
<p>Lindy Chamberlain has revealed the heartbreaking letter she had smuggled out of jail, after being thrown behind bars for four years following the death of her baby daughter, Azaria.</p>
<p>During a family camping trip in Uluru on August 17, 1980, Chamberlain’s world fell apart after a dingo took her baby Azaria from the family tent.</p>
<p>The nine-week old was never seen again.</p>
<p>The disappearance led to a number of court cases and inquests and saw a now 72-year-old Chamberlain jailed for life in 1982 - before she was eventually cleared in 1986.</p>
<p>Now, Sam Neil takes a critical look into the investigation in a two-part series, titled Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story.</p>
<p>While the documentary is a retelling of the entire case, it also goes in depth about Chamberlain’s personal life.</p>
<p>In May 1984, four years after Azaria’s death - the governor-General was given a petition signed by 131,000 people, demanding a judicial inquiry into the Chamberlain case.</p>
<p>The National Freedom Council was adamant the campaign would not end until Lindy was free.</p>
<p>Looking at spending her third Christmas in jail with no release date set, Chamberlain had a heartbreaking letter smuggled out of her cell detailing how unjust her treatment had been.</p>
<p>“I’ve tried to co-operate, but still this farce continues,” she wrote.</p>
<p>“For nearly three years, I have worked as an inmate of this prison for 30 cents a day, trying to do whatever I was asked pleasantly.</p>
<p>“I have sought an inquiry whereby the NT Government had a chance to redeem their own name. In return, they have ignored decency and justice and still scoff at it.</p>
<p>“As from 1 pm Darwin time today, I’m refusing to work in any way whatsoever for this prison.</p>
<p>“I did not kill my lovely daughter and refuse to be treated as a criminal any longer.”</p>
<p>Chamberlain was exonerated in 1986, after a piece of Azaria’s clothing was found near a dingo den.</p>
<p>Before her release, Michael Chamberlain and their three children Aiden, Reagan and Kahlia – who was born while Lindy was behind bars – could only visit Lindy three times a year, with media “desperate” to catch a glimpse of Australia’s most infamous family entering the prison.</p>
<p>Ita Buttrose, who went to the Mulawa Women’s Prison to interview Chamberlain, said her time behind bars was “very, very isolating” and these visits – including her interview visit- were deemed a “treat”.</p>
<p>“Everyone in Australia judged this woman before she ever got a trial,” Buttrose said</p>
<p>“Even when she was in jail, she was still being judged.”</p>
